The less the Broncos depend on quarterback , the more they win.
It has been a slow and at times painful lesson for this team and this quarterback to learn.
Denver has climbed back into the playoff conversation only after realizing less of Keenum is more. At least thatap my theory. And I have the statistics to back up the idea Keenum is more suited to playing the underdog than being the big, bad alpha dog.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say I liked playing the underdog, that I didn’t mind not getting the respect,” Keenum said Wednesday, when he was in an upbeat mood after upsetting elite NFL quarterbacks named and .
Feeling good and maybe a little vindicated after his contributions in two straight victories that gave renewed hope for this football season in Denver? Keenum’s not wrong.
And giving a little poke to the ribs of his doubters? Thatap cool.
“I really don’t think anybody else’s opinion matters but whatap going on in our locker room,” said Keenum, who took heat from the internet to the radio airwaves as Denver stumbled to a 3-6 record. “I have a lot of respect for what you guys do, but there’s a lot of things that go on outside this building that for us, we don’t pay attention to. We get after it and we work, and we trust each other. We trust each other’s opinion and we trust the coaches’ opinions. Thatap what matters to us. But it feels good to prove people wrong every once in a while.”
Where the Broncos were wrong was trying to make Keenum something he’s not: a game-changing quarterback. Keenum is a competent game manager, which is just fine for a team whose strength is defense.
While Keenum deserves to be lauded for leading game-winning drives in the fourth quarter against the Chargers and Steelers, what Denver has discovered is this team plays stronger football by leaning less on Keenum and more on rookie running back .
In the six games the Broncos have lost, Keenum actually has produced a higher quarterback rating (86.98) and completed a higher percentage of his passes (64.7) for more yards (281.3 per game) than in the five games Denver has won.
In victory, Keenum’s QB rating (80.95), completion percentage (59.4) and passing yardage (222.8) are all very pedestrian. Whatap more, his touchdown-to-interception ratio has actually been slightly worse in victory than defeat.
It all seems slightly counterintuitive, especially in an era when the quarterbacks have never been more celebrated as essential to NFL success. So what gives?
The Broncos play better football when Keenum throws less. Yes, when trailing, all NFL teams are forced to pass more frequently. But consider this: With the exception of that stinker against the and a 13-3 deficit at halftime to the Los Angeles Rams, Denver has entered the third quarter within a single score of its foe in the other four defeats.
Denver is a run-first team. The optimum number of passing attempts for Keenum is 30, not 40. In those crucial, attitude-altering victories against the Chargers and Steelers, Keenum threw an average of 30 times for an average of 201 yards, which reads more like a stat line from the time when was a young quarterback instead of a experienced general manager.
Elway might ultimately prove wise for signing Keenum as a free agent, at the relatively bargain rate of $18 million per season. The mistake was in trying to coax a premium performance from a midlevel quarterback.
Keenum is paid in the same neighborhood as and . Compared to them, Keenum is a solid investment.
“He’s an experienced guy and he’s a grinder,” said Broncos coach , looking for the most apt words to compliment his quarterback. “As it gets hard, I think Case likes it that way, and thatap been his M.O. since college.”
So let him grind.
At times early in this season, it seemed as if the Broncos believed they could get something approaching the production of or from Keenum.
Wrong.
To make the playoffs, Denver will probably have to close the regular season with seven straight victories. Thatap unlikely, but itap within the realm of possibility if the Broncos lean more on linebacker , cornerback and Lindsay than Keenum.
The Broncos don’t need Keenum to be spectacular. They just need him to manage the game and protect the football. He hasn’t thrown an interception in November.
“I’m throwing it to our guys, not throwing it to the other team,” said Keenum, making a joke at his expense. “Who knew?”
Well, now we all know.
He will never be Patrick Mahomes or . Keenum should be content to be him. And nothing more.
