Ultimate Fan: There is a universe where the Broncos beat the Dolphins

Well, Broncos Country...

It’s been a rough couple of weeks to start the season, and it doesn’t appear to get any easier from here, but you never know. As Chris Berman would say, that’s why they play the game!

And because they play, we have an ultimate fan guide! Unfortunately our planned starter for Week 3 (thebricks) had to sit out, but don’t blame him, it’s all on the coach who got the play in just a little too late :)

But stepping in like a champ with the game on the line is backup QB bill2975. And he’s everything we needed today - insightful, witty and here to pick the Broncos winning.

I like bill2975 ;)

Week 3: Broncos at Dolphins

MHR - As if losing the first home game weren’t bad enough, then the Broncos lost a second one THAT THEY WERE LEADING BY 18 POINTS!! What are your takeaways from that game?
bill2975: Big takeaway was that the D forgot how to actually tackle running backs. The O finally scores a bunch of points and we don’t win? Really??? We even had four sacks, unlike Game 1! At this rate, it looks like we’ll be 0-17, losing Game 3 by 3, Game 4 by 4, and so on, finishing with a Game 17 loss by 17! (just kidding, folks, after all, we play the Bears soon).

MHR - The game had an awful ending but it was almost spectacular. Be honest, how did you feel when Brandon Johnson came down with that 50-yard Hail Mary pass for a TD?
bill2975: I love those kinds of catches; tremendously exciting. Wasn’t it Golden Tate who was famous for making those kinds of catches? I think Lance Alworth did, too, back in the dawn of time.

MHR - Russell Wilson is starting to look like the old No. 3, and the offense is one of the highest scoring in the NFL so far. So all in all…progress. Leaving the losses and defense out of it, how does that make you feel about Sean Payton’s ability to “fix Russ” and the offense?
bill2975: Russ got fixed during the off-season (though apparently not literally given the new child announcement!), and has clearly been playing better. Protection is still not good enough, but I expect him to have a pretty good year if the OL can get it together. Play calling is an order-of-magnitude better this year, though still has a ways to go, particularly in the second half of games.

MHR - Last week Marvin Mims Jr. had an amazing first half and then was never heard from again. Jaleel Mclaughlin scored a touchdown on his only touch of the ball and then disappeared. Do you think Broncos are using their weapons as effectively as possible? What would you change?
bill2975: Duh. Get the ball to the players who are making plays. Would like to see more of both Mims and McLaughlin on Sunday, and more of Brandon Johnson and Jerry Jeudy too!

MHR - The Dolphins’ defense allowed over 230 rushing yards and 5.8 ypc in its season opener to the Los Angeles Chargers, but it held New England to 88 rushing yards (3.5 ypc) the following week - AND its pass rush created four sacks and eight quarterback hits. What do you expect from this Vic Fangio defense on Sunday? And what will be the key to avoiding pressure situations?
bill2975: Get the damn ball out quicker! Note to Payton and Wilson - GET THE BALL OUT QUICKLY if there’s pressure. But do we expect the same level of pressure as the WTF team (oops, Commanders) and the LV/Oakland Raiders? I don’t, really. I’m guessing (emphasis on “guessing”) that we’ll have a little more success against the Dolphins.

MHR - To keep the Miami offense from getting on the field and to wear down its defense, running the ball seems like a no-brainer. Do you think the Broncos could stick to the running game - and be effective enough with it - to keep Miami honest?
bill2975: We have three good running backs and a guy like Mims for sneaky plays. The new OL guys are supposed to be great blockers; Meinerz already is one. Do we have to put Refrigerator Perry in the backfield to grind it out, or maybe use the patented Eagles approach to short yardage?

MHR - The Broncos’ depth was always going to be fragile, but now injuries are keeping Justin Simmons and Frank Clark out of the game. What will it mean to be down two important starters?
bill2975: I kinda see it as “one” important starter; Simmons is a much bigger loss than Clark. Let’s see how Bonitto and others do this week. Cooper, Bonitto and Gregory had the sacks last week. Clark didn’t have a single tackle last week, according to the box score.

MHR - Vance Joseph seemed like a good fit for the athletic players we have on defense this year, but his second go at it here in Denver has been a little rocky and not nearly successful enough. Why do you think his defense - whether its scheme or players - keeps getting crushed in the second half of games? What advice would you give VJ?
bill2975: Besides running a different scheme than Fangio or Evero (maybe Joseph should change his name to Josepho?), the team isn’t tackling running backs very well. Is that Joseph’s fault for the defensive scheme, or is it a talent/technique issue?

