After two games, the Denver Broncos find themselves sitting at 2-0. It feels great, but isn’t really all that surprising. Everyone knows that the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars are subpar opponents at the moment. Life should continue to be good for Broncos Country with the New York Jets making an appearance at Mile High Stadium.
The Broncos home opener will be in front of a sellout crowd. The first time since December 29, 2019 that Empower Field will be at full capacity. With the Broncos undefeated, I imagine the whole stadium will be shaking.
As Ian St. Clair and I previewed the Week 3 matchup with the Jets, we started to talk about the changes we have seen in Vic Fangio. One of the big issues that has plagued Fangio’s career has been his decision making in games.
No one can complain about his defense. They have been the best part of this team for a long time. However, a standard complaint about Fangio as a head coach has been about clock management, and making the right decisions during games.
The learning curve has been steep, but in the extremely early stages of the 2021 season it is hard to find any glaring issues with the in game decisions. The Broncos are a team that has a chance at the playoffs. To do so, there will be times that Fangio is going to have to make big decisions.
He has already had the opportunity to make big calls this season. He has not shied away from the moments either. 4th and Fangio has turned into a bit of a riverboat gambler. He clearly has the confidence in his offense that he will keep them on the field in tight spots.
They picked up a 4th and 7 early on against the Giants which led to an eventual field goal. Before scoring the first touchdown of the season the Denver had to convert a 4th and 2 at midfield. The second touchdown of the season came on 4th and 1.
The final drive against the Jaguars had a 4th and 1 conversion to keep the drive rolling, and allow the Broncos to run out the clock. And it appears as if a big reason why Fangio is rolling the dice on 4th down is his faith in Teddy Bridgewater.
Having a QB that you believe in makes a huge difference in how the head coach calls the game. It has been clear that Fangio believes in his new QB, and is willing to put the game in his hands.
Beating the Jets should not involve a lot of risk taking. If it does, you can bet 4th and Fangio will roll the dice with his QB on the field.
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