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Denver Broncos Must Establish a Dominant Ground Game To Help Peyton Manning in 2015 NFL Season

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The end of the 2014 NFL season for the Denver Broncos was anything but great for a team that started the year with “Super Bowl or Bust” ambitions. However, that does not mean the 2015 NFL season has to end in the same abysmal manner. With minicamps and OTAs in full swing, the time is now for the Broncos to retool and erase the disappointing memories of 2014.

Obviously, it will come down to whether or not the Broncos can protect star quarterback Peyton Manning and prevent the same wear and tear which hampered him in last year’s playoffs. If the Broncos want to help Manning and make it back to the Super Bowl, they must establish a dominant running attack.

It’s also no secret Manning has not aged well. Since he turned 35, Manning has had a laundry list of neck procedures and played the last month of the 2014 season with a torn right quad. While a formidable running attack won’t be able to erase this injury history and magically bring back the Manning of old, it will ease some of the physical strain that comes with playing a full slate of NFL games. A relatively fresh Peyton Manning is what the Broncos need in order to have the best shot at winning the Super Bowl.

The brunt of the workload will fall on third-year running back CJ Anderson as he looks to follow up his breakout season. Anderson showed great toughness down the stretch as he was the last man standing among a running back corps riddled with injuries. If he can put up similar numbers over the course of a 16-game NFL season and stay off the injury report, then the Broncos, at the very least, are primed to contend for the AFC title.

Add in the fact that both Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball should be fully recovered from their respective injuries come kick-off and the Broncos become a chic pick to capture Super Bowl 50. It should also be noted that Hillman is in a contract year, so his future in the NFL depends on how well he runs for the Broncos this year.

An effective running game is pretty much a prerequisite to a championship run. Last year, the New England Patriots were able to use their patchwork stable of backs to take the pressure off Tom Brady and open up the passing game dramatically. The year before, it was Marshawn Lynch for the Seattle Seahawks. The year before that, it was Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens. This year it needs to be CJ Anderson.

After all, it’s not called a championship run for nothing.

Mike Carlson is a Denver Broncos beat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @deejayactual or add him to your network on Google.

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