FanPost

Is the #1 Passing Offense going to be enough?


This post looks at stats from Footballoutsiders.com to celebrate how hot the Bronco's passing has been to start the season. But even with all this good news, will such a powerful passing offense be enough to take the Bronco's to the playoffs?

The early returns are bearing out the high hopes many MHRs rose to after witnessing Kyle Orton's phenomenal preseason and the stud receiver play when the games didn't count. Now that we've got a couple of real games under our belts, things are looking as good as promised. Consider the following stats from Footballoutsiders.

Kyle Orton is the #2 rated QB after 2 weeks in both Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement (DYAR) and Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA).

Our receiving crops is lights out! Lloyd is ranked 4th, Royal 5th, and Thomas 10th in DYAR. These three amigos also dominate the top 10 in DVOA, with Thomas ranking 4th, Lloyd 5th, and Royal 6th. Only one other team even has 2 WRs in the top 10 of DYAR, with Indy placing Wayne and Collie at 2nd and 9th. Chicago is the only other team with 2 players in the top 10 in DVOA. They boast Hester at 2nd and Knox at 9th.

Our outstanding passing game is carrying Denver's Offense. Overall, The Bronco's have the 7th highest rated offense DVOA over the first two games. For last week alone, Denver's O was rated 2nd. What gives me pause though, is the potentially misleading nature of these ranking. When offenses are weighted, Denver's ranks only average, at 15th overall. An even deeper look at Denver's offensive stat line shows this nugget: Denver ranks 1st in passing offense DVOA! This gem hides the scar of being ranked 28th in rushing offense DVOA, and likely accounts for the average offensive rating overall.

I'm wildly excited by our passing game. But will it be enough? Can it compensate for poor running--if our ground game does not improve when the line gets healthy? Will being pass happy balance out our defensive struggles, especially being so poor versus running teams? Time will tell as the season plays out. Till then, please vote and discuss below.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.