Coming off of a short week the Broncos are tasked with what could be their toughest game of the year. The Broncos head into Thursday night’s matchup with the Jets shorthanded at running back, which is arguably their most important position. Knowshon Moreno was placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in Sunday’s game versus the Chiefs.
Prior to getting hurt, Moreno showed glimpses of why the Broncos originally selected him with their number one draft pick. Moreno had several long runs, broke tackles, and even hurdled Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers on his way to a big gain. Willis McGahee, the Broncos most productive back this season, was also sidelined with a hamstring injury and is unsure how much he will play in Thursday night’s game.
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The Broncos chose to pass the ball only 8 times in their game versus the Chiefs, but still managed to run the ball successfully even though all 22 players on the field knew exactly what was coming. The Broncos simply imposed their will on the Kansas City Chiefs and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Even when the Broncos were down to their third string running back Lance Ball, the team managed to run effectively.
Don’t look for the Jets to allow the same thing to happen to them in their Thursday night matchup versus the Broncos. The Jets are a different team than the Chiefs and while coach Rex Ryan loves old school hardnosed football, he doesn’t like his team to be pushed around. Rex Ryan is a very good defensive minded coach and he will have his team prepared to defend the run versus the Broncos. If the Broncos can come out and run the ball as effectively against the Jets as they did against the Chiefs there may not be a team in the NFL that can stop their attack.
The fact that the Jets know the Broncos are going to rely heavily on the run and that the Broncos are short handed at running back could be a devastating combo. So devastating in fact, that it may force coach Fox to turn Tebow loose and allow him to, dare I say it, pass the ball. Tim Tebow has struggled throwing the ball in his 4 starts this year, but has showed at times that he can be a capable passer.
If the Broncos running game can remain a legitimate threat, look for Tebow’s passing to continue to improve as he becomes more comfortable with the offense. A key to keeping the Broncos running game effective may have just been promoted off the practice squad. Running back Jeremiah Johnson was activated this week after Knowshon Moreno was placed on IR. Johnson showed flashes of talent during his preseason with the Broncos, but possibly more encouraging is that he ran the option offense in college at Oregon.
With the Broncos completely redesigning their offense to suit Tim Tebow, Jeremiah Johnson could prove to be a perfect fit. If McGahee’s hamstring is not ready to go Thursday night, look for Johnson to play an integral role in the running game. While Johnson’s addition may prove helpful to the offense, it is going to take a true team effort for the Broncos to find a way to win versus a desperate Jets team.
It is also going to take a very good game plan from coach John Fox, which can be very tough to put together on a short week. Coach Fox has received a lot of credit as of late for his ingenuity in adapting the Denver Broncos offense to suit the talents of Tim Tebow. However if the Broncos try in futility to run all night against the Jets while completely abandoning the pass, Fox will just as soon be condemned a fool for his game planning.
If coach John Fox and the Broncos can find a way to pull off a win with a balanced attack versus the Jets, we just may be witnessing coach Fox’s second resurrection of a franchise in his career. With a win against the Jets, the Broncos become a legitimate contender for the AFC west title and possibly even the favorite.
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