Monday Night Football, the big stage underneath the lights of Mile High (hmm... excuse me I mean Invesco). This game is coming at a critical time and both teams are fighting for a possible wild card playoff berth. Even, dare I say, a division title is not out of the realm of possibilities, however it would be a serious uphill battle. The Tennessee Titans are 6-3, in third place in the AFC South. They are coming off a division loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and need to pick up a win to stay competitive in their division. The Denver Broncos are 4-5 and are in 2nd place in the mediocre AFC West.
Offense
Expect the Broncos to use a lot of double tight sets to provide max protection on passing plays and get mismatches on the TEs. We must get the ball to Scheffler and DG on the short to intermediate routes. They will also utilize those extra blockers in the running game against a very strong Titans run defense. The zone-blocking scheme needs to be effective against Tennessee's front four to open up cut back lanes and wall off defenders. We will run the ball inside to keep the defense honest, however I expect to see more zone stretch plays and off tackle running than normal. We want to attack the edge of the Titans defense and take the pressure off of the replacement interior offensive lineman. The Broncos will game plan around the Titans best defensive player Albert Haynesworth. He is a force against the run and collapses the pocket in passing situations. If we are able to run the ball effectively that should open up plenty of opportunities to get Cutler out of the pocket on play action passes. I expect to see a balanced workload between the two backs Henry and Young until Shanahan can identify which back is more effective against the defense.
The Broncos must get yards on 1st and 2nd down either through the running game or on short to intermediate pass plays. The Titans defense is not nearly as good in 2nd or 3rd and short situations, so we must stay out of 3rd and long to avoid a forced turnover. This game will be more about Cutler than some of our previous games. He needs to make completions and force the defense to play the pass by leaving only 7 in the box. B Marsh will get plenty of looks and he needs to use his athleticism to break a big play or two. We lack a serious deep threat to stretch the defense, but don't be surprised when we take a few shots down field to Marshall or Scheffler on the seam. The Titans will key on Marshall so we need Stokley to continue his consistent play.
If we can not run the ball effectively we need to use the aggressiveness of the defense to our advantage. They will probably blitz to try and keep Cutler off balance. We will need to counter by utilizing screen plays to Young, slants to Marshall, and a variety of quick drop back passes to the TEs. This will be a very physical game, however if we can get on top early that will play right into the hands of our defensive secondary.
Defense
The Titans are not a team that will beat you with offensive prowess, they play hard nose football and make enough plays to win games. There is absolutely no doubt that the Titans will run the ball right at the Broncos. They will try and play physical ball control offense and give the rock to White and Brown. If they can get the running game going, they will run play action and get Vince Young out of the pocket to give him the pass/ run option. We will play 8 men in the box and focus first on stopping the run. If we struggle, we could drop 9 in the box and leave the corners in man to man with no help over the top. Stopping the run is the priority. The LBs need to have another good game and make plays. They must attack the ball inside-out and maintain their lane integrity and gap responsibility. The Titans have big running backs so we must wrap up on tackles and attack the their RBs low.
When the Titans pass the ball the Broncos will leave at least one QB spy to keep VY from making plays with his feet. The Titans have an average receiving core that does not pose a real threat to the strong Broncos defensive secondary. However TE Bo Scaife is VY favorite target and can make some plays, so we need to be aware of him when he's on the field. The issues arise when VY starts making plays with his feet. The Broncos will move towards the line to help contain Young and it will open up holes in the secondary. Both LenDale White and Bo Scaife are Denver natives and will be focused on playing well in front of friends and family.
Offense
Expect the Broncos to use a lot of double tight sets to provide max protection on passing plays and get mismatches on the TEs. We must get the ball to Scheffler and DG on the short to intermediate routes. They will also utilize those extra blockers in the running game against a very strong Titans run defense. The zone-blocking scheme needs to be effective against Tennessee's front four to open up cut back lanes and wall off defenders. We will run the ball inside to keep the defense honest, however I expect to see more zone stretch plays and off tackle running than normal. We want to attack the edge of the Titans defense and take the pressure off of the replacement interior offensive lineman. The Broncos will game plan around the Titans best defensive player Albert Haynesworth. He is a force against the run and collapses the pocket in passing situations. If we are able to run the ball effectively that should open up plenty of opportunities to get Cutler out of the pocket on play action passes. I expect to see a balanced workload between the two backs Henry and Young until Shanahan can identify which back is more effective against the defense.
The Broncos must get yards on 1st and 2nd down either through the running game or on short to intermediate pass plays. The Titans defense is not nearly as good in 2nd or 3rd and short situations, so we must stay out of 3rd and long to avoid a forced turnover. This game will be more about Cutler than some of our previous games. He needs to make completions and force the defense to play the pass by leaving only 7 in the box. B Marsh will get plenty of looks and he needs to use his athleticism to break a big play or two. We lack a serious deep threat to stretch the defense, but don't be surprised when we take a few shots down field to Marshall or Scheffler on the seam. The Titans will key on Marshall so we need Stokley to continue his consistent play.
If we can not run the ball effectively we need to use the aggressiveness of the defense to our advantage. They will probably blitz to try and keep Cutler off balance. We will need to counter by utilizing screen plays to Young, slants to Marshall, and a variety of quick drop back passes to the TEs. This will be a very physical game, however if we can get on top early that will play right into the hands of our defensive secondary.
Defense
The Titans are not a team that will beat you with offensive prowess, they play hard nose football and make enough plays to win games. There is absolutely no doubt that the Titans will run the ball right at the Broncos. They will try and play physical ball control offense and give the rock to White and Brown. If they can get the running game going, they will run play action and get Vince Young out of the pocket to give him the pass/ run option. We will play 8 men in the box and focus first on stopping the run. If we struggle, we could drop 9 in the box and leave the corners in man to man with no help over the top. Stopping the run is the priority. The LBs need to have another good game and make plays. They must attack the ball inside-out and maintain their lane integrity and gap responsibility. The Titans have big running backs so we must wrap up on tackles and attack the their RBs low.
When the Titans pass the ball the Broncos will leave at least one QB spy to keep VY from making plays with his feet. The Titans have an average receiving core that does not pose a real threat to the strong Broncos defensive secondary. However TE Bo Scaife is VY favorite target and can make some plays, so we need to be aware of him when he's on the field. The issues arise when VY starts making plays with his feet. The Broncos will move towards the line to help contain Young and it will open up holes in the secondary. Both LenDale White and Bo Scaife are Denver natives and will be focused on playing well in front of friends and family.
Obviously Young has not passed the ball well this year and I expect that to continue. We should be able to force a couple turnovers through the air - Bailey and Bly each snag a VY floater. To help the secondary, especially when in man to man, the defensive line needs to get pressure. Dumervil and Crowder need to keep Young in the pocket and close on him fast. My man, Hamza Abdullah will again be playing the strong safety position and needs to play with reckless abandon like he has the last two games. The defense really started to play physical football and that needs to continue. I saw glimpses of the D starting to come together, congratulating each other after plays and helping each other up. They must set the tempo physically and play as a unit.Overall
We have to play mistake free football. The Titans are a good team that can hang around and beat you at the buzzer. We need to get up early and force Vince Young to throw the ball. We have been having way too many mental errors and need to stop receiving so many damn penalties. If we can contain the run and move the ball on offense we should be able to pull out a victory, but this one will be hard fought. (Photo Rocky Mountain News/ Denver Post)
Denver Broncos 23 Tennessee Titans 16
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