Scouting the enemy: Denver Broncos await meeting with Chiefs in primetime
By Kody Latham
Scouting the Offense
The Broncos have struggled offensively since their Super Bowl win at the end of the 2015 season. After they hoisted the Lombardi trophy that season, future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset. Since then the Broncos have gone through a carousel of options. After losing Brock Osweiler to the Houston Texans in free agency, the Broncos decided to trade up in the first round of the draft to acquire Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch.
Lynch was recently released this past offseason after not living up to expectations. Trevor Siemien, the Broncos, starting quarterback for all of 2016 and 2017 was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a fifth-round draft selection. To fill the vacancy at the quarterback position the Broncos went out and snagged Case Keenum, who led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC championship game last season while filling in for an injured Sam Bradford.
The signing of Keenum went a long way to stabilize the quarterback position and is part of the reason that the Broncos were able to start the season 2-0. Keenum led a comeback against the Oakland Raiders in Week 2, achieving a 20-19 victory. It has not been all rainbows and sunshine though, Keenum’s stat line for the 2018 season currently is 743 yards, 61 percent completion percentage, three touchdowns, five interceptions, and one fumble. Which is presently worrying for Broncos fans as it seems like Keenum is reverting to his days when he played for the St. Louis Rams.
The quarterback is not the only change since last season; the Broncos also let go of their workhorse of the past few years, C.J. Anderson. In his place, the Broncos have used a combination of third-round pick Royce Freeman and undrafted free agent Phillip Lindsay. These two have helped lead the Broncos to the third-best rushing attack in the NFL. They are currently averaging 144 yards a game, and against a leaky Kansas City defense could pose a significant problem come Monday.
The Broncos wide receiver core also got a boost during the draft this year. Denver decided to choose Courtland Sutton in the second round of the draft. They then doubled down on the position when they also draft DaeSean Hamilton in the fourth round. This has given Keenum multiple targets to throw to this season instead of just Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders, in particular, has had a good season so far. He is currently rated as the 14th best receiver in the league by Pro Football Focus and seems to have been Keenum’s favorite target this season. If the Chiefs can find a way to stop Sanders, it could give Keenum some issues this week.