Watch CBS News

Broncos Face Tough Task Of Stopping Drew Brees

DENVER (CBS4) - At 6-3, the Denver Broncos are still in the playoff hunt, but they're in a very strong AFC West division that has them in third place behind the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.

The San Diego Chargers are not having a great season, but even they aren't out of the playoff race either and could still come up and complicate things a lot more. That's why every game, whether it's against opponents from the AFC or NFC, is important and the Broncos cannot afford a loss.

This week, the Broncos are going up against the New Orleans Saints, who are rebounding after an awful 0-3 start and who have won three of their last four games. Numerous injuries in the Broncos lineup threaten to hurt them against the explosive offensive power of Drew Brees.

For all the injuries the Broncos avoided during their Super Bowl run, they've doubled up in 2016

Last year, the Denver Broncos were able to avoid a lot of injuries and keep things running in a smooth fashion as they defeated the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl. This year, things started off quite nicely for the Broncos—despite going into the season with a brand new quarterback in Trevor Siemian. But things have changed.

Trevor Siemian
Trevor Siemian (credit: CBS)

The Broncos have lost three of their last five games and it's easy to see that injuries are contributing to how things have changed from their 4-0 start. Defensive end Vance Walker was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury in training camp. DeMarcus Ware's back kept him sidelined for five games. Linebacker Brandon Marshall, safety T.J. Ward and cornerback Aqib Talib have all missed at least one game at different times.

T.J. Ward
T.J. Ward (credit: CBS)

There are other injuries as well, but it is the strength of the Broncos defense that is suffering the most right now. Luckily for Denver, they have one more game before their rather late-season bye week. Unfortunately for Denver, their final game before the bye is against the New Orleans Saints, who are finally finding their groove.

Stopping Drew Brees and his weapons will prove to be one of the hardest tasks this season

In last week's loss to the Oakland Raiders, the Denver Broncos gave up 218 total yards on the ground. Latavius Murray had his best rushing output of the season with 114 yards and three touchdowns. The week before, Melvin Gordon of the San Diego Chargers rushed for 111 yards. With the Saints finding a powerful 1-2 punch of Mark Ingram and Tim Hightower in their running game, Denver could be faced with an extremely tough task on Sunday.

How do you stop the Saints when they have a running game to complement Drew Brees and the passing game?

Brees only seems to keep improving as he gets older and he's averaging 336 passing yards per game. That's not surprising given that he has great targets in Willie Snead, Brandin Cooks and rookie sensation Michael Thomas.

Now, though, he's putting up those kinds of numbers and the Saints have an impressive rushing attack. Somehow, the battered Broncos defense will have to keep their eyes on all of the weapons the Saints have on offense and see how much they can contain them.

The best defense against the Saints may be the Broncos offense. Trevor Siemian will need to try and control the clock and keep Brees on the sidelines.

With the Saints defense falling into the bottom half of most statistical categories in the NFL, Denver could contain their power by putting together a good offensive game plan of their own.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.