Clayton: The Broncos offense needs to start relying on their strength
Oct 5, 2021, 4:36 PM
The Broncos are still waiting to see if Teddy Bridgewater can come out of concussion protocol. At that point, they will be able to better determine if the quarterback can play this week.
If not, it will be Drew Lock on Sunday against Pittsburgh. Regardless who is the quarterback, the Broncos have to shift their offensive philosophy and run the ball.
In the firsts four games of the season, the Broncos have averaged 121.8 rushing yards a game. They are averaging 28 running plays a game.
It’s not surprising that the Broncos have been a 56.6 to 43.4 pass-to-run offense. They entered the season with what is considered a top-six pass-catching group.
Injuries have changed that, however. They don’t have Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler at the moment.
Of course, three of the Broncos games thus far were against the worst teams in football – the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets. Last Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens was their first game against a good team. They lost 23-7 and ended up passing the ball a lot.
Against Baltimore, Denver only had 17 runs. They had 42 drop backs to pass. That’s a 71.2 to 28.8 pass-to-run ratio. That’s can’t continue against better teams.
If they do that against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they will be in big trouble. Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick combined for only six receptions against the Ravens. Tight end Noah Fant led the team with six catches.
The Broncos are blessed to have Melvin Gordon and second-round choice Javonte Williams in the backfield. Until the receiving corps get a little deeper at receiver, they need to rely more on those two backs.
