Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - DESTINY: Denver Broncos CONTROL THEIR FATE in AFC Standings

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos control their fate in the final two weeks of the NFL regular season, and it is simple. Just find a way to win. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos country? Welcome into another episode, Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network in the country.

Starting point is 00:00:30 And that's all thanks to all of you in Broncos Country. All the everydayers, thanks for tuning in making us your first. listen, however you choose to do. So we appreciate you so much. I'm Cody Rourke, credential Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. Join as always by Sir Bedinger, site expert over there, predominantly orange.com. And look, even though Sunday's loss against the Jacksonville, Jaguars was disappointing,

Starting point is 00:00:51 frustrating, the Denver Broncos are still atop of the AFC. So right now we'll talk about how they're going to control their AFC destiny here in these final two weeks and why it's really on them and not anybody else. Plus, the Broncos, they were healthy going into Sunday's game against the Jaguars, but they've come out of Jacksonville banged up. How will they overcome injuries in the offensive and defensive sides of the ball? We'll look at some potential options for the players that are projected to not play here in this week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. You're going to get all that on today's episode of the show, brought to you my friends over there at Fandu.

Starting point is 00:01:20 And if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit Fanduil.com and push your NFL live bets all season long. Sarah, look, despite the loss on Sunday, which we recapped in our squad show, we recapped in our post game report. It was frustrating. You know, it was unfortunate. The Broncos, they got outplayed. They were not the better team on Sunday and the Jaguars beat them. That's something that Sean Payton acknowledged. But I think the reality of it, still after that loss, Denver still has one game over the Jaguars.

Starting point is 00:01:46 And they're still sitting atop of the AFC here after week 16. Two weeks left, the Broncos, they control their fate. And it doesn't get any better than this with the final two weeks remaining in the schedule. It's exactly what you want. You want the ability to go out there, take care of business. And all of a sudden, you have the number. one seed in the AFC. You have the AFC West title. You know, that's

Starting point is 00:02:09 what that's, that's the next step for this team, right, is obviously to see that. I don't know if they're going to see confetti necessarily, uh, against Kansas City, but maybe if you do go out and beat the charters after beating the chiefs, then you'll see that confetti drop. You get the AFC West champions gear, right? That's what the Broncos need to do right now is make sure that they are

Starting point is 00:02:26 hosting playoff games. And that's the ultimate. That's what Sean Payton talked about after that loss to Buffalo. It's unfortunate, though, after week 16, you kind of felt a little bit like Squidward watching SpongeBob and Patrick out there running around having a great old time because pretty much everybody else in the AFC that's in the playoff mix got wins. I mean, the Steelers, the Patriots, the Bills, the Texans, the Chargers, obviously the Jaguars. It's tough when everybody else is having the fun even after you had an 11 game winning streak, right? I mean, it's easy to not be able to see the forest through the trees.

Starting point is 00:03:00 He's like, you just lost to Jacksonville. Everybody else is winning in the AFC, and you just won 11 games. I mean, when the stakes are this high, though, it's hard to necessarily appreciate where you've been throughout the course of the season. But you're right, Cody, the Broncos controlling their destiny at this point. What more could you ask for going into the back end of December? The good thing is they already have a playoff spot clinch, right? But that's not their goal. Their goal wasn't just to clinch a playoff spot.

Starting point is 00:03:25 Their goal primarily, number one, win the AFC West. goal number two highest seed possible they sit at the one seat right now and goal number three win a championship the first two goals here sir for them are attainable they're within reach but it's going to be on them to be able to do that right and the reality of it is simple two games remaining you beat the chiefs on thursday you beat the chargers next sunday the a fc west is yours and the number one seed in the playoffs is also yours from that regard which i think is very important to highlight here because you don't want to go into this week Week 17 saying, okay, well, the Broncos got to do this. They, you know, the Texas need to beat the charters, this, this. You don't want to go through that because it just, it's going to make you go crazy if the results don't fall. How I think we all and certainly you all would like that to be. So the route is simple. Go out there, control your destiny here.

