How They Got Here, Weeks 5-8

Cory Puffett

On Wednesday I published my notes from watching film of the first four weeks of the regular season. Here are my notes from the next four games the Broncos and Seahawks played.

Week 5

Denver Broncos (at Dallas)

The Broncos’ defense got burned this game, but that’s going to happen when you play against Tony Romo and his slew of receivers. They got a big interception late in the game and the defensive line played well all day, getting pressure on Romo and containing him when he got outside the pocket. He’s just very good at buying time and that’s a disadvantage for any secondary.

Denver’s offense took a little while to get going again, and some early turnovers put them at a disadvantage. Peyton threw his first interception of the year and it was a pretty incredible play by the defender. Another two or three inches higher, or just a slightly higher release by Manning, and that would have been a completion for a big gain. Knowshon Moreno showed off his motor by breaking tackles all day long.

Seattle Seahawks (at Indianapolis)

Seattle had trouble getting much going through the air. Jermaine Kearse had a really nice catch on a 50/50 ball in the end zone, but Golden Tate’s equally impressive catch was called back on offensive pass interference. Most of Seattle’s offensive production came on the ground. Marshawn Lynch had three big runs of note and was productive on most of his other carries. Russell Wilson did a good job scrambling at times, too.

The Seahawks’ defense shut down Trent Richardson but the secondary had probably its worst game of the season as T.Y. Hilton and Reggie Wayne gashed them for big yards. The difference in the game, though, was a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown by Indianapolis.

Week 6

Denver Broncos (vs. Jacksonville)

Defensively, Denver only had two bad possessions. One resulted in a touchdown, the other wound up ending on downs. Both came in the second half despite the Broncos’ offense turning the ball over three times and going three-and-out twice in the first half of the game.

Denver put up plenty of points on offense, but they were sloppy in this one. Peyton Manning, his center, or both of them were not completely focused because they messed up three snaps, two of which resulted in turnovers. Peyton also threw an interception, and even though it was a terrific athletic play by the defender, it was a terrible decision with triple coverage on his target.

Seattle Seahawks (vs. Tennessee)

This was Seattle’s fourth consecutive game against an AFC South opponent and they just got their non-conference schedule out of the way early. They really struggled in this one as the offense fumbled the ball five times. Lucky for them only two were lost and just one resulted in points for Tennessee.

The defense won this game for Seattle. They completely shut down Chris Johnson and Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t find very many holes in the secondary. Many of his completions came on bad throws and fortunate catches by his receivers. The defensive line was all over Tennessee in the trenches.

Week 7

Denver Broncos (at Indianapolis)

Indy dominated the field position battle and Kevin Vickerson was called for three 15-yard penalties. Ronnie Hillman fumbled near the goal line late in the game and there were drops early in the game. Peyton struggled in the middle parts as the offensive line was sloppy in the third quarter and Indy generated a monster pass rush.

Denver’s defense didn’t really play that poorly for how many points they gave up. Indy just controlled field position and the short drives by the offense left Denver’s D with a very tough task. The secondary really did a good job in this game. Even though Indy handed Denver their first lost (two weeks after doing the same to Seattle), Denver’s secondary actually matched up better against Indy’s receivers than Seattle did.

Seattle Seahawks (at Arizona)

Russell Wilson had by far his best game throwing the ball so far this season. This game was close because of the offensive line, which had easily its worst game to this point. The pass blocking was poor, which I’ve come to expect. The run blocking, though, was equally dismal and Marshawn Lynch’s rushing yards are a credit to his ability to power through tackles because he got no help from his linemen.

Seattle’s defensive line took advantage of Arizona’s shoddy O-line and put a lot of pressure on Carson Palmer. Turnovers by Seattle’s offense set the Cardinals up with good field position enough times to let them make a respectable game of it, but overall the Seahawks’ defense was tight and the secondary played a great game.

Week 8

Denver Broncos (vs. Washington)

The Broncos’ defense played very well in what was otherwise a very sloppy game. The offense turned the ball over four times but the defense forced five turnovers to even the playing field. The secondary bent at times, but it never broke and Dominic Rodgers-Cromartie played an excellent game.

Peyton had his worst performance of the season. His ankle was hurt the previous week and it was difficult to tell how much it affected him. His footwork in the pocket wasn’t bad but he made some off-balance throws even when it didn’t look like he had to. C.J. Anderson got his first carries of the season in place of Ronnie Hillman.

Seattle Seahawks (at St. Louis)

Seattle was lucky to survive this one. Zac Stacy gashed the front seven and the secondary struggled on the last drive of the game. St. Louis started on their own 3 with five minutes left and drove to the goal line where they failed on 4^th & goal at the 1-yard line.

The offense struggled, too. Golden Tate had two touchdown receptions, one of which was memorable for the taunt that took place, and that accounted for all of Seattle’s offensive production. Marshawn Lynch didn’t run well and the offensive line was awful in all facets of the game for a second week in a row.

Hopefully I can continue on this pace and get through the next four weeks for another post tomorrow. It’ll be a little easier this time with both teams’ bye weeks falling in that four-week stretch.