5 reasons why the Packers will beat the Broncos (and 1 reason why they might not)
A lot of people are getting on Peyton Manning for being over the hill. “It’s sad seeing what Manning has become,” they say. “It’s time for him to hang it up,” others quip.
I say that’s nonsense. Manning should play until he’s eligible for the Senior Olympics. Watching Manning play NFL quarterback today is like watching me playing NFL quarterback,minus the beer belly (I also have a Midwestern accent,not a Southern drawl). It’s a crazy amount of fun.
Manning sort of stumbles backwards after taking the snap. You actually worry that he’s going to break a hip if he has to go into anything more than a three-step drop.
When he finally plants to throw,he puts his entire body into it. I can remember when I was little kid,I tried and tried and tried over and over again to throw a tennis ball over the roof of our house. I put every single once of energy and strength into each attempt until finally I did it.
That’s what Manning does on every throw. He winds up and loads up like he’s going to throw an end-of-half Hail Mary 65 yards downfield,but he’s really just trying to get enough air under the ball for a 9-yard curl route.
When’s the last time you saw Manning throw a perfect spiral? It’s been at least 20 games. His passes look like shanked punts.
All of that said,Manning is still an effective quarterback. That’s why he’s still so much fun to watch. His targets end up catching a fair amount of those shanked punts that leave his right hand.
I don’t care what his QB rating is or how great Denver’s defense is,you don’t go 6-0 with an incompetent scrub at QB.
Manning is like Eddie Harris, the crafty veteran pitcher in Major League who was over-the-hill but did whatever he could to get by,including putting snot on the ball and drinking Jobu’s rum.
Somehow Harris made it work and he helped his team win the pennant. Somehow Manning is making it work and he’s helped his team start 6-0.
Never stop,Peyton Manning. You’re an inspiration to Uncle Rico’s everywhere.
Here are 5 reasons why the Packers will beat the Broncos under the lights at Mile High:
On the mend
All signs point to the return of Davante Adams,Morgan Burnett and B.J. Raji,as well as a closer-to-100-percent Eddie Lacy and Randall Cobb. If the injured players do return and the wounded ones have regained more health,it’s a case of the rich Packers getting richer.
QB advantage
I’m not on the “Peyton Manning is done” bandwagon like so many others,but he’s clearly not as good Aaron Rodgers. That’s the X-factor in so many of these games,isn’t it? The Packers have the better quarterback,so the Packers end up winning. Even if Rodgers has an off game or an average game,he never throws those back-breaking interceptions or does anything that puts the Packers behind the 8-ball too far.
Lesson learned?
The Packers allowed 500 yards passing in nearly losing to Philip Rivers and the Chargers in week 6. Rivers’ arm might not be what it used to be,but the veteran made presnap adjustments,picked out matchups he liked,then dissected the Packers bland pass coverage looks. Manning has made a career out of doing the exact same thing and that’s what he’ll try and do tonight. Hopefully Dom Capers and his crew learned their lesson against Rivers and will have a few counters to Manning’s presnap moves. Hopefully.
Frustrated Manning
Not only is Manning frustrated by his own physical limitations as he approached 40 years old,he also seems irked at Gary Kubiak’s new offensive system. With the exception of a few games at the end of last season,Manning thrived under John Fox and offensive coordinate Adam Gase. Under Kubiak,Manning doesn’t seem to have as much control at the line and everything appears to move slower.
Dick Rodgers
Call me crazy,but I think Richard Rodgers ends up being the X-factor on offense. Rodgers has come close to breaking out lately. He dropped an easy touchdown pass against the Rams and narrowly missed hauling in a long sideline pass (his foot ended up just out of bounds) against the Chargers. While the rest of the world focuses on the return of Adams,how much Lacy weighs,and whether Cobb can find an opening,I think Rodgers busts out for a couple big catches.
What if Uncle Rico has one more shining moment left in him? Here’s how the Broncos could come out the victors tonight:
Do what Rivers did
As I’ve mentioned earlier in this post,Rivers had his way with Capers and the Packers before the snap. He set up matchups he liked then took advantage of them. That’s literally what Manning has done his entire career,even before his arm turned into a noodle. He’ll try and do the same tonight,and if Capers isn’t ready with some adjustments,Manning could turn the clock back to 2003.
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