Defensive Improvement

[Ziggy]

JDR deserves some kudos. I've been as critical as anyone on the scheme that was being used. His mindset seems to have changed after the bye. The Broncos are blitzing more, using less 3 man rushes. Von is in coverage less and rushing the passer more. The corners are up in press man more and in a soft zone less. Malik is getting more time on passing downs. All in all, JDR is finally putting these players in a position to succeed based on their strengths and weaknesses. Our defense has been far more aggressive since the bye. The stats are beginning to bear out the fruits of those labors.

Yardage allowed per game: 4th in the NFL (318.2)
Points allowed per game: 6th in the NFL (20.8)
And the most important stat: Tied for 1st in the AFC (4-1)

This has been with Trevathan on the bench for most of the season. Hopefully his injury isn't season ending. I expected some time for the newer players to gel. Ware, Talib, and Ward have played up to expectations IMO. When they all get on the same page, this defense still has a chance to be elite. I'm loving this D.

[TXBRONC]

I don't think he's changed anything Zig rather it's that the defense is just becoming cohesive. We also have Von getting back to his old self.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Denver Broncos @Broncos · 15h

The #Broncos had four sacks today, giving them 15 this season (third most in the @NFL). #DENvsNYJ

[GEM]

It's just interesting that while the defense has improved, the offense has stumbled.

[BroncoWave]

It's just interesting that while the defense has improved, the offense has stumbled.

I don't know how fair it is to say that. We're 3rd in the NFL in PPG and 10th in YPG. Yeah it's a little behind last season's gaudy numbers, but we have played some really good defenses this year. If "stumbling" for our offense is still being in the top 10 in points and yards, I'll take that.

Both Seattle and NYJ are in the top 10 in total defense, and Indy and KC are 13th and 14th respectively. So 4 of our 5 games have been against above average defenses. I think our offense is just fine personally.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Posted: 19 hours ago
Talib: 'We're putting it together'
Aqib Talib and Terrance Knighton talk about how the pass rush and secondary are helping each other.

video - http://www.denverbroncos.com/multimedia/videos/Talib-Were-putting-it-together/6ef10907-9b58-4dc7-a82a-5ea45be5c8ec

[underrated29]

I love what we are seeing. Love it.

We do have to remember since the bye we have faced the Mighty Drew Stanton and the 4th rd rookie and Geno Smith. Some expectations should be tempered. If we can perfrom nearly as well against Kaep, rivers and brady then our defense is on the Damn Map!!!

[underrated29]

I don't know how fair it is to say that. We're 3rd in the NFL in PPG and 10th in YPG. Yeah it's a little behind last season's gaudy numbers, but we have played some really good defenses this year. If "stumbling" for our offense is still being in the top 10 in points and yards, I'll take that.

Both Seattle and NYJ are in the top 10 in total defense, and Indy and KC are 13th and 14th respectively. So 4 of our 5 games have been against above average defenses. I think our offense is just fine personally.




Agreed, and once we get the run game going. It should propel us to top 5 or so, even against these elite defenses.

[Buff]

I don't think the scheme changed, just the gameplans.

On a side note, it must be like a D-Coordinator's dream to design blitz packages to run against Geno Smith. It's hard to not come out smelling like roses.

[VonDoom]

I don't know how fair it is to say that. We're 3rd in the NFL in PPG and 10th in YPG. Yeah it's a little behind last season's gaudy numbers, but we have played some really good defenses this year. If "stumbling" for our offense is still being in the top 10 in points and yards, I'll take that.

Both Seattle and NYJ are in the top 10 in total defense, and Indy and KC are 13th and 14th respectively. So 4 of our 5 games have been against above average defenses. I think our offense is just fine personally.

I agree with all of the above. Couple of interesting breakdowns - for Denver's offense, we are 10th in yards per game, 4th in passing and 26th in rushing (which is actually up after the last two games). 3rd in ppg as you said, with room for improvement. I never expected to score 37 ppg again this year, so I'm not too upset. We've looked rusty and off on occasion, but I imagine that's true of many teams. On defense, we are 4th in yards per game allowed, 16th against the pass, and 4th against the run. 6th in ppg allowed is pretty nice; consider that Seattle is 14th as of right now (and 9th in ypg allowed).

Obviously we need to be as sharp as possible with two games coming up next week. SF is 2nd in ypg allowed and tied for 9th in ppg allowed; SD is 3rd by yardage and 2nd by points

[Nomad]

I love what we are seeing. Love it.

