The Denver Broncos just vaulted themselves into a new tier of teams with a come-from-behind victory on the road against the reigning Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. It was a signature type of win that changes minds and propels a team to new heights.
Many around the NFL are starting to talk about the Broncos being true contenders. The Broncos can be — if they make three necessary adjustments.
These adjustments have to do with the mental side of the game. Small mental mistakes can cost a team’s seeding, or worse, shorten a postseason run. Let’s break them down.
The Broncos are averaging nine penalties per game, including 12 for 121 yards vs. the Eagles. The NFL average is typically around six per game, so the Broncos are outpacing the average by three.
These types of mistakes can cost the Broncos, and it did against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2. The worst flags are those that are avoidable. Delay of game and false start penalties, which the Broncos have nine of so far this season, have to be curbed.
This is a mental issue that falls on Sean Payton and the coaching staff to correct. The old cliche that describes football as a game of inches has held true throughout its history.
The Broncos cannot afford to give the other team easy, unnecessary yards. It could prove disastrous at the most inopportune time.
There are instances when players have to make different choices in certain situations. One example of this is the pass defense by rookie cornerback Jahdae Barron on 3rd-&-7 with 26 seconds left to go in Week 5.
Barron had great position and cleanly knocked down the pass intended for Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert. In nearly every situation, it was a good play by the rookie.
However, the Eagles had no timeouts and should have never thrown a short pass to the middle of the field in that situation. With Barron’s great position, he should have allowed the reception and made the tackle. It would have burned all but about three seconds off the clock.
From there, the Eagles would have needed to go nearly 70 years in three seconds, rendering it nearly impossible to win the game. Capitalizing on that mistake would have sealed the win.
It’s tough to nitpick such small details because Barron made a good play and was reacting on instinct. However, the little details make champions.
The Broncos’ coaches have to prepare the players for all of these types of situations. Drill it so that it becomes something more natural for the players.
The Broncos’ receivers have had too many dropped passes in this early part of the season. Some have erased big plays.
It’s costly and cannot continue if the club wants to win the whole enchilada. Deep passes have a much lower probability of success than the dink-and-dunk variety, so when the Broncos do take that risk, a dropped pass that was on target is a killer.
These are all correctable mistakes. It comes down to mental discipline and correct coaching.
Both the players and the coaches have to take responsibility to improve. The Broncos have a talented team with a roster that could go deep in the postseason.
Mastering the small details will make the difference between a good season and a great one.
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