Broncos vs. Commanders: 3 keys to victory

These are the 3 important things the Denver Broncos need to pay attention to if they are to get their first win of the season against the Washington Commanders.

1. Make Sam Howell A Pocket Passer

Last week we saw Commanders QB, Sam Howell, make incredible plays when escaping the pocket and throwing on the run. It is important that the Broncos defense primary focus this week is to contain Howell to within the pocket and limit his ability to extend plays. Howell had both a rushing touchdown and an incredible passing touchdown that he threw on the run to Brian Robinson last week in their win against the Arizona Cardinals. Keeping a linebacker as a spy and defensive ends setting the edge of the contain quickly on Howell’s drop backs will be a good start for the Broncos defense this Sunday.

2. Make Commanders Defense Respect Deep Ball

We all have seen Russ’ deep ball, whether it was in Seattle or in Denver, it’s a pretty sight to see. But last week the Broncos receivers could not create any separation down the field from Raiders corners, which made the Broncos offense in the second half become predictable and made the field feel smaller when on offense.

Set Number: X164422 TK1

The Commanders secondary had a good showing against the Cardinals receivers, not allowing a single receiver on the Cardinals to have over 33 yards. I understand the Cardinals receivers are nothing special, but the Broncos receiver room without Jeudy is lacking talent-wise as well and they need to have some wrinkles in their offensive game plan to keep this Commanders defense on their toes. The Broncos offense needs to extend plays beyond the sticks to have Ron Rivera’s defense guard all spots of the field.

3. Every Point Matters

The Commanders are a team that will stick around if you give them the opportunity, so it is paramount for the Broncos to not leave any points off the scoreboard. We saw first-hand how it can bite a team in the butt last week. It’s the little things that catch up to teams in the end so to put this Commanders team away, redzone execution, point after attempts, and field goals all need to be a high priority.