Broncos elevate to Super Bowl contenders again by alleviating weaknesses
Due to the finite number of games, perpetual risk of injury, and inordinate player turnover, the window for championship contention in the NFL is far narrower than the other major North American professional sports. Two years after capturing Super Bowl 50, the Denver Broncos were framed as a relic of yesteryear, plagued by poor quarterbacking and inferior run defense.
The Broncos smashed that narrative to smithereens in a 42-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, with Trevor Siemian submitting a star performance, going 22-of-32 for 231 yards, four touchdowns, and a pick while their defense held Ezekiel Elliott to eight yards on nine carries.
Siemian and the Broncos' quarterback group holistically have been the object of league-wide ridicule since Peyton Manning retired. Brock Osweiler bolted for Houston and devolved into a punchline, Paxton Lynch has seldom seen the field, but Siemian has done everything that could be reasonably asked of a seventh-round pick.
Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas both openly criticized Siemian during his first year as a starter. Their verbal incisions certainly haven't been lost on him, as the 25-year-old played Sunday with the confidence and poise that belied his age and experience.
No one is going to argue that Siemian deserves Pro Bowl honors or should be considering an elite quarterback, but on a team that is unconventionally built around an outstanding defense and consistent running game, he's more than capable of leading the Broncos back to the Super Bowl.
Broncos QB @TrevorSiemian has now thrown multiple TDs in three consecutive games, which ties for the longest active streak in the NFL.
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) September 17, 2017
Despite a stellar reputation that would suggest otherwise, the Broncos quietly finished 28th in rushing yards allowed in 2016, surrendering 130.3 yards per game on the ground. Ahead of the upcoming season, there was a growing perception that the Broncos' run defense would hold them back from reaching their potential. After holding Melvin Gordon and Ezekiel Elliott to dreadful performances in consecutive games, it's time to view the Broncos for what they're worth as opposed to indulging a fallacious narrative. Run on the Broncos at your own peril.
The rest of the Broncos' cast has been explored already to great fanfare. Von Miller may be operating in his own stratosphere as an outside linebacker alongside rival Khalil Mack, Chris Harris and Aqib Talib form the NFL's best cornerback duo, while Sanders and Thomas are among the league's premier receiver pairings. The Broncos are succeeding largely because their perceived weaknesses are lazy chronicles, while their star players are living up to their reputations. A sleeping giant has awoken with a genuine chance of securing their second Super Bowl in three years, illusory weaknesses to be damned.