Defending against the Denver Broncos Offense

60% of the time when Denver got the ball, they turned it over. They scored touchdowns 17% of the time and field goals 16% of the time. The remaining 7% was end of half or end of game or a rare missed field goal.

83% of the time when Denver got the ball, the drive stalled out before a touchdown. On average, Denver had almost two touchdown drives per game and two drives resulting in turnovers per game.

Denver made 30 field goals and 20 of them were inside the 40 yard line. They got close but couldn’tget in. They made twice as many first downs by the air as running it. They did not control the line of scrimmage and dominate a game. Denver is not a ball control offense. They punt a lot, they don’t have long drives for touchdowns and will probably turn it over or kick a field goal before making a touchdown.

How to defense the Denver Broncos

Brandon Marshall was one third of the Denver offense. He caught 10 of the 30 touchdowns and 35% of the plays over 15 yards went to him. He is gone. Ryan Clady, the great left tackle, is most likely will sit out for the Jaguars game. Kyle Orton connected with Jabar Gaffney 12 times over 15 yards the entire 2009 season. This is an easy defensive game plan:

Stay at home and don’t get aggressive. There is not much blitzing needed so don’t open up the passing lanes within 15 yards. Push hard from the defensive line and find the weakness to push the line back into Kyle Orton. Make him move in the pocket, make him nervous to throw.

Kyle Orton will not beat you with his arm. Only Eddie Royal could beat Rashean Mathis and Reggie Nelson has the speed to provide cover. With pressure on Orton, the deep ball isn’t coming.

Hit the runner hard and hit the offensive linemen hard. Be ready for the turnover.

This game is a perfect game for the Jaguars to begin the season with from a defensive point of view. I really don’t see the threat and see all opportunity. Now if the offense can score on the Denver defense, then we have a game.

[Zoltan’s note: One more thing we must consider about Denver. What if Brady Quinn will win the job at QB? He never had the oppurtunity to prove himself in the NFL. But what if Josh McDaniels somehow fix him? Is Quinn bigger threat at QB then Orton for the Jags? I don’t know the answer. But I’m certain about this: Brady Quinn is the X-factor for Denver in this game. If he is winning the starting QB position; watch out for him. Why? Because he knows he has not so much chance left to prove himself in the NFL. Jaguars fans keep one eye on denver; and how the starting QB battle will turn out during this preseason!]

– Terry O’Brien