Denver Broncos: Trevor Siemian, wide receivers have advantage
The Denver Broncos have an advantage in this season’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers that they did not have in Super Bowl 50…
Trevor Siemian and the Denver Broncos’ wide receiver group have something in this year’s season opener against the Carolina Panthers that they did not have in Super Bowl 50:
An advantage.
The Carolina Panthers boast a fearsome front seven, but the back end of their defense has seen some major changes over the course of the last few months. The team released Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman from his franchise tender, and Norman immediately signed a lucrative contract with the Washington Redskins.
Along with the loss of Norman, the Panthers will not have Super Bowl starters Cortland Finnegan and Roman Harper in the secondary. They’ve undergone a youth movement, similar to what the Denver Broncos have done offensively.
There’s nothing wrong with using your young talent, but this is a matchup that Gary Kubiak and Trevor Siemian have to exploit. You have Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders — two Pro Bowl wide receivers — going up against two rookie cornerbacks.
That’s a matchup you’ll take any day of the week.
The Broncos’ offense didn’t really have an advantage in the matchup back in February offensively. They were pretty weak up front on the offensive line, and there was not much of a vertical passing game to speak of. Now, Trevor Siemian at least offers the possibility of moving the ball downfield, and the Broncos are going to be able to utilize play-action and misdirection — key elements of the offense that weren’t able to be used before.
Kubiak commented this week on the type of freedom Siemian will have to operate within the offense:
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“We have to give him freedom. We’ve got to let him play. Obviously when you’re talking about a Hall of Famer [QB Peyton Manning], that package may be a little bit bigger, but Trevor’s a smart kid and that’s one of the reasons he’s got himself in this position because he’s able to handle a lot. It’s going to be up to him to get us in the right situations and we also have to help him, too, and keep him in the right situations.”
The Panthers are going to be looking for revenge, but the Broncos will look to get them on their heels early on. One of the things this Denver team has been efficient with in the preseason (save for game no. 3) is opening drives, and it’s something that this scripted offense is typically pretty efficient with historically. We saw it in the Super Bowl, and we saw it in the first two preseason games with both Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian running the offense.
If the passing game is effective at all levels in the early going, I think the Broncos will again be able to jump out to a quick lead against Carolina, force Cam Newton to bring them from behind, and ultimately put a lot of pressure on the pair of rookie cornerbacks. They will be able to take their shots in the passing game deep downfield, and not allow Carolina to keep eight in the box on every play.
This is a matchup of the same two teams as the Super Bowl, but the Broncos have some distinct advantages for the taking this time around that they should exploit early on.
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