Denver Broncos Will Take A Step Back In 2015

For the past three seasons the Denver Broncos have been the team to beat in the AFC West, and in 2013 were also the top team overall in the AFC. Posting a combined record of 38-10 over those three years, the Broncos have enjoyed a revival of Peyton Manning after his series of neck surgeries, and a front office that used a “win now” mentality in their free-agent spending.

Sep 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) passes the ball during the second half against the against the Indianapolis Colts at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

While the combination of Manning and money spending has worked in terms of regular season success, it has not produced a Super Bowl win yet. General manager John Elway appears to be ready to put the same type of strategy together for 2015 if Manning comes back. They brought in a veteran coach in Gary Kubiak who is of course someone Elway and the Broncos ownership are familiar with. They are going to make a run at the big-money free agents in the hopes they can repeat their recent success.

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The likelihood of that success continuing is not very good, however, and there are a few reasons why the odds are against the Broncos when it comes to repeating their dominance from the past three years.

To begin with, the biggest question mark is going to be whether Peyton Manning can sustain his health well enough to play all of the regular season and potentially the post season. Manning really started to show his age last year when he struggled generating enough arm strength to throw anything past 10-15 yards. His 7.92 yards a completion and 15 interceptions on the season were his worst numbers in those categories since he became a Bronco. Add on the torn quad muscle he suffered through towards the end of the year and it’s easy to say that Manning is not the iron man he used to be. Will Brock Osweiler be able to sustain the offense if Manning has to sit?

Secondly, the Broncos will be changing their offensive strategy and play calling with offensive coordinator Adam Gase leaving the team for Chicago. Kubiak ran an offense in Houston as head coach and in Baltimore as the offensive coordinator that used a lot of play-action passing and deep strikes when defenses would bite on those fakes. The success in the running game allowed that, and he didn’t employ a lot of the timing passes and bubble screens that Gase used in Denver. Will he and Peyton be able to adapt to each other’s strengths? Probably. But will the Broncos offense be clicking from day one or will they struggle to mesh?

Oct 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware (94) reacts after a sack in the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Lastly, the Broncos are putting a lot of their trust in veteran leadership. Some of the guys that are expected to lead the team at key positions are old. In addition to Manning, guys like Wes Welker, DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib are on the back-end of their careers. And while the Broncos have several younger emerging players like running back C.J. Anderson, they could be in trouble if some of their vets start to go down with injuries.

Denver is hoping they can put together at least one more run at an NFL championship. But with the issues they will likely face a back step in the win-loss column is expected.

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