MHR - We all know the Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill connection is going to be popping - and likely Pat Surtain will be covering Hill. Who you got in that head-to-head matchup (Surtain v. Hill)? A lot of teams have avoided passing on Surtain but I get the sense Tua and Tyreek are so confident in their abilities that coverage may not matter. Do you think they’ll attack Surtain all day?
bill2975: Will Surtain be covering Hill? I thought he wasn’t necessarily covering the best player on every play ( a la Devonte Adams in week 1, though maybe I’m wrong. If he’s covering Hill, I expect him to be successful the majority of the time; if it’s Mathis covering Hill, pray for rain, lightning, and long game delays…

MHR - What is the biggest threat from Colorado native and guy-who-looks-more-like-a-neuroscientist Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel?
bill2975: I really like him, from what little I know about him. NFL Live has shown how innovative he is in designing subtle offensive plays that get players open. Frankly, I find the Dolphins fun to watch when I see their games on Gamepass (full disclosure - the Dolphins are my other favorite team, though not to the same degree as our Broncos)

MHR - What kind of dance will you do if the Broncos manage to pull off the upset of a lifetime in Miami?
bill2975: Disclosure - I met my wife at a dance in Denver many years ago and managed to convince her to love and marry me before she learned that I can’t dance. Sometimes, she laughs about it…

MHR - Is there a universe in which the Broncos can beat the Dolphins and can you tell me how to get there?

bill2975: Sure. There are lots of possibilities. Hopefully, none of them involve injuries to either team. “Stuff Happens” in football - fumbles, interceptions, bonehead plays, field goal tries bouncing off goalposts, missed PATs (and not just Maher, even by Lutz!). I hope to just enjoy the amazing weekly spectacle of world-class athletes doing a form of violent ballet (ah, for the days of Lynn Swan and “Bambi” aka, Lance Alworth)

MHR - Which ONE player on offense, defense and special teams has to be an MVP on Sunday for this game to end without being a blowout in Miami’s favor?
bill2975: I doubt it can be done by ONE player. It better be all-hands-on-deck by the team leaders - Surtain, Singleton, Cooper, Wilson, Mims, Jeudy, McLaughlin, etc.

Predictions

Stats for RUSSELL WILSON? 63% passing

Stats for each Broncos RB? Williams 45 yards, Perine 30 yards, McLaughlin 28 yards

Number of yards receiving/TDs for the receivers? Jeudy 110 yards, Mims 88 yards, Johnson 35 yards

Longest FG for Lutz this week? 46 yards

Number of sacks to Tua Tagovailoa? 2

Broncos player with the most tackles? Singleton (hopefully not Mathis!)

Who gets the first sack of the game for the Broncos? Bonitto

Who gets the most sacks? Cooper

How many INTs/FF/FR for the Dolphins D? 0

How many INTs/FF/FR for the Broncos D? 1

How many penalties between the two teams? Way too many for Broncos; pick a number

How many times will Tyreek Hill take off his helmet after a big play? After each one he makes, which is hopefully zero

Final Score? Broncos 27, Miami less

The Favorites

Favorite Broncos win ever? Non-Super Bowl: 2011 - Demarius Thomas vs. Pittsburgh

Favorite Peyton Manning win? 2nd half 24-point comeback against Chargers

Favorite John Elway win? 1998 Super Bowl

Team you love to beat the most in the AFC West? Was the Faiders, now the Chefs

Coach you despise most in the NFL? Belicheat/McDaniels tied

Team you hate to lose to the most in the rest of the AFC (outside AFC West)? The New England Massholes

NFC team you could cheer for in the Super Bowl? San Francisco 49ers (maybe the Eagles or Saints)

NFC team you’d want to face more than any other in the Super Bowl? Cowgirls, just to rub Jerry Jones’ face in another loss

Toughest game on the schedule? AT Kansas City

Favorite Broncos player on the current roster? Simmons

Favorite Broncos player of all time not named John Elway? Otis Armstron/Floyd Little

Favorite Broncos Hall-of-Famer? Randy Gradishar

Favorite new guy/rookie on the team? Marvin Mims

Food/Snack you have to eat on game day? Popcorn

Favorite game analyst/commentator? Simon/Garfunkel - Sound of Silence

If YOU were giving a tour of the Ring of Fame at Mile High, which players would you make sure to highlight in your talk? Floyd Little, Randy Gradishar, Lyle Alzado, Louis Wright, Karl Mecklenburg, Gary Zimmerman, Steve Atwater, Rod Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Tom Nalen, Jason Elam, Champ Bailey, Mike Shanahan

Give me one word to describe the season so far? Early!

Give me one word to describe your hope for the rest of it? Entertaining

How did you become a Broncos fan?

Met and married my wife in Denver (while attending a Navy school) back in the dawn of time, and was already a fan of the Broncos (probably because of Floyd Little, who I watched play in college at Syracuse - also the college home of RBs Jim Brown and Ernie Davis). Went to college at Purdue with Otis Armstrong so that helped me cheer for the Broncos, too. I am usually objective and rational, though sometimes referred to as a crotchety curmudgeon, according to wife. Biggest disappointment was losing to the Ravens in the 2013 playoffs, in spite of Trindon Holliday’s TDs.

I subscribe to NFL Game Pass each year to watch every Broncos game, plus any others of interest.

One more rant about the Chefs doing so well the last several years - we have to see all these stupid f***ing commercials by Mahomes and Kelce now. I do admire Mahomes (though not the KC fan base trolls), but can’t anybody just hang around Kelce so he’s not always open when Mahomes gets in a bind, please?