Starting point is 00:04:14 And that's something that even guys like Alex Singleton said in the locker, they're like, you know, hey, we won 11 straight games. Like we're 12 and 3. You know, the loss sucks. He said, but we're not going to let you guys come in here and crap on our parade, so to speak. We still have a lot of football left, which two games in the regular. season technically is a lot of football. I mean, it is eight quarters and then whatever the playoff race will be. But what's crucial about this timeline right here, Sarah, is that not only

Starting point is 00:04:37 are the Broncos in contention for the number one seed, the New England Patriots are, the Buffalo Bills, the Los Angeles Chargers, all those teams. And they're all in the mix right now. Jacksonville, there are a handful of other teams you're trying to avoid leapfrogging you, so to speak, right? So let's say Denver were to suffer another loss. They're going to be tied with Jacksonville. Jacksonville has the head to head. They'd have the conference record over them. So now Denver would be below them. Jacksonville would jump up to maybe that two or that one spot,

Starting point is 00:05:05 depending on how other games go out. So don't put yourself in that situation. Plain and simple. Beat the Chiefs. Exactly. I mean, you said it perfectly, Cody. When you go into this Christmas slate of games that the Broncos are at the back end of, right?

Starting point is 00:05:19 They're the last game on Christmas Day, right? The two games before that have nothing to do with the AFC playoff race. So there's no hate watching going on. There's going to be no, I mean, we'll be watching maybe enjoy the game, background, things like that. But what's great about this is that the Broncos have the opportunity now, after being basically the only AFC playoff team to lose this week, is to go set the tone in week 17 and to go put the pressure on everybody else.

Starting point is 00:05:45 I don't care if it is against, you know, the chief's third string quarterback. I don't care who's on the injury report for those guys. If you win this game against Kansas City, you're putting pressure on everybody else now, because the Texans and the Chargers, they play each other. Obviously, Patriots have the Jets this week, so we're not expecting any help from them, but you've got the Colts going up against the Jaguars. We'll see how they end up doing Buffalo plays Philadelphia in Buffalo.

Starting point is 00:06:09 So a lot of big time games on the slate, a lot of pressure on these AFC teams to go out there. And especially if the Broncos win, if you want to keep pace, that's what we want everybody else to be thinking about. How do we keep pace with the Broncos? So it's all about taking care of business. doing what is right in front of you. Like you mentioned, that's the critical thing right now.

Starting point is 00:06:30 Huge, huge matchups this week all over the NFL. But even though it's not going to have the luster it would, if everybody was healthy and Kansas City was in the mix, this is a massive must-win game for the Broncos. So Broncos fans this week, regardless, they are rooting for Philip Rivers, so to speak. They are rooting for C.J. Stroud to come up big. And look, hopefully that's the case,

Starting point is 00:06:52 but hopefully the Broncos just win. Look, you and I, we're going to preview this game throughout the entire week here coming up on Christmas Day. It's a short week. So it kind of changes things from us from a content scheduling standpoint here. Denver's in a good spot regardless. I mean, for them to be in a position right now, Sarah, late December, only three losses on their record. That's better than anything I think that we have seen from this Broncos team since that 2015 Super Bowl team. So we'll find a way to see if the Broncos can buckle down and try to get their feet underneath them. And certainly defensively, certainly to play better offensively. And you got to

Starting point is 00:07:25 bring that best effort forward here when you travel to Kansas City on a short week to take on the Chiefs, who are kind of backed into a corner right now. And there are a lot of different storylines that we'll obviously hit on throughout the week. Could it be Travis Kelsey, Chris Jones final games at Arrowhead? I mean, what kind of changes are approaching the Chiefs? We don't care about none of that. The Broncos, they need to snow on that parade in Kansas City, regardless of the potential narratives facing that team here. Kick them while they're down and also cement yourself as another game ahead of week 18 when you have a matchup against the Chargers.

Starting point is 00:07:55 So big, big stakes this week and next week here for this Broncos football team, we will see how they'll respond. But we're going to see how they respond from injuries as well. Broncos country going into Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Denver was healthy coming out of it. They got banged up. And there are a couple of key players who are probably not in line to play this week on Thursday. We'll break it all down here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos.

