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The Denver Broncos' 2019 season started off with a four-game losing streak. However, they rebounded nicely by rattling off two straight wins with dominant defensive performances.
They didn't get to celebrate for long though. In Week 7 the Broncos squared off with the Kansas City Chiefs and were demolished by a final score of 30-7. That loss moved them to 2-5 on the year.
Week 8 sees them go up against another dangerous team. This time it's the 4-2 Indianapolis Colts. Can the Broncos forget about Week 7 and upset Indianapolis in Week 8? Or will they start another losing streak?
If Denver is going to win, here are four reasons why.
Defense
The Denver defense has been really good this year. Despite that, they've flown under the radar pretty heavily. Maybe it's because they are only 2-5, or maybe it's because they've had a few poor games (giving up 225 rushing yards to Leonard Fournette particularly hurt).
However, overall the unit has been fantastic. The Broncos are fourth in the NFL with just 302.6 total yards allowed a game. They are third in passing yards with 195.3 allowed per game and 16th in the NFL with 107.3 rushing yards allowed per game (that Jacksonville Jaguars game really hurt).
Meanwhile, the Broncos are allowing just 19.4 points per game, eighth in the NFL.
So the defense has indeed been fantastic. That's good news because they are squaring off with a red-hot Jacoby Brissett.
Denver definitely has the pieces to slow him down though. The pass rush should create problems while the secondary puts the clamps on his targets. If the Broncos defense plays the way it can in Week 8, they could definitely pull out a surprise victory.
Noah Fant
The main target for the Broncos this season has been Courtland Sutton. That makes sense as the young wide receiver has been superb.
However, after him the next top target was Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders was shipped off to the San Francisco 49ers this week. That means there are a whole bunch of targets just waiting to go to other players.
Common sense would indicate that it would be another receiver taking over the load. That's not the most likely answer though.
Rookie tight end Noah Fant has gotten a decent number of targets, but nothing overwhelming. That may change now.
At 2-5, the Broncos clearly already feel like they aren't going anywhere this year, hence the Sanders trade. Now is the time for them to work with the younger guys. Fant should be the star in that offense.
An ultra-talented tight end, Fant is a force in the passing game. So far he has just 15 receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown. Don't be surprised if he starts getting eight-plus targets a game from here on out though.
If that starts against the Colts, he could be in for a big game in Week 8. A big game for Fant could lead to a win for the Broncos.
Phillip Lindsay
Phillip Lindsay started off the year a little cold. In Week 1 he had just 43 rushing yards on 11 carries. Then in Week 2 the running back had 36 yards on 13 carries. Week 3 saw him go up to 81 yards on 21 carries (still not a great average), but he scored twice.
That marked the breakout of Lindsay. Since then, he's been phenomenal. Outside of Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs (36 yards on 11 carries), Lindsay has averaged at least 4.7 yards per carry in every other game.
Now that he's back on track, Lindsay's showing everyone that his rookie season was no fluke. He's up to 433 yards and four touchdowns on 95 carries (4.6 yards per carry). Meanwhile, he's already caught 20 passes for another 143 yards, making him that much more dangerous.
The Broncos are going to need to have a balanced offensive attack if they want to get to the Colts. They'll also want to dominate the time of possession. That means feeding Lindsay early and often. If he can continue to play like he has been lately, that's great news for the Broncos.
Denver getting a big game from Lindsay means they're running the clock and controlling the pace. That's a great way to win a game.
Lack of Colts Receiving Options
Indianapolis has been surprisingly great in the passing game this year. After Andrew Luck retired, many believed they'd be below average. Sure, Brissett's a solid quarterback, but surely they would falter without Luck.
Brissett's been absolutely amazing and they haven't missed a beat. However, he doesn't have all that many weapons.
T.Y. Hilton is awesome. That's obvious. After him they've got some issues though.
Indianapolis has just four players not named Hilton that are averaging at least 2.5 receptions per game. There is running back Nyheim Hines; he's second on the team with 19 receptions (Hilton has 30).
Then there's tight end Jack Doyle, he has 17 receptions and he's questionable for the game. After him there's wide receiver Parris Campbell with 10 receptions in four games, he's also questionable.
Finally, there's Kelvin Benjamin who has three receptions in one game. He's out.
So there's a legitimate chance Brissett's number two option in this game is the Colts' back up running back. That's not good news for them. It's also something that could create spacing problems and lead to the offense becoming predictable.
Another factor that could heavily shift the favor in Denver's direction.
