The Denver Broncos will enter the 2015 NFL season with lowered expectations compared to years prior and yet with a more sense of urgency to win it all this year. Vegas gives the Broncos the sixth best odds to win the super bowl at but a new head coach and an aging hall of fame quarterback has raised a lot of concerns about Denver’s chance to win Super Bowl 50.

Peyton Manning, 39, is the main focus of this Broncos team as he enters his 18th season and a lackluster second half of the 2014 season where he wasn’t his usual self after suffering a torn right quadriceps injury in week 11 against the St.Louis Rams. As a result C.J Anderson would pick up the slack as the Broncos went run heavy for the remainder of the season, and now with new head coach Gary Kubiak at the helm, Anderson and the running game will once again be vital to a successful Denver season.  

The Broncos will use a more balanced attack on offense this season which as a result should benefit Peyton Manning the most and hopefully keep him fresh down the stretch. The zone-blocking system will be used by the offensive line to help carve rushing lanes for the running backs. They hope that C.J Anderson can be the workhorse out of the backfield but the team likes their depth at running back and see it as one of their strengths. Montee Ball will be right behind Anderson if he falters and Juwan Thompson won’t be a pushover either when it comes to competing on the depth chart.

At wide receiver the Broncos have one of the best 1-2 punch in the league with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders has been working out of the slot more frequently during training camp and is expected to see a lot more time there than previous seasons. They’ve also brought in veteran tight end Owen Daniels who played under Kubiak during his time with the Houston Texans. Daniels gives Manning a veteran presence at tight end after the loss of Julius Thomas in free-agency. Notably second year receiver Cody Latimer has been turning a lot of heads during practices and could see a significant role in the offense.

Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com summed up the team’s offensive plan and stated:

The Broncos will use more two-tight end and two-back sets as a part of their offense; they made that clear all year. But there will be opportunities for three-wide work, and the better Latimer does, the more that package will become viable – especially given Latimer’s abilities as a blocker, which distinguished him at Indiana before the Broncos drafted him."

While the Broncos have the depth at running back and Peyton Manning to distribute to their elite receiving corp, Denver’s fate may well rest on how quickly their new offensive line gels together. The Broncos will have four new starters on the offensive line after losing their left tackle Ryan Clady to a torn left ACL earlier in the offseason. Rookie Ty Sambrailo, who was the Broncos’ second-round pick in this year’s draft, will have to learn quickly if he wants to protect Peyton Manning’s blind side. They also have veteran Chris Clark they can put at left tackle but prefer to keep him on the right side. Denver also signed guard Shelly Smith and tackle Ryan Harris in free-agency to add depth to their line.

If Kubiak wants to have a more balanced attack a lot will come down to how fast the offensive lineman develop as a unit and it may be a little bumpy early on in the season to start off. One benefit they do have is with Peyton Manning at quarterback they have the ultimate game manager who reads defenses as well as anybody and can get rid of the ball early and often. Manning will certainly have to be quick with the ball to start off the season and hope that by the time the second half of the season rolls around they’ll be firing on all cylinders.

On the defensive side the Broncos hope that the addition of Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator will resurge the defense. Phillips may not have had great success as a head coach in the NFL but he is certainly one of the more respected defensive coordinators the league has. Phillips will look to switch to a 3-4 defense from last year’s 4-3 scheme. DeMarcus Ware had a productive year last season recording 10 sacks but slowed down towards the home stretch as he failed to record a sack in the last 5 games, including the playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts. Von Miller will have to continue to lead the defense and be more of a leader as he is perhaps the most talented player on that side of the ball. Chris Harris Jr. has the ability to continue to progress as one of the best cornerbacks in the league while Denver has to hope that Aquib Talib can stay healthy for the duration of the season.

The Broncos still have the talent to make a run at the Super Bowl but the window is surely closing, and fast. Peyton Manning may be entering his last season as an NFL quarterback, that’s still to be determined, and that raises the sense of urgency for this Broncos team who has veterans like DeMarcus Ware, Aquib Talib and Owen Daniels on the roster.

That being said the demise of Peyton Manning has been greatly over exaggerated as Manning still has all the tools to lead a team to a Super Bowl and is fully healthy after recovering from surgery to repair his torn quadriceps. Like any other quarterback Manning needs the help of his offensive line and complimentary players to keep him upright and protected from opposing defenses. With the New England Patriots losing so many key players on defense and the Tom Brady suspension still looming over there heads, the spot at the top of the AFC mountain is up for grabs. The Denver Broncos are certainly a contender to climb that mountain.

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About the author
Bryan Castillo
Mechanical Engineer graduate from Texas A&M University class of 2012. Favorite teams are the Dallas Mavericks, Cowboys, & Texas Rangers.