Have the Broncos finally found their next Peyton Manning? It appeared like they did in yesterday’s come-from-behind win, 29-17, over the Bengals.
QB Trevor Siemian was flat-out phenomenal in that game, passing for more than 300 yards along with four touchdown passes, three of which were caught by the pair of Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, who combined for 217 yards on 15 catches, and zero interceptions.
With that mesmerizing performance, Siemian became the first Bronco to throw four touchdowns since the retired Manning, and the first NFL quarterback to post those kinds of numbers in his first career road start.
A repeat of this output could be in store for us again this Sunday when the Broncos take on the Buccaneers, the team with the worst scoring defense (33.7 PPG) right now.
Expect Siemian to stay sharp, and constantly look out for either Sanders or Thomas downfield. The Denver running game, meanwhile, will likely be felt through C.J. Anderson. He’s going to be on redemption mode after finishing with just 37 yards on 14 carries versus Cincy.
Of course, defense remains to be the most lethal weapon of the Broncos. They’ve accounted for 12.0 sacks already this season, and that number is bound to increase at the expense of Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston, who’s been sacked five times in the previous two weeks.
In a high-scoring and weather-delayed game versus the visiting Rams last night, the Buccaneers found themselves on the losing side for the second-straight week.
Jameis Winston gave an A-plus effort despite the loss, throwing for a season-high 405 yards to go along with three touchdowns, and a costly interception that eventually led to a rushing touchdown by LA’s Todd Gurley. Winston has now had at least one of his passes picked in the last three games, a trend that’s bound to continue against the Broncos this weekend.
The Bucs’ offense, however, can certainly put up some resistance. And to do so, Winston needs to start making better decisions, and continue finding his go-to receivers—Mike Evans and Adam Humphries—for some huge gains. Both Evans and Humphries were very productive yesterday, combining for 232 yards on 19 receptions.
Charles Sims made some noise versus the Rams as well. He made his first NFL start for the Bucs in place of the injured Doug Martin, and accounted for 55 yards on 13 rushes. Sims also added six receptions for 69 yards to his name.
Writer’s Prediction
Denver wins it, 24-13, improving to 4-0 this season.
