Seems funny to say it about a first-place team, but here’s the question surrounding the Broncos: Can they take it to the next level?
Because there is a next level to get to. If not two levels.
Yes, the Broncos are 4-1. Yes, they’re among the league leaders in every offensive category. But don’t mistake them for a dominant team. If you’re looking for an adjective, lucky comes to mind before dominant.
They have, after all, won three home games by one, two and three points. And they needed a blown call by Ed Hochuli and a missed field-goal attempt by Tampa Bay’s Martin Gramatica to do it.
So how do the Broncos get to that next level, if not the one beyond that? For one thing, they have to rush the passer better. Much better.
They went into last Sunday’s game vs. Tampa Bay with six sacks in four games. After racking up three sacks against the Bucs, they have nine in five games. That’s more of a good start than an impressive number.
In today’s NFL, a quality pass rush in nothing short of imperative to a team’s success. NFL quarterbacks completed a league-record 61.2 percent of their passes in 2007, but that figure is somewhat misleading.
Think about it. Quarterbacks spike the ball to kill the clock an average of about once a game. And they throw it out of bounds to avoid a hit a handful of times every Sunday.
That means, when they have time to throw, when the pressure isn’t coming off the corner, they complete closer to 70 percent of their throws. It’s the way of the NFL. It’s a byproduct of rules rigged against defenses to promote the passing game.
So the challenge for the Broncos is simple: Put pressure on the quarterback. If they don’t, they’re going to get picked apart. By good quarterbacks and by marginal ones.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