We do have to remember since the bye we have faced the Mighty Drew Stanton and the 4th rd rookie and Geno Smith. Some expectations should be tempered. If we can perfrom nearly as well against Kaep, rivers and brady then our defense is on the Damn Map!!!

Defense will definitely be tested.

[Ziggy]

I don't think he's changed anything Zig rather it's that the defense is just becoming cohesive. We also have Von getting back to his old self.

Go back and watch the first 2 games TX. Von was in coverage or spying early and often, and the D was playing a soft zone most of the time. Also, blitzes were few and far between. I agree that Von's improvement is there and the D is starting to gel, but I think part of that is JDR putting them in positions to excel, which he rarely did the first 2 games.

[VonDoom]

Also, while I was looking around for stats, I looked into DVOA, which is considered a better measure of how well your team is doing in all facets of the game. As of week 5, Denver was 1st in overall DVOA, 1st in offense, 2nd in defense (behind the Lions) and 19th in special teams. By comparison, we ended last season 2nd in total DVOA, 1st in offense, 15th in defense and 21st in special teams. After week 6 last year, we were 1st in total, 1st in offense, 23rd in defense and 1st in special teams (I know, seems impossible, right?)

So by that measure, our offense is just as good relative to other teams (not as good relative to ourselves from last year, based on their percentage points) and much better on defense.

[HORSEPOWER 56]

I think getting some semblance of balance on offense will help the D get even better. Our offense seems to be very feast or famine this season (either a quick score or a 3 & out). That's not easy for a defense. Even playing with a lead and being able to pin their ears back and pass rush can wear a defense out if they're on the field a lot.

If we can augment the passing game with a little bit more rushing, the defense will get a chance to recover. We have a great 2 minute offense but still lack a 4 minute offense to close out games. If Hillman and Thompson can keep it up and we can be a little more balanced regularly, it will pay dividends, especially once the weather starts to get bad.

[TXBRONC]

It's just interesting that while the defense has improved, the offense has stumbled.

I don't know about that. Denver has played four playoff teams from a year ago in first six weeks of the season. Also they're not getting a lot of help from the punt and kickoff return teams.

[GEM]

I don't know how fair it is to say that. We're 3rd in the NFL in PPG and 10th in YPG. Yeah it's a little behind last season's gaudy numbers, but we have played some really good defenses this year. If "stumbling" for our offense is still being in the top 10 in points and yards, I'll take that.

Both Seattle and NYJ are in the top 10 in total defense, and Indy and KC are 13th and 14th respectively. So 4 of our 5 games have been against above average defenses. I think our offense is just fine personally.


I guess what I mean is last season the Broncos made it look so flawless on offense. It just feels like it's stumbling this season. We're winning and that is awesome, but gosh sakes if the offense could really start clicking with the defense playing like they are, we could be damn near lethal.

[Ravage!!!]

It's just interesting that while the defense has improved, the offense has stumbled.

Yeah.. the offense isn't clicking. I don't think Manning is clicking. He's off. Especiallyin the first quarter, and 3rd quarter. His passes are low a lot of the time, not allowing WRs to make YAC, and that't not like Manning. I think the OL still needs time to gt better, and believe they will keeping improving as the season goes (barring injury).
------------

As far as the OP.
I don't believe that our DC is doing anything different. MORE blitzes isn't something you really WANT to see unless its part of a scheme for that team. Blitzes aren't the end-all defensive idea. Just like thinking that we have to play bump-n-run at the LoS all the time. Good Zones are tough to beat, and great to have. You HAVE to play zones. Depending on the personnel you have on the field, and then how the opposing offense lines up, sometimes Von WILL have to cover someone.

I think the DL is getting better and better. That will help inside pressure from the DL and not force us to blitze. I think when you play against a Geno Smith..the PLAN is to blitze and press because Geno isn't going to beat you in those fast decision situations. Play better QBs, and that won't be the case.

[Ziggy]

Yeah.. the offense isn't clicking. I don't think Manning is clicking. He's off. Especiallyin the first quarter, and 3rd quarter. His passes are low a lot of the time, not allowing WRs to make YAC, and that't not like Manning. I think the OL still needs time to gt better, and believe they will keeping improving as the season goes (barring injury).
------------

As far as the OP.
I don't believe that our DC is doing anything different. MORE blitzes isn't something you really WANT to see unless its part of a scheme for that team. Blitzes aren't the end-all defensive idea. Just like thinking that we have to play bump-n-run at the LoS all the time. Good Zones are tough to beat, and great to have. You HAVE to play zones. Depending on the personnel you have on the field, and then how the opposing offense lines up, sometimes Von WILL have to cover someone.

