Detroit Lions vs Denver Broncos is set to take place this Sunday inside Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
In honor of this prime time matchup, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to sit down with my friend Sayre Bedinger, who just so happens to be the editor at Predominantly Orange — the Denver Broncos FanSided site.
With many Lions fans feeling mixed emotions of frustration, confusion, panic and hope, my conversation with our enemy this Sunday may help shed some light on what to expect when these two teams take the field.
With that in mind, we’ll jump right in. Here is five questions with the enemy — Predominantly Orange and the Broncos.
1) Detroit and Denver find themselves with two very different records entering week 3, but with some of the same issues on offense. What do you expect your Broncos to do come Sunday? Keep trying to establish the run, or let Peyton Manning throw a bit more?
"“I think Gary Kubiak is furious about not being able to run the ball, to be honest. No matter where he’s gone, he’s cranked out 1,000 yard rushers like it was no big deal at all. To not have that kind of success early in the year is something he’s probably not overly used to, but I think the Broncos will adjust as their O-line gets more comfortable playing in this system and, more importantly, together. But you have to let Peyton do what he does best, too, and that’s air it out. Hopefully this ‘hybrid’ offense starts to see some actual on-field success soon.”"
2) That Broncos defense sure has come on strong this year. What do you feel is the biggest difference with that group from last season?
"“Well, they are fully healthy for one. The Broncos didn’t have Danny Trevathan last season, and both Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. were coming off of ACL surgeries. I think the biggest difference, though, is the addition of Wade Phillips and Bill Kollar to the defensive staff. These guys are aggressive, they scheme well, and the plays they are calling are molded specifically to these players’ strengths. The Broncos are also just so deep at every level this year compared to last.”"
3) I know you’re also big on evaluating NFL Draft talent. How has rookie Shane Ray come along thus far?
"“It’s coming along, but slowly. The Broncos have gotten him 31 snaps in 2 games, which is plenty considering the way their top 2 pass rushers have played. Ray is a great edge rusher obviously but he’s also powerful enough to blitz from the middle and be effective there. I would like to see the Broncos get even more creative in how they use this guy, but that’ll come as the season goes along. Right now, he’s earning his stripes behind two of the best in the NFL.”"
4) Matthew Stafford was under a TON of pressure last week in Minnesota. Do you expect to see a lot of blitzing on Sunday? If so what kind of packages/schemes do you expect?
"“You’ll see a very broad array of looks from the Broncos. Wade Phillips brings pressure from everywhere, and he uses everyone. He blitzes corners, he blitzes safeties, but his most effective secret weapon might be Brandon Marshall up the middle. You’ll see pressure from all angles, because the Broncos have guys that can do it at every level. They’ve been doing a great job with hybrid looks, but as talented as their secondary is, you will see plenty of nickel as well as loaded fronts.”"
5) Knowing what you know about the Broncos, what would you say is the key for the Lions to pull out a win on Sunday? Are there any weaknesses Detroit might be able to exploit?
"“If the Lions can make Peyton Manning really uncomfortable and force a lot of turnovers, they can win this game. We saw that in the first two games from the Broncos and at the end of last season. The way to beat Denver is to keep their offense off the field and execute when your team has the ball. The Lions have plenty of playmakers offensively that even the Broncos defense would have a tough time defending if they were worn down from the offense lacking time of possession.”"
I would like to thank Sayre and Predominantly Orange for taking the time to offer up such great insight headed into Sunday’s game. I also encourage you to follow him on twitter at @SayreBedinger not only for news and analysis on all things Denver Broncos, but for everything NFL Draft related as well! Also, be sure to follow both of his FanSided sites, @PredomOrange and @NFLMocks on twitter too.
Nate Williams is an editor and columnist for SideLionReport.com of the FanSided Network. For continued Detroit Lions news, rumors and analysis, be sure to follow him on twitter at @SLR_Nate!
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