VS 
Last Monday, the Broncos dropped to 6-2 on the season after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers by a final score of 28-10. I have been terribly busy this week and will knock out a recap of that game (late, and lame I know) but it was a painful one to watch. Not as embarrassing as the Ravens loss, but close. This week, the Broncos travel to Washington to play a reeling 2-6 Redskins team. This is a pretty important game for Denver, who will follow up next week in an immensely important divisional game at home against the Chargers. As bad as Washington is, it would be a mistake to look ahead.
Denver heads into the game ranked 3rd overall in team defense in the NFL (8th against the run and 7th against the pass). Washington is ranked 6th overall in team defense (25th against the run and 1st against the pass).
Denver is currently ranked 19th in the league in total offense (16th in passing and 18th in rushing) while the Redskins are sitting at 24th (20th in passing and 23rd in rushing).
This is the 3rd straight week that the Broncos will face a pretty formidable defense. The Skins are solid on the line and secondary and won’t be a walk in the park for Denver. Their offense is pretty terrible and will be without starting running back (and former Bronco who I loved) Clinton Portis.
Even with all that, this is going to be a team that is driven and should absolutely not be overlooked. Jason Campbell is not a bad quarterback, he just has little help. Without tight end Chris Cooley, his options are really limited and I look for him to target Santana Moss the most. They will start running back Ladell Betts (also love the guy, former Hawkeye…just not Sunday) and he is not someone to take lightly. He has a great mix of power and speed that can hurt a defense.
The Washington defense presents a few problems for Denver, and is the only thing I can really see that will keep the Redskins in the game. Their line is pretty fierce with Albert Haynesworth and rookie line backer Brian Orakpo. They are not that great against the run, but they can get to the quarterback which will present a problem for Denver. In the secondary, the Redskins are playing pretty well actually and Denver will absolutely need to stretch the field to make this a game. Defensively, this reminds me of the previous two games to a lesser degree in terms of how they can beat the Broncos. Pressure on the quarterback and containing the running game will be a key for the Redskins. Of course, they need their offense to produce something also.
The Broncos are in a pretty important spot of the season. It is far too early to panic when you are sitting at 6-2 and leading your division, but the next few games are vital to maintaining that divisional lead. Denver needs to continue to take care of the teams they should beat (Browns, Raiders and now Washington) to keep pace with the surging Chargers who I mentioned Denver will host in week 11. Aside from that, this team needs to regain that confidence, fire and continuity it showed in the first 6 games of the season where they looked fantastic and opportunistic.
Denver absolutely has to get it going on offense again. The bubble screens on 3rd and long won’t get it done and I seriously hope they look at stretching the field a little more and changing some of the decisions in the running game this week. If not, it will be just like the last 2 weeks, a loss. This all starts on the offensive line to a certain degree, they absolutely have to give Orton time to make the proper reads. That certainly does not excuse Orton from making bad decisions, he is just not a mobile quarterback in the pocket and tends to get “happy feet” when pressured enough.
Eddie Royal had his way with DeAngelo Hall last year when he was with the Raiders, and I am hoping he has the same success this game. The Broncos have the offensive weapons to hurt any team, they just have to use them. Denver will again be without starting right tackle Ryan Harris and Tyler Polumbus will stand in for him again. Another key change this week is that Russ Hochstein will replace Ben Hamilton at guard. I hope this helps the line because Hamilton has been dominated and awful the last few weeks.
Defensively, I think Denver just keeps doing what they have been doing. The defense has not really been the issue this year. Get to the quarterback and stop the run and the Broncos should be able to fairly easily contain any passing threat the Skins have.
The area I am concerned about is special teams. Denver has had some special teams issues across the board this season. Most recently the punting game has been just awful. Bringing in Mitch Berger to replace Brett Kern looks to be the first real mistake of coach McDaniels’ young career. Denver has to tighten this up to be a contender, you cannot give up hidden yardage and expect to win.
Finally, Denver has to win the turnover battle. That has proven to be an absolute key to their success this year (and not surprisingly, historically in the NFL).
To put it simply, this is a game Denver should, and really has to, win. Washington is an awful team and the Broncos need to get on a positive track before next week. The Broncos should get at least 4 more wins this season (Washington, Oakland, the Chiefs twice) and need to continue their winning ways against lesser teams. Again, sticking to my predictions I am calling a Broncos victory by a final score of 31 – 10. I look for the offense to have a break out game, and the coaching staff to improve on their play calling.
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