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Holy Super Bowl contenders, Batman!

For your consideration and pleasure, I hereby present the following facts after two weeks of NFL play:

Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler has thrown just two touchdowns this year to three interceptions.

The Broncos have needed last-minute heroics from Jason Elam to save face against teams like Buffalo and Oakland. (Against Oakland, they even needed a timeout that even I'd call cheap, had the opponent been anyone else.)

The team is scoring just 19 points per game.

Oh, and the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns put up ridiculous numbers Sunday, combining for 96 points and over 1,000 yards of offense.

And now the question: who has the top offense in the NFL?

The answer, of course, is the Denver Broncos.

Who has the top defense in the NFL? The New England Patriots. In this ranking, the Broncos tumble all the way down to No. 2.

These official rankings are made solely by yardage, rather than points. (I hope this illuminates for you the foolishness of judging these things solely by yardage.) Having said that, if the Broncos are No. 1 in offense and No. 2 in defense this year, they're going to win the Super Bowl.

The offense has had its ups and downs, but some things have worked out really well.

1. Cutler's arm. Cutler still makes some weird decisions, including one crazy pass/fumble in Buffalo that almost cost the team the game. But he can make some impressive throws. I just wish people would stop comparing him to John Elway.

2. Travis Henry. A terrific back in a proven system...who could have predicted this would turn out well? 267 yards in two games puts him on an obscene pace.

3. The receiving corps. Javon Walker's great. Again, no shock. Brandon Marshall has been terrific, too. He was fine last year, but it was in limited action, and it's always nice when a guy can step it up full-time.

We've also got a third receiver now. By the way, you might have thought Dale Carter was a hard Bronco to root for, but try cheering for former Colt Brandon Stokley in a Brian Griese jersey.

4. The line. I can barely name half of them any more, but they're as solid as ever, and will only improve if Ben Hamilton ever comes back.

And the offense can get even better if Cutler continues to improve.

The defense has been fantastic in the passing game, holding both opposing quarterbacks under 100 yards. (They were J.P. Losman and Josh McCown, but still.)

Against the run? Not so much. The Broncos have given up 312 yards on the ground at 5.1 yards per carry. We're playing Jacksonville this week, but then it's at Indianapolis and a home game against San Diego. There are encouraging signs now, but after those games we'll know if the Broncos really have championship potential.

Comments

John said…
Those are amazing stats . . . but what has encouraged me the most is that we have been able to win close games late, even if by dubious means . . . In the post-Elway era I have grown so accustomed to not being able to pull it out that I get a sinking feeling anytime we are in a close game in the 4th quarter.

The next few weeks will be telling - I think we need to win 2 of the 3 to show we can get it done against the big boys.
3:40 PM
John said…
And Brandon Stokeley just hurts . . . I guess we are reserving #14 for mediocre white position players.
3:40 PM
Mike said…
I am glad we're winning, especially with late drives, but concerned that the games are so close. Rivalry games (like with Oakland) can often be inexplicably close, though, so this trend may not continue.

I've had no confidence in the Broncos in the fourth quarter the last few years, either...but, that said, we're still weeks away from having a start half as impressive as last year's. We all know how that ended.
11:51 PM
David said…
indy is going to be ugly.
zoiks.

we need to get this party started.

c'mon cutlah!
3:05 PM
blaine said…
Care to change your predictions based on the pathetic performance against the Jaguars?
11:04 PM
Mike said…
Not really...all I said was we'd win the Super Bowl if we kept up our ridiculous statistical pace, and I was so confident because it wasn't going to happen, and didn't.

If the Broncos can't start to stop the run, it doesn't really matter what else they do.
11:10 PM
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