The statistics create squirms. The Broncos enter the bye week undefeated through six games but with an offense that threatens to submarine their championship ambitions.
Denver ranks 29th in yards per game, 30th in rushing yards, 31st in yards per play, 27th in passing yards and 29th in red-zone touchdown percentage.
Quarterback Peyton Manning makes an easy target, as he is playing his worst football since his rookie season. He leads the NFL with 10 interceptions, giving him 16 picks and 11 touchdowns over his past 11 games. At 39, he continues to try to stiff-arm Father Time and find a fit in a new offense that has blended hurry-up concepts with coach Gary Kubiak’s zone-blocking running scheme.
Kubiak remains unwavering in his support of Manning, pointing to specific plays he has made when most needed and, of course, the Broncos’ 6-0 record. Unbeaten NFL teams don’t bench quarterbacks, especially a first-ballot Hall of Famer who has won 46 of his 59 games in Denver.
“If they did that, and I was the owner, I’d fire everybody,” former Broncos great and Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe said on KKFN 104.3 FM.
The Broncos are using this bye week for internal analysis. The coaches left players with specific instructions on how to improve when they return for the biggest game to date, hosting the undefeated Green Bay Packers on Nov. 1 in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXII that will feature owner Pat Bowlen’s induction into the Broncos Ring of Fame.
The biggest question remains: How can Kubiak and Manning create more offensive production and fewer turnovers?
“It’s a continuing process of me working with him and getting him as comfortable as I possibly can,” Kubiak said. “I know he’s very capable of getting rid of those mistakes and hanging onto the great plays that he’s made. He’s our leader, and he’ll keep battling. We’re very humble in our situation right now, and I know we have to improve a great deal.”
Following is a look at the major issues on offense, and potential answers, going forward:
1) Is it time to junk the pistol for the shotgun?
Manning remains more comfortable in the shotgun formation because he doesn’t have to turn his back to the defense after getting the snap. The pistol formation the Broncos are now using offered a compromise for Kubiak, leading to the ditching of his two-back sets as the Broncos cut fullback James Casey. There are no plans to go exclusively to the shotgun because of the potential negative impact on the running game. The Broncos finally gained traction on the ground last week at Cleveland. They want to run the ball to eat the clock and keep their defense fresh.
2) Does Manning need more help in the passing routes?
Defenses forever refused to blitz Manning, knowing he would recognize any nuance and exploit it. Through six games, he sits on pace to be blitzed more often than any quarterback was last season. This is a problem with the new offense that features more progression reads. Manning had previously excelled in identifying targets early and throwing the ball into tight windows. Can tweaks be made in the routes to get the ball out sooner? This seems reasonable, especially on short passes to running backs and slant patterns to receivers. Manning has admitted he’s trying to do too much at times. It’s only natural for a player who carried his team for the better part of 15 years. He doesn’t need to be that quarterback anymore. Learning to accept defeat on a play and live to play another down remains critical for Manning in order to reduce turnovers. The Broncos own a championship defense. He must trust the group, and win the field position battle.
“It has by no means been easy,” said Manning, citing injuries to the offensive line and the waiving of the fullback. “But Coach Kubiak and I continue to talk, and we are committed to trying to get on the same page and get where he and I have a good feel for each other.”
3) Is it time to add better players around Manning?
Manning owns his mistakes. He recognizes the turnovers must shrink with Green Bay, Indianapolis, New England, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati looming on the schedule. The rest should help tight end Owen Daniels, who is dealing with a sore right shoulder. But the production from the tight end position has been lacking. This was expected with the free-agent departure of Julius Thomas, but not to this degree. The trading deadline is Nov. 3. It would come as no surprise if the Broncos inquired about San Francisco’s Vernon Davis, who is in the final year of his contract and has lost his starting job, or St. Louis’ Jared Cook, who has $14.1 million remaining on his deal and is being shopped.
4) Can a healthy offensive line and running back group build off their production at Cleveland?
The Broncos ran for 152 yards on 33 carries as Ronnie Hillman secured more playing time and C.J. Anderson played well late. However, the Browns own a lousy rush defense. So that game was viewed as a jumping-off place, not a reason for overconfidence. Hillman will continue to get more carries than Anderson. The issue? Can the line finally take off with right guard Louis Vasquez (knee), left guard Evan Mathis (hamstring) and left tackle Ty Sambrailo (shoulder) actually practicing together? Kubiak hasn’t decided on the starting offensive line after the break, but the Broncos have more options with tackles Michael Schofield and Ryan Harris and rookie guard Max Garcia making progress.
No magic solution exists with the offense. The Broncos need to make gradual improvement, have fewer turnovers and make a commitment to the process.
“We are going to make corrections,” Hillman said. “We know we have a long way to go. And we are going to get better.”
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or @troyrenck
