Clayton: Vic Fangio was all in on getting off to a fast start in 2021
Sep 13, 2021, 4:07 PM
Vic Fangio showed an aggressiveness in the preseason, which showed he wanted to get off to fast September start. After not winning a September game in his first two years as the Broncos head coach, Fangio’s team looked strong in their 27-13 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday.
Fangio was going for fourth downs in the preseason games. He went three-for-three on fourth downs on Sunday; two of those fourth downs helped continue touchdown drives.
With games coming up against the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets, the Broncos have a great chance to go 3-0 in September. With Fangio on the coaching hot seat, that is very important.
There were a lot of good things that happened in the victory over the Giants. The defense did a good job of containing Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Although he threw for 267 yards, he committed a critical turnover in the red zone and was limited to only two touchdown drives, one that was meaningless at the end of the game when Jones had a four-yard touchdown run.
The Broncos defense did a great job stopping the run. They only allowed 60 yards and Jones had 27 of those yards scrambling.
Teddy Bridgewater showed why he won the starting job at quarterback with his efficiency. He completed 28 of 36 for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He tried to extend plays with his scrambling ability. One concern might be holding onto the ball too long. According to NextGen Stats, he held onto the ball for 3.03 seconds, most in the NFL in Week 1.
The running game was great. Melvin Gordon had 101 yards on 11 carries and had a great 70-yard run for a touchdown. Javonte Williams had 45 yards on 14 carries.
The one concern was the loss to Jerry Jeudy with a high-ankle sprain. He could be out four to six weeks. Before the injury, Jeudy was as good as everyone expected. He caught six passes for 72 yards. He’s an important part of the offense.
On a side note, Fangio was able to get first-round pick Patrick Surtain on the field despite the strength of the team’s three cornerbacks. He played outside corner 16 plays.
It was a good start all around for the Broncos. That’s just what Vic Fangio needed.
