Denver Broncos Prove Contender Status In Blowout Win Over Arizona Cardinals
By Ryan Ratty
@RyanRattyNFL
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
With both teams coming off bye weeks, many thought the undefeated Arizona Cardinals could travel northwest and beat the Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning had something to say about that.
After clobbering the Cardinals, Manning and company made it clear that the Broncos are just as good, if not better, than last year’s Super Bowl team. Last season, Manning guided the best offense in NFL history as Denver cruised to an AFC title win. While it hasn’t been that amazing this year, Manning showed how good this offense can be after putting up 41 points on one of the best defenses in the league.
After a game during which Manning threw for 479 passing yards and four touchdowns, it’s clear that slowing this offense down will be no easy feat moving forward.
With Wes Welker coming back into the lineup, the Broncos have a scary receiving group, even with the offseason departure of Eric Decker. In fact, the Broncos brought in Emmanuel Sanders to be Decker’s replacement, and he has been great for Denver in four games. Demaryius Thomas had a career day with eight receptions, 226 receiving yards and two touchdowns. You can’t forget about Julius Thomas, who is a touchdown machine and a spectacular athlete.
In 2013, Denver’s Achilles heel was their defense. That being said, the Broncos went out and spent a lot of money on players like Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward and DeMarcus Ware to improve the defense. With the offense looking like the one from last season and the defense improving and gelling by the week, it’s not farfetched at all to say that the Broncos are Super Bowl favorites right now.
Last season they weren’t a physical football team, but so far in the 2014, the Broncos have found the perfect balance between physicality and finesse. It’s still early in the season, but if you’re a betting person, putting your money on the Broncos wouldn’t be the worst move.
Ryan Ratty is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanRattyNFL or add him to your network on Google.
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