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Starting point is 00:09:20 As you go about the holiday week here, we're going to have it covered every step of the way Locked on Broncos. We'll tell you about the Broncos injuries on offense and how they might overcome the loss of Pat Bryant potentially this week at wide receiver and also an injury at the tight end position. But before we do that, let me tell you about the everydayer club Broncos country, the all-access tier where you get all 22 film breakdowns where you can see clips of what happened in the Broncos game against the Jaguars.

Starting point is 00:09:44 You get film breakdowns there. You get exclusive daily newsletter versions of this podcast. You get one-on-one texting with Sarah and myself. Plus, you get exclusive content you can't get anywhere else. Like, for example, post-game locker room interviews with players after games during the week of practice, AMAs, more, you name it. The everyday or All-AXIS program has. So make sure you check it out, lockdownbroncos. com or in the show notes down below here.

Starting point is 00:10:10 Sarah, let's talk about the injuries here for the Broncos offensively. A couple of key ones, obviously, in Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now, when you talk about magnitude or star power, basically, by name. Nate Atkins doesn't get the star power name treatment, but Nate is very important for what the Broncos want to do offensively. And that's been highlighted a countless number of times by Broncos head coach Sean Payton. He came back more recently from a knee injury that held him out of action for a long time. He didn't land on IR coming out. I think it was the Dallas Cowboys game in week eight is when he suffered it. I think the game he came back. If I'm not mistaken, what was it?

Starting point is 00:10:46 Was it the Raiders game for them just a couple of weeks ago? So he just got back. And now he's now out with a knee injury. We don't know how long. We don't know the official prognosis as the time we're sitting here on Monday afternoon recording this. And I want to preface this by the time this episode comes out, the Broncos would have already released an estimated injury report for Monday, even though they didn't practice Monday. They always release an estimation.

Starting point is 00:11:09 And maybe some other news had dropped by then. So if you're listening to this on Tuesday, of course, maybe the information that's out now might be a little different. Well, I've covered every step of the way regardless of that. So out of the Broncos navigate, we know, Brian is in concussion protocol. He's not going to play this week. There's no way he's going to clear it. And there's no way he should clear it this week.

Starting point is 00:11:28 So Denver's going to be without him. Denver's more than likely going to be without Nate Atkins. Sarah, in your opinion, what does it look like here for the Broncos and what are some of their options? Well, let's start quickly with Nate Adkins because we've seen how they've adjusted with, you know, having him out for a good chunk of this season. Obviously, he's been dealing with the knee for the majority of this year, which is unfortunate because like you said, he is such a key piece. But Mercedes-Lewis, the grizzled veteran.

Starting point is 00:11:51 He was brought back to the practice squad after the Broncos cut him last week. And certainly you think he's going to be first in line to get those additional snaps now. If Nate Adkins is missing some time here in the rest of the regular season, hopefully Cody, it's not a situation where he's shut down because that's the unfortunate, you know, where my pessimistic mind during games kind of tends to go is like, let's just shut this guy down. You hate to see him continually be dealing with the same injury and having to constantly be going

Starting point is 00:12:20 to the blue tent, constantly be dealing with making his way back on the practice field. So Mercedes-Lewis is obviously going to be that guy who comes in. And hopefully it provides additional opportunities for Evan Ingram to be out there on the field. You and I have talked about that. The snap count for Ingram has been lower than we expected this year. The Broncos' usage of him, even when he is on the field, has been less than expected. I think this season.

Starting point is 00:12:42 So not that you want to see anybody get hurt by any means, but if it forces you to utilize Evan Moore, I feel like every time Evan gets a target, Cody, good things are happening. I mean, when the ball is put on him, he's making the one-handed catch like he did two games ago. He's making the big 33-yard play like he did on Sunday. He's making big plays against Philly, against the Giants, against the commanders. Like, I want to see more Evan Ingram. So if anything, that's got to be the number one for the Broncos going forward at tight end.

Starting point is 00:13:12 Yeah, and I'm curious to see if they do place Nate on I or obviously that will end his season unless Denver goes on a Super Bowl run. I can't remember off the top of my head what the postseason rules are for players who are on IR. Can't you bring one? Isn't it one person you can bring back off to double checker? Obviously, if a listener and every day is, you know, is tuning in can get that for us. Put it in the comments down below for clarification purposes here. I agree with you on Mercedes-Lewis. Like if there is an IR move to be made, I imagine Mercedes we moved back to the 53.

