During the time Sean Payton spends each week with the entire Broncos team in meetings, he usually describes a specific version of the upcoming game.
This week’s recipe. These things happen, we win. Neither do they, neither do we.
Like many of the arrows in Payton’s quiver, this one comes from Bill Parcells.
“What is the way to win this match? » Payton reflected last week. “This can vary depending on your opponent. We played the Chiefs one year. They had the No. 1 offense in football, and that was 2003 or 2004. They were explosive. Tuesday morning we had a staff meeting and we were all waiting for Bill to talk about time of possession, running the ball, and he came in… he did the exact opposite. He said, “We’re going to surpass them.” » We all kind of looked at him.
“You have a way, in your mind, of how you think you should win the game. And then you have to adapt halfway if sometimes it doesn’t necessarily go the way you think.
Conventional wisdom might suggest a similar situation unfolds Sunday in Baltimore. The Ravens are explosive offensively. They have scored more than 30 points in four of their last five games, including two 41-point outings. They’re the best team in football on the ground, but Lamar Jackson is just as dangerous throwing the ball.
So what do the Broncos do? They have one of the best defenses in the NFL and an offense that ranks 20th in scoring and 25th in total offense.
You might think: run the ball, limit possessions, help the defense that way.
The question Sunday: Does Payton think differently?
“It’s always a team game. Every aspect is important,” he said on Wednesday. “If we don’t stay on the field long, the defense is more stressed and vice versa.”
When the Broncos started 0-2 and mishandled the football, a game in Tampa Bay against a beaten Buccaneers defense screamed for Denver to throw the game on the ground.
Instead, Payton and the Broncos offense fired. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix completed all four passes for 70 yards on the first drive and capped it with a touchdown. The Broncos used the passing game to move the chains and stay on the field. Then, once they took control of the game in the second half, they started the running game.
“The flow of an offense really starts with getting that first first down and I think we become a more dynamic offense as we find our identity to put together a series of plays together to find that first first down,” he said. right guard Quinn said. Meinerz said this week. “Bo has wheels, we have good blocking combinations and in this partnership we stay ahead of the chains, whether it’s running the ball, run-pass option, direct pass back. “
Baltimore’s defense is allowing just 3.3 yards per carry, but has allowed 17 touchdown passes against just five interceptions.
Broncos players and coaches downplayed that disparity this week.
“I see a lot of teams having to pass because they’re behind by a few points,” Nix said. “You can’t chase points, but that’s basically what they force teams to do. They quickly take the lead and teams stop throwing the ball to them and have to pass. For this reason, naturally, teams will gain yards through the air if they are one-dimensional.
“I think in saying that, we have to do a good job of staying balanced in this game,” he said.
The key then: stay on the ground, however you get there. Control the pace of the game, whether it is a ground game or otherwise.
“A 12-play stretch against a defense is tough,” Meinerz said. “There is constant turnover on the D line.
“This week it’s important for us to convert those third downs, stay ahead of the chains and keep the ball out of their hands.”
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