It wasn’t pretty, but the Denver Broncos managed to take advantage of the New England Patriots offensive line woes against the Miami Dolphins, locking up the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a scrappy 27-20 win at home over the San Diego Chargers.
Most people at home looking at the headlines on Monday will think of the Denver Broncos decision to replace Brock Osweiler with Peyton Manning as the game-changing move for the Super Bowl contenders, but it was a lesser-known veteran sub who made the most profound impact on the Broncos offense.
With Osweiler in the game, the Broncos actually did a better job of moving the ball through the air, but untimely fumbles and somewhat unlucky interceptions undermined the big plays they were generating. The offense undoubtedly looked quicker, safer, and more effective, particularly on the ground, after Peyton came in, but there’s one man who deserves more credit for this than he’s getting.
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That man is the Broncos new starting right tackle, and his name is Tyler Polumbus. The former Mike Shanahan favorite as the right tackle for the Washington Redskins came into the game for young Michigan product Michael Schofield, and he was an immediate upgrade.
Schofield has been the worst player on the Broncos offense this season, as the right tackle has been getting abused repeatedly by pass rushers in 2015. Last week, Schofield was victimized badly on many occasions by Cincinnati Bengals explosive defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who would end the game with three sacks.
Even though the Broncos prevailed again in Week 17, Schofield was even worse yesterday against the Chargers, as underrated, speedy 3-4 outside linebacker Melvin Ingram made mincemeat out of him. Ingram had just one sack, but he might as well have had as many as Dunlap did in Week 16. The man was simply unstoppable, and when he wasn’t putting a ridiculous spin move on Schofield, he was blowing by the struggling RT, making him look like Green Bay Packers infamously poor turnstile and backup Josh Walker.
This marked the third time in the past four weeks in which Schofield was embarrassed by an edge rusher, as we all remember how Defensive Player of the Year candidate Khalil Mack meme’d him back in Week 14.
The Broncos pulled Brock Osweiler for Peyton Manning yesterday in a move that sparked the crowd and the offense, but their decision to finally get Schofield out of there in favor of the more seasoned Polumbus might have been an even bigger catalyst.
Polumbus isn’t going to win or lose you many battles at right tackle, and it’s that sort of stability that the Broncos need at the position. A star player like Mack will expose him, but he can hold his own against a good pass rusher like Ingram. That’s exactly what he did yesterday, and it seemed like more running lanes opened up for this offense when Polumbus entered the game. C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman, and the interior linemen deserve most of the credit, but we should kick some praise to Polumbus for his potential role in kick-starting the running game.
Of course, the most important thing he did was prevent his quarterback from getting hurried incessantly, as Ingram and other pass rushers have been seriously hurting the passing game’s rhythm over the past few weeks.
Remember, Polumbus came in at the exact same time as Peyton did, because it was Schofield who was 90% responsible for that fateful second interception that came out of Osweiler’s hands.
Yes, it was an ill-advised throw from the young quarterback, but it was yet another awful moment for an offensive lineman who has been left red-faced repeatedly.
Based on the turn-around the Broncos had on Sunday, it would be even more difficult to justify re-inserting Schofield into the lineup than it would be to re-insert Osweiler.
Because while Osweiler has outplayed Manning at some points this season, we have yet to see Polumbus perform at a lower level than Schofield, though that’s mostly because he’s played sparingly prior to the regular season finale.
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It’s important to keep in mind that Polumbus had a dreadful 2014 season for the Washington Redskins after his solid 2013 campaign, but until proven otherwise, it’s hard to see him playing worse than Schofield.
Consider his substitution into the game a pivotal moment in the Broncos victory, and, maybe, in the Broncos postseason run to follow.