Starting point is 00:13:40 Also, I wouldn't be surprised that Broncos just continue to roll with Adam Prentice kind of playing that role as well. I think Adam's done such an underrated job and he's proven to develop. trust here for Sean Payton. So that might be something you could do. You can rob Paul without necessarily paying Peter in a sense there. When you talk about roster moves flexibility, some of the injuries that are creeping up, that's definitely something worth monitoring. So right now, the solution to tied in is more Evan Ingram. It's also maybe more Adam Prentice getting involved with some of the underneath stuff and different personnel packages or bringing Mercedes-Lewis up to the 53-man roster at this point. Something we'll monitor all throughout the entire week here.

Starting point is 00:14:16 But let's also go now to wide receiver, Pat Bryant, concussion protocol. We heard from Sean Payton, who obviously said on Monday, he was going to see Pat Bryant at the team facility. He is going through protocol right now. There's no way he's going to clear that. And look, I think there's no way that he should. He's definitely got to get some rest because that was a scary moment. And obviously, his mother was also released from the hospital. Both of them suffered a little bit of a scare.

Starting point is 00:14:39 She suffered a medical scare, but luckily she's going to be okay. And Pat's going to be okay. I think that's the most important thing coming out of it. but from a roster standpoint, Sarah, right now, okay, that means that Denver's going to continue to roll with Cortland Sutton, more Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, low Jordan Humper, you've got four guys right now. Do you think that Denver brings up or elevates a wide receiver like a Michael Bandi,

Starting point is 00:15:01 which in my opinion is like, I don't know if you want to do that move necessarily, or do you look at a guy like an A.T. Perry, who's been on this roster, who's been maybe chopping at the bit to get on the field. Could we see A.T. Perry maybe step on the field? I think it's going to be one of those two, you know, whether it's A.T. Perry or Elijah because I think. I forgot about Elijah. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:15:21 If Bandy, I know he's been elevated at least a couple of times. And so I don't know if the Broncos want to necessarily risk putting him on waivers at this point in the year because of how important he's been on their practice field. So I don't know if he has another free one. Somebody will have to check us on that one too because I didn't check that before we started recording. I don't think he does. He was up for the Houston game. He was up obviously for the. Hacker's game and the Raiders. So yeah, I don't think he has any more free ones.

Starting point is 00:15:46 I think it's got to be somebody else getting if the Broncos are going to have another body at receiver. It's probably going to be one of those two guys. And so I mean, here we are. We're at that point in the year where the war on attrition is taking its toll for every team around the league. And I just, I love what we're seeing from Troy Franklin, Cody. I know that it's easy to maybe focus on that unfortunate injury to Pat Bryant as being like, hey, he's a key part of the offense, but very quietly, I mean, even amidst the struggles, Troy Franklin has 692 receiving yards this season, six total touchdowns. Obviously, he's got a couple of two-point conversions as well. He had the big play against the Jaguars on Sunday where, you know, he caught the deep ball

Starting point is 00:16:29 from Bow Nix, 48-yard pass play there. So what we're seeing from Troy, I think is something the Broncos kind of want to lean into. If you're that offense right now, like, I mean, go out. after Troy Franklin. Go after, get some more mims. We finally saw mims on like a regular wide receiver play catch a pass against the Jaguars. I mean, go figure. So let's get more of that stuff. Let's get more of those guys. Little Jordan Humphrey capitalizing on his opportunities, redeeming himself amongst Broncos country. So it's one of those things that it's nice to be deep at that position, even though maybe the Broncos don't have that top end guy who's helping Bo Nix by making those superstar level plays that guys are making for other quarterbacks around the league.