I think the DL is getting better and better. That will help inside pressure from the DL and not force us to blitze. I think when you play against a Geno Smith..the PLAN is to blitze and press because Geno isn't going to beat you in those fast decision situations. Play better QBs, and that won't be the case.

No, Von doesn't have to cover sometimes. Derrick Thomas and Lawrence Taylor weren't used in coverage. Their defensive coordinators maximized their skills, and that's part of the reason that they are both in the hall of fame. That's a big part of the reason that they were 2 of the most dominating players of their eras. When you have a player that is a dominating pass rusher, you use him to rush the passer. Especially in today's version of the NFL. As far as press coverage goes, we don't have to play it all of the time but our corners can. It changes our D from a bend but don't break defense into one that can dominate. When you have the talent to play press coverage, you do it often. It takes away the short and intermediate routes that have killed Denver over the last decade. A zone can be a nice change of pace every now and then, but we have the talent to play more aggressively. I like that JDR is doing just that. Timely blitzes are part of every great defensive coordinators M.O. No one wants to see a blitz on every play, that would be silly and predictable. 3 man rushes however, are just painful to watch.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Mike Klis @MikeKlis · 2h

Broncos rank 4th in total defense. Their next 2 opponents -- 49ers and Chargers -- rank No. 2 and No. 3.

[Shazam!]

It shows how badly this team missed Doom and that Ware has proved to be an invaluable acquisition. He makes the whole front better.

[BroncoWave]

It shows how badly this team missed Doom and that Ware has proved to be an invaluable acquisition. He makes the whole front better.

Eh, not really. I think it has more to do with Von being back and at 100%. Between his suspension and injury last year, we didn't get to enjoy much of his help. And early this year he was still slow. Now that he is back to full speed, our front is much better.

Phillips was nearly just as good as Doom for us last year and now Ware is filling that role nicely. I don't think we have missed Doom one bit.

[Joel]

Mike Klis @MikeKlis · 2h

Broncos rank 4th in total defense. Their next 2 opponents -- 49ers and Chargers -- rank No. 2 and No. 3.
I don't buy that ranking for SD. Their D was awful two years ago, and only a little better last year because they relied on a lot of blitzes to make up for their awful secondary. How's it improved? They signed Brandon Flowers; okay, sure, he's a good CB, but not good enough to turn 2013s 23rd best D into 2014s 3rd best. All the offenses they've played so far rank very LOWLY:

Arizona: 21st in passing yards, 30th in rushing yards
Seattle: 30th in passing yards, 2nd in rushing yards
Buffalo: 18th in passing yards, 22nd in rushing yards
Jax: 22nd in passing yards, 32nd in rushing yards
NY Jets: 32nd in passing yards, 12th in rushing yards
Oakland: 20th in passing yards, 31st in rushing yards

The best of the lot is probably Seattle, who at least have a top 5 rushing game, but their bottom 5 passing game offsets that; the rest are below average, most by a LOT. Meanwhile, we beat the #1 passing attack complemented by the 16th best running game; best passing+exactly average rushing can't help being better than anyone SD's faced, and KC's about like Seattle: Ranked just above them in passing, and only 3 spots lower in running. Even with a couple turnovers giving Seattle 10 pts, they still only scored 6 more at home vs. us than they did @SD.

Not that SD doesn't concern me, but I'm more worried about their offense than their defense, and feel pretty good about OUR D, even now that we've lost Trevathan again (though that does suck.)

[Joel]

Eh, not really. I think it has more to do with Von being back and at 100%. Between his suspension and injury last year, we didn't get to enjoy much of his help. And early this year he was still slow. Now that he is back to full speed, our front is much better.

Phillips was nearly just as good as Doom for us last year and now Ware is filling that role nicely. I don't think we have missed Doom one bit.
I still think Phillips was BETTER than Doom for the same reason Ware's better still: He can play the run, too, not just skip 1st and 2nd down to come in and sprint for sacks on 3rd and long. That only works if an ACTUAL DE is there to force the offense to 3rd and long in the first place; you're still paying a guy $3 million to spend 85% of the game on the bench either way. Phillips played a full 50% of downs and led the Broncos in sacks last year IN ADDITION to shutting down 1st and 2nd down runs, and Ware's doing the same: Both were upgrades.

