Denver Broncos: Finding an Old Way to Win

The Denver Broncos are finding a way to win, but it’s not because of their normal passing attack

In the past three years, if the Denver Broncos passing attack produced three touchdowns, two interceptions, and 195 yards per game in a three-game stretch, there was a good chance one of two things happened: the Broncos lost all three games or quarterback Peyton Manning somehow switched bodies with his brother, Eli Manning, and was throwing accordingly.

Denver is currently on such a stretch the last three games, but the Broncos managed to win all said games and Peyton Manning, despite his best efforts to equal his brother’s subpar performances, is still Peyton Manning.

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The Denver Broncos have been accustomed to Manning doing what he does best: orchestrating a high-flying offense with him as the triggerman. In the past three years, Manning has been able to make up for a lot of deficiencies that the Broncos had because of his ability to snipe the ball all over the field efficiently. However, with Manning struggling to produce at the pace we all unreasonably expect him to, the Broncos went old school to find their winning formula.

In the past three games, Manning failed to break 240 yards passing: a feat that had not been accomplished in the regular season since 2006 when he was still with the Indianapolis Colts. The Broncos running game on the other hand, has been producing at a very impressive clip.

Since the game against the St. Louis Rams in Week 11, the Denver Broncos have averaged 164.8 yards on the ground and scored four rushing touchdowns. C.J. Anderson has been the main culprit in Denver’s rushing success, scoring all four of those touchdowns and averaging 119.5 yards and 27.3 rush attempts per game in that four-game stretch.

Dec 14, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) calls the coaches during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

The main reason for the switch to a run-heavy offense stemmed from the beating Manning took against the Rams. It seemed every time he dropped back to pass, Manning was getting pressured, hurried, or hit, causing a lot of concern regarding how the Broncos would protect their quarterback and his surgically repaired neck.

The Broncos started establishing the run more to keep pass rushers guessing and help keep Manning upright. The results so far have been positive, but the rushing attack is not the only aspect of Denver that has picked up the slack for Manning.

The hyped Denver defense has been a consistent force for the Broncos since the beginning of the season and will have to continue to be with the shift of philosophy Denver has shown the past couple of weeks. Currently, the Denver Broncos lead in the league in yards allowed per play at 4.7 yards. They also allow an AFC-leading 3.4 yards per carry and are second in the league with 5.4 net yards allowed per pass attempt.

So to recap, the new winning formula for the Denver Broncos is a consistent run game, lights out defense, and an aging quarterback who is adjusting his game to be more of a game manager than a superstar. Why does this story sound so familiar?

If your first instinct was the Tim Tebow era of Broncos football, you may want to partake in the NFL concussion protocol.

While Manning was finishing up rookie season in 1998, there was a wily veteran under center for the Denver Broncos who rode a good running back and a top-level defense all the way to a second consecutive Super Bowl.

John Elway was 38 years old when the 1998 season started. Elway averaged 215.8 yards per game, which was his lowest passing output since 1992 when he threw for 186.8 yards per game. His age caught up with his body, causing him to miss three games during the season due to injury.

Terrell Davis, who took over as the Broncos lead producer on the field in 1997, was now the main catalyst that drove the Bronco offense and took a lot of pressure off Elway to carry the team alone. Davis rushed for an astounding 2,008 yards in 1998, which still ranks as the fifth all-time highest rushing total for a season and carried the Broncos to a victory in the Super Bowl.

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Also helping Elway out in 1998 was a defense that gave up 3.3 yards per rush attempt to opposing teams and ranked in the top-10 in terms of yards per play. With names like Bill Romanowski, John Mobley, and Steve Atwater gracing the roster, the Denver defense had a nastiness that helped Elway immensely in getting his second championship.

With this switch in style, the Denver Broncos could find themselves in the middle of a historical reoccurrence when the season is all said and done. This is not the first time Manning was the beneficiary of a more traditional approach.

When the Colts made their run to the Super Bowl in 2006, it wasn’t Manning airing it out 45 times a game that got them there. He had bruising runners like Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai literally carrying the load for him at times. He also had a defense featuring Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney, and a healthy Bob Sanders to disrupt any sort of rhythm the opposing offense was attempting to establish.

By using an old school approach in a new school era, head coach John Fox is saving Manning from constant pulverization and hoping to repeat the same championship success that Elway enjoyed in the twilight of his career.

Next: Where does Peyton Manning fall among the greatest 30 QB's of all-time?

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