Starting point is 00:17:12 I know Cortland has done that at times, but I think the Broncos have a good wide receiver room and the depth is there for them to be able to sustain missing Pat Bryant for hopefully just a game or two. Yeah, and it showcases why the Broncos and Sean certainly have had that trust in that wide receiver room when everybody in the offseason was like, all right, wide receiver, biggest need. He's like, we like our wide receiver room a lot more than people think. And that wasn't even factoring in like the return of little Jordan Humphrey, who was

Starting point is 00:17:38 free agent at that time. Like, you know, he, his return was not guaranteed. And then you somehow you luckily get him back because the Giants think so bad. You poach him off their practice when you're like, you know what? We're going to sign him to the 53. Little Jordan has come up big here for the Broncos. I think from a consistency standpoint, Troy Franklin in two consecutive games has pieced together two strong performances where, you know, his tracking of the football is good. Not only as a blocker, but his yard after the catch threat is really there for him. And I thought that Denver did a really good job. on the perimeter sometimes in some of those quick read games where it's like,

Starting point is 00:18:11 hey, we're going to throw the bubble screen or the, you know, the swing past to Troy and he's going to follow his blockers. I just felt like Denver's wide receiver room is in a good spot right now, even though they don't have that big star power name like appeal, as you were mentioning just a moment ago. So, yeah, maybe it is the AT Perry or Elijah Moore week here in terms of an elevation or could the Broncos feature Evan Ingram more as a little bit more of a receiver here going forward. We'll see how the Broncos plan to adjust on a short week, especially with a Christmas day matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Starting point is 00:18:43 And the challenges, Sarah, people don't realize this. When you have a week as short as this week, even when Thursday night football, and it's not a Christmas day game, you only get one practice day. And your practice day is essentially a walkthrough. You're not preparing for the other team with full speed practice reps. So how do the Broncos respond this week? That's going to be key, especially against a banged up chief's offense. But Denver's defense as well, they're banged up at linebacker.

Starting point is 00:19:05 And there's some concern that maybe Drake Greenlaw won't play. play this week. We'll break it all down here on today's episode of the show. Today's episode Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by car gurus. Car shopping should feel exciting, not confusing. And with car gurus, you get the confidence that you deserve. They cut through all the noise so that you can actually see the best deals on the cars that you want. Because when it comes to a big purchase like that, we all deserve the best deal. You deserve the best deal. And car gurus, they make that whole process simple by giving you real information, real deal ratings and more listings than anyone else.

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Starting point is 00:20:22 against the Jaguars a little banged up. And linebacker depth already thin as is. It could have gotten thinner after Sunday's game. What does that look like this week in terms of the outlook? We'll go through the options. and what Denver can do as well here on today's episode of the show. Real quick, Sarah, obviously in Sean Payton's press conference, our good friend Mike Cliss brought up to Sean

Starting point is 00:20:41 and kind of made mention of the note about, you know, Sean the last couple of years defensively, you guys have kind of had a little bit of a, you know, falling off in a sense. And I feel like it was a fair question from Mike. Sean says, no, no, no, I don't think that. How do you feel about that? Just because, like, I think at moments the Broncos defense, even last year during that rough stretch that they had,

Starting point is 00:21:03 I'd say even at times this year coming out by, they've had stretches where it's like, all right, they're back to playing the way that we saw them play early on in the season, which was great. I don't know. I don't know if I agree with Sean on this one. I do feel like the defense has definitely fallen off a little bit in terms of that.

Starting point is 00:21:18 And even guys like Nick Benito think the same exact thing. So I'm curious, your thoughts out on Sean, and then we'll get into obviously the linebacker injuries, including Dre Greenlaw. Yeah, if you go back to December, January for the Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator era as far back as 2023. The Broncos allowed 22.2 points per game from December through January back in that 2023 season, including complete debacles against the Lions and the Patriots, right?

Starting point is 00:21:44 2024, they allow 28 points per game in that same stretch, not including the Chiefs game in week 18. And then you include that game right before the by week against Cleveland. That was early December last year, 28 points per game late last season for this Broncos defense, It's a complete breakdown. This year, they're right in the middle, 25.8 points per game allowed. If you include that November 30th game against the commanders,

Starting point is 00:22:08 that was the Broncos first game out of the buy. I just, Cody, I agree with you. I don't agree with Sean Payton at all. I think that it's definitely a situation where the defense has broken down. You're giving up eight of 15 third downs to the Jaguars. You're giving up four out of five in the red zone to the Jaguars. You're allowing all these touchdowns with no turnovers, right? So that's the struggle for this Broncos team right now is the defense.

