Denver Broncos: 3 Takeaways vs. Raiders in Week 12
By Bruce Matson
2. Let’s Not Run The Ball
Here’s Denver’s distribution of carries out of the backfield:
- C.J. Anderson, five carries for 12 yards
- Devontae Booker, six carries for 11 yards
- Andy Janovich, one carry for four yards
- Jamaal Charles, one carry for three yards
That’s right, the Broncos managed to hand the ball off just 13 times for 30 yards to their running backs. The biggest trend during Denver’s seven game losing streak is how quick they are to abandon the run game once they fall behind in games.
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The Broncos have one of the best defenses in the league and by running the football the Broncos can control the time of possession, making things a lot easier for their defense. Running the football and playing tough defense unusually goes hand-in-hand, but the Broncos’ coaching staff usually like to forget this notion.
How many games are the Broncos expecting to win when they are trying to air it out with Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler at quarterback? Denver doesn’t have the most talented quarterbacks in the league and they need to make things easier on their passers by trying to establish the run.
Denver usually forgoes the run immediately when they fall behind in games, which is asinine, considering they have the majority of the game to make up the deficit. Establishing the run and playing strong defense can help the team stay in games. Instead, they are relying on their inexperienced quarterbacks to get the job done.