In fact, Phillips had 1 MORE sack than Doom last year, even though both are best suited to be 3-4 OLBs and Doom was the only one actually playing that position. Our pair of 3-4 OLBs did a pretty good job s a 4-3 DE and OLB last year: Because they're better players than Doom, who's a bit too much like Freeney for my taste. As Rav says, there's more to D than blitzes (or even sacks) and press coverage.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

Mike Klis @MikeKlis · 2h

Broncos rank 4th in total defense. Their next 2 opponents -- 49ers and Chargers -- rank No. 2 and No. 3.


That is a huge improvement from last year. I think they'll continue to get better too.

[VonDoom]

How does everyone feel after that 49er game last night? As it currently stands, our defense is now 6th in YPG allowed (18th in passing, 3rd in rushing) and tied for 7th in PPG allowed.

Oh, and offensively we are 5th in YPG (3rd in passing, 25th in rushing), and, oh yeah ... 1st in PPG again.

[Shazam!]

Ware's presence cannot be understated. I love watching him work. Guy is amazing, i love it that he's here. Makes everyone around him so much better.

[VonDoom]

Ware's presence cannot be understated. I love watching him work. Guy is amazing, i love it that he's here. Makes everyone around him so much better.

He looks great so far, and more importantly, I think he has helped Von greatly. Von once again looks like a dominant force, and would be my defensive player of the year if not for JJ Watt.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

He looks great so far, and more importantly, I think he has helped Von greatly. Von once again looks like a dominant force, and would be my defensive player of the year if not for JJ Watt.


Ware's presence cannot be understated. I love watching him work. Guy is amazing, i love it that he's here. Makes everyone around him so much better.

That fake spin move by Ware was just flat out nasty.

[Valar Morghulis]

I am excited - our D has not been this good since the 2011 season when it was tebowtime lol - but you know what i mean in that in 2011, when we turned the ball over or had a 3 and out (which was often thanks to tim) - i was always confident our D would get the job done, this was certainly not the case last year

Oh - and i appear to have been wrong about Talib - i thought we should have resigned DRC, but Talib has been ace.

[Ziggy]

That fake spin move by Ware was just flat out nasty.

watch?v=UuINRB4oaLE

[GEM]

Kap looks like he's ready to cry there. :laugh:

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

Watching Staley stone wall Robert Quinn last week had me worried about this game. Staley is a very talented LT with great feet. What Ware did last night must not be understated.

I'm honestly not so sure Miller is a better pass rusher than Ware. Ware always goes up against the LT, while Miller gets moved all around the line.

[Joel]

Watching Staley stone wall Robert Quinn last week had me worried about this game. Staley is a very talented LT with great feet. What Ware did last night must not be understated.

I'm honestly not so sure Miller is a better pass rusher than Ware. Ware always goes up against the LT, while Miller gets moved all around the line.
It's an interesting question; we could turn it around and say Ware doesn't have to pick his way through traffic. He's moved on at least one occasion though: His first game returning from a back injury last year was against us, and Clark stood him up so badly and consistently he switched to Franklin in the second half, with no better results. They've had an interestingly similar past year, both missing much of the early season (for different reasons) and showing it on their return, then dropping weight this offseason before regaining their places as two of the NFLs most dynamic pass rushers.

All I know for sure is that the whole's greater than the sum of the parts, so they each have more sacks than our other 52 players COMBINED. It'll be interesting to see if teams start doubling one or both of them more as the season progresses, and Wolfe/Jackson, Williams and Knightons numbers go up as a result.

[MOtorboat]

All I know for sure is that the whole's greater than the sum of the parts, so they each have more sacks than our other 52 players COMBINED.

And Manning has more passing yards than the other 52 players. And Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker have more receptions than the other 51 guys and Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman have more rushing yards than the other 51 guys...

Water is also wet.

[CrazyHorse]

Top 10 defense playing against some pretty good competition. Might be in the top 5 by the end of the season.

[Joel]

Top 10 defense playing against some pretty good competition. Might be in the top 5 by the end of the season.
Oddly enough, it was ALREADY a top 5 D before the SF game, but (somehow) giving up 17 pts to them while SD gave up 23 to KC dropped us from 4th to 6th in yds/gm and raised SD to 5th.

I still say that's only because we were in Prevent much of the second half, while Oz and the (other) second teamers sputtering through the 4th qtr gave SF more opportunities. In fact (and much like last year) our passing Ds rankings are misleadingly low generally because of stuff like a 24-7 halftime lead on Indy forcing opponents to pass a lot to play catchup. Only Miami has allowed less yds/att through the air—but our opponents make a LOT of passing attempts, so our per-game and total passing yardage are much higher than they should be.