Starting point is 00:22:33 And I know that everybody wants to split hairs over it and say, well, the offense could have done more here. The offense got you a touchdown to begin the second half. And the defense could not stop a nosebleed from that point forward. Right. They give up a touchdown on the next possession. The offense, God forbid, they have one drive that they have to punt. I mean, right, they didn't punt.

Starting point is 00:22:53 I think they punted one other time in the game before that second half punt. And that was where the things came, I guess the tires came off the track or the wheels came off the track, whatever you want to say, the train. It's just not there for this defense right now. It's so frustrating because they've been so dominant at times. You still got to Trevor Lawrence for 14 quarterback hits. Nobody's popping the ball loose. I'm going to be like a broken record saying this stuff. But it is a complete breakdown here for three straight seasons.

Starting point is 00:23:23 That's just, that's what it is. It's reality. It's not a debatable thing at this point. It kind of reminded me of the Joe Burrow game in Cincinnati a few years ago. Like remember the Broncos defense? They sacked him seven times and they still lost. I mean, same thing. You sack Trevor Lawrence in this game five times and you still lose.

Starting point is 00:23:40 And it's because of the red zone efficiencies, it's because the third down efficiency. And big plays on first down, ultimately in this game that decided the outcome of this, you know, in a two-score game. They played significantly better than Denver did. And Denver's going to have to re-center. But my question to you now is, I feel like. injuries can definitely play a part of this. I feel like Sunday's game showcased how valuable Brandon Jones is to the defense. And also I would say Justin Sternad, because here's the thing, Sarah, what have we seen since coming out of the by week with the linebackers, with the

Starting point is 00:24:11 safeties? There have been some miscommunication issues between those units or even them and maybe the outside corners or the nickel. Like the communication just hasn't been where it needs to be. And now you're seeing big plays happen. That could be a testament due to injuries. But now the Broncos who are already down Justin Sternad, who we have no timeline on whatsoever. We didn't even see him last week in the locker room. You know, that means that he's not, and he wasn't even on the side field. So that's not necessarily a good sign. He has yet to go on IR.

Starting point is 00:24:38 I doubt we see him this week as well. So not only is Denver down him, Drey Greenland, the final two minutes pulled up with a hamstring injury. And once the game was over, I watched him walk from the sideline to the locker room. And he was walking with a noticeable limp. And it's just one of those things that happened late in. in a game that was already decided, and it's just a little frustrating. So Denver thin at linebacker right now because it currently stands.

Starting point is 00:25:02 It is Alex Singleton at Jordan Turner. If Drey Greenlaw can't go, Karen A Reed's 21-day window is open. They may have to play someone on IR and put him onto the 53-man roster, or they could elevate Lavelle Bailey. I mean, they might have to do that regardless because linebacker for them is ice thin right now, which, in my opinion, the head of the playoffs, very problematic. It is. I mean, especially when you talk.

Starting point is 00:25:25 about communication being a problem. And now you're talking about having to throw young guys into the mix when so much is at stake. I mean, it's not to say that they can't step up because you absolutely could have guys step up. I mean, how about those Super Bowl teams that the Broncos had, you know, 2013 when they went there, they suffered a ton of injuries. Obviously the defense kind of broke down in the Super Bowl. But before that, I mean, they had a bunch of replacement level guys kind of playing

Starting point is 00:25:52 at a high, they kind of dominated defensively in the in the playoffs against a the Chargers and the Patriots, right? And then 2015, you've got a couple of guys out there at linebacker that, I mean, and safety. And safety that were underdogs, right? So I think that that's a, I'm not saying that you necessarily want this, right? We would rather have Justin out there starting next to Singleton. And you'd rather not have Dre Greenlaw dealing with hamstring injuries.

Starting point is 00:26:16 And I just do feel like that, you know, when you're having communication problems already, now you're talking about throwing young guys out there or like you've mentioned before, even in the defensive backfield, you don't have much time to practice to really work on that stuff during the week. If you want to say, hey, let's give Jaaday some more looks at safety. You're really banking on what you did throughout the course of the offseason, getting these guys up to speed, practicing multiple positions throughout the course of the offseason program.

