Broncos Game Balls and Horseshoes-Week 6: Offense

The best thing about the Denver Broncos Monday Night victory over the San Diego Chargers is that we get to celebrate it for 2 weeks. Being in first place and holding the tiebreaker is good and picking up the 3rd win of the season is okay, but we plan on being in first place all season and commemorating each triumph with jubilation and merriment. So yes, a two week celebration is the best thing. For now.

There were quite a few players that stood out for the Broncos in Monday’s contest. So many in fact, that I am going to create two posts in an attempt to acknowledge most if not all of them. The amount of contributions by so many players truly attributes to a team win. Which is good news in itself because that means the 2012 Denver Broncos are starting to gel. I myself have visions of grandeur if they can just play 60 minutes without a turnover.

Anyway, let’s get to the brass tacks, er, Horseshoe nails.

The Game Ball on Offense simply has to go to Quarterback Peyton Manning, who led the Broncos to one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history by overcoming a 24-0 halftime deficit and beat a division rival by a convincing 11 point margin. That comeback was Peyton’s 47th for his career, a mark that ties him with Dan Marino for the most 4th Quarter and Overtime game winning drives. For the game, Manning went 24/30, an 80% Completion rate for 309 yards, 3 second half Touchdowns and 1 Interception. Manning’s Quarterback Rating was 73.4 and his Passer Rating was 129.0. The lone blemish was a miscommunication with Wide Receiver Matthew Willis that turned into a Quentin Jammer pick six for the Chargers. Manning was hit 3 times, Hurried five times and had one pass deflected at the line of scrimmage, but the Denver Offensive Line did not allow a Sack. Going into the Bye, Peyton has gone 154/227, a 67.8% completion rate for 1808 yards, 14 Touchdowns and 4 Interceptions. He is averaging 301.3 yards per game and has a 79.44 QB Rating. Peyton is the hottest Quarterback in the league for the last 3 weeks.

Before we go any further, we need to acknowledge the big lunch pail unit. The Broncos Offensive Line did not allow a Sack to the San Diego Chargers, an important part of a successful season for Denver. Ryan Clady, Zane Beadles, Dan Koppen and Chris Kuper played all 59 snaps on Offense, while Right Tackle Orlando Franklin took 55 snaps and Chris Clark subbed in for 4 snaps. Great job guys!

The Golden Horseshoe on Offense goes to Eric Decker this week despite the phantom trip over the 45 yard line. Eric finished with 6 catches on 9 Targets, for 98 yards and 1 Touchdown. Decker had a 16.3 yard per catch average and a long of 55 yards. His 7-yard Touchdown catch From Peyton Manning at 13:33 of the 4th Quarter brought the Broncos to within 3 points of the Chargers at 21-24. That play gave Broncos Country cause to believe that their team could scratch out a victory. On the year, Decker has 34 catches to lead the Broncos, 441 yards, a 13.0 average and 3 Touchdowns.18 (53%) of his catches have resulted in 1st downs.

The Silver Horseshoe is up for grabs and that is where you will get to participate. In my mind, there are three players that qualify for recognition this week. Wide Receivers Brandon Stokley, Demaryius Thomas and Tight End Joel Dreesen.

Brandon Stokley was targeted 4 times on Monday night. He caught all four of them including the big catch, a 21-yard pass at 9:09 of the 4th Quarter. That gave the Broncos the lead while proving once more, Peyton Manning’s arm strength is just fine thank you. Denver would never look back at that point. Stokes had 48 yards for a 12-yard average on the evening. On the season, Brandon has 19 receptions for 216 yards, an 11.4 yard average and 3 Touchdowns. 13 of Stokley’s catched have gone for a 1st down, a 68.4% conversion rate. In other words, two out of every three catches that Brandon made this season, has moved the chains.

Demaryius Thomas was only targeted twice against San Diego. The first came in the 1st Quarter in the form of an 8-yard catch that left a 3rd and 1 which didn’t get converted. The second occurred during the opening drive following halftime, a 29-yard strike at the 11:02 mark to start the Broncos comeback. For the game, Demaryius totaled 37 yards with an 18.5 average. In 2012, Thomas has 32 receptions for a team leading 542 yards, a 16.9 average and 3 Touchdowns. He is averaging 90.3 yards per game and 18 of his catches (56.3%) have resulted in a 1st down.

Joel Dreesen
was thrown at seven times on Monday night. He caught six of those for 57 yards. The 7th was a high pass that went off his hands in the Red Zone. Joel’s longest reception on the night went for 19 yards. Three of Dreesen’s catches went for a 1st down and came during the Broncos first scoring drive after halftime. He didn’t get an End Zone look to continue a 3-game streak, but Joel is one of four Denver receivers with 3 touchdown catches in 2012. His totals so far are 17 catches for 153 yards, a 9.0 average. Dreesen’s longest reception this year went for 30 yards and 7 (41.1%) of his catches have resulted in a 1st Down.

So who gets the Silver Horseshoe MHR?

Go Broncos!

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