Starting point is 00:26:44 That's where the Broncos hopes lie right now. And no sign of Drew Sanders returning anytime soon here for Denver. One little trivia question for you, going back to 2015. You mentioned some of those guys filling in, right, at safety and at linebacker. Who was the linebacker that filled in for guys like Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevatham when they were dealing with injuries? And who were the two safeties that filled in when T.J. Ward and Dary and Stewart were banged up and dealing with some injuries. Do you know off the top of your head? I think I know the linebacker, Todd Davis.

Starting point is 00:27:17 I'm pretty positive about that one, right? Was it Todd Davis or was it? One. And then I think there was another guy. Okay. I think it was Corey Nelson. Oh, my gosh. That is a name right there. Oh, wow. Okay, now we're getting serious.

Starting point is 00:27:31 What about safety? I think the safety one's going to be the tricky one. I think Shiloh Kio was one of them. They brought him in off the street. And then I don't remember if it was Josh Bush. Yep. Bang. Wow.

Starting point is 00:27:42 Look at that. Hey, we're out here. We're out here, except for Corey Nelson. I apologize to Corey. Man. And even like outside linebacker, too, they had different guys because remember Shaq and Shane were dealing with some injuries well they had some other guys step in uh gosh man i mean it really just goes to show like how

Starting point is 00:27:59 important your depth is and i think maybe the concern for me is linebacker the depth there is then has been pretty rough like can the broncos maneuver around with their lineups a little bit right certainly i you don't want to go into a game with just alex singleton and jordan turner like you have to figure out what to do there so is this the week that does p j lock put maybe play a little linebacker in a sense i mean i don't know i don't i don't know if that's the move or do you use Jaudey Baron in kind of that dime backer role, whereas in the nickel package at times this year, he's been playing alongside Alex Singleton in certain sets, did it against the Philadelphia Eagles. So, I mean, I don't know, where do you go in this situation here? Look, Jordan Turner, I thought he played well in the preseason, but he's an undrafted guy who won obviously a roster spot after a rookie tryout and impressed enough, right? But to thrust him in in this situation on the road against Kansas City, that's a tough, tough ask. It is. I mean, especially because like you mentioned, if this is the last home game for Travis Kelsey, I mean, they're, they're going to be trying to get him the football. And here's the other thing, too,

Starting point is 00:29:04 with Kansas City's offensive line so depleted and you're playing a third string quarterback, they're going to be trying to run the ball heavily in this game. So can you really lighten things up to the point that, you know, PJ Locke is playing some linebacker or Jada Baron is playing out there in a dime role, a dime backer role, right? Can you lighten, can you, can you, trust those guys with like run fits and things like that. I mean, this is where a player like Jordan Turner or hopefully maybe even Corrine Reed, if he can come back, Cody, these guys are going to have to be ready to be aggressive, ready to just, hey, go out there, go out there and play.

Starting point is 00:29:39 Don't go out there and think. I want you blitzing the quarterback. I want you man coverage on Kelsey. Like, that's what you're going to have to ask these guys to do. Simplify everything for them. Let Alex Singleton do all the thinking out there and let those guys just go make plays, use their athleticism and to go have some fun in a game that you're expected to win, like we said, by two scores.

Starting point is 00:29:58 Yeah, they've got a final way to take care of business. Plain and simple. And look, obviously the Broncos will have one practice day that we in the media are going to be able to see. And then I believe Wednesday, they are flying to Kansas City for that Christmas Day game against the Chiefs here in Broncos country. Make sure you stay tuned here. Lockdown Broncos all week long.

Starting point is 00:30:16 So you never miss out on all the information that's going on. Plus, you're going to get a crossover Thursday episode to preview on the day of the game here. Plus, you get the post-game report on Christmas evening from Sarah and myself will come in clutch for you as always. We appreciate your Bracko's country. Thanks for making us your first listen, however you choose to do so. We'll be back tomorrow with an early Kansas City Chiefs on tomorrow's episode of the show.

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