For the record, our 3.3 defensive RUSHING yds/att is 5th overall, so all those pass attempts aren't the reason we're statistically a top five run D: We're just a really good run D (which also encourages passes.)

[Tned]

JDR deserves some kudos. I've been as critical as anyone on the scheme that was being used. His mindset seems to have changed after the bye. The Broncos are blitzing more, using less 3 man rushes. Von is in coverage less and rushing the passer more. The corners are up in press man more and in a soft zone less. Malik is getting more time on passing downs. All in all, JDR is finally putting these players in a position to succeed based on their strengths and weaknesses. Our defense has been far more aggressive since the bye. The stats are beginning to bear out the fruits of those labors.

Yardage allowed per game: 4th in the NFL (318.2)
Points allowed per game: 6th in the NFL (20.8)
And the most important stat: Tied for 1st in the AFC (4-1)

This has been with Trevathan on the bench for most of the season. Hopefully his injury isn't season ending. I expected some time for the newer players to gel. Ware, Talib, and Ward have played up to expectations IMO. When they all get on the same page, this defense still has a chance to be elite. I'm loving this D.

Some of it might be a few years in the same system, but I think mostly it's better personnel.

Adding Talib, Ward and Roby in the secondary.
Adding Ware and Miller (Miller missed with suspensions, then wasn't the same, then got hurt), along with Q. Smith (IR'd first year), combined with healthy/more experienced Wolf, Williams and Jackson.
Irving, while not spectacular, has gotten better each year and Marshall has stepped up.

There is simply better and healthier talent on the defensive side of the ball, which includes what in the first six games has been the best pass rush duo in the NFL. .

[Joel]

Some of it might be a few years in the same system, but I think mostly it's better personnel.

Adding Talib, Ward and Roby in the secondary.
Adding Ware and Miller (Miller missed with suspensions, then wasn't the same, then got hurt), along with Q. Smith (IR'd first year), combined with healthy/more experienced Wolf, Williams and Jackson.
Irving, while not spectacular, has gotten better each year and Marshall has stepped up.

There is simply better and healthier talent on the defensive side of the ball, which includes what in the first six games has been the best pass rush duo in the NFL. .
Ward's a big step up from Ihenacho or even Adams (who's a better FS than SS,) but Roby's not (yet) a huge improvement on Webster (who's not bad) and I'm not convinced Talib for Cromartie isn't a wash (as recently as the AFCCG the Denver faithful swore DRC was MUCH better than Talib.) Miller looks much more like his old self than even on his healthy 2013 snaps, but, while Ware's a definite step up from Phillips (and I want to be VERY clear on that) it's not a HUGE step, IMHO. Irving's only better relative to the low standard he set, and Marshall's stepped up, yet not to Woodyard/Trevathan levels.

That experience you referenced may be as big as familiarity with the system itself though. Miller's been so amazing it's easy to forget this is only his 4th pro season, and Wolfe and Jackson have even less time. Chris Harris is playing phenomenally, but on the tender offer the year after his rookie contract ended. Sly Williams did a great job as a starter when Vickerson got hurt, but an even greater job considering he was a rookie. There's a LOT of young talent on this defense benefitting from their first few pro seasons learning from and practicing with guys like Champ under coaches like Del Rio.

It's unnerving to wonder what our offense will look like post-Manning, since our only heir apparent right now threw only his 21st pro pass Sunday, but even if he (or whoever) picks up right where Manning leaves off, it's hard to dispute the post-Manning Broncos will be a return to the Orange Crush. Then again, there's no reason that can't resume while Manning's still here.

[Valar Morghulis]

Roby is the man

[CoachChaz]

Gotta agree. We see the plays Roby gives up because he gets picked on as a rookie, but his play is by FAR better than what Webster gave us last year. I'll admit, I was one of the people that wasnt thrilled with that draft pick...but he has quickly changed my mind and I can see him turning into one of the more dominant and physical CB's in this league. I've been very impressed with him thus far.

[Slick]

I disagree with your Phillips/Ware comparison, Joel. Ware is by far a better player.

[Slick]

Agreed. Roby's been a pleasant surprise.

[VonDoom]

Since I mentioned DVOA earlier in the thread, I thought people might be interested in the newest ratings. We're not only #1 in DVOA, we're #1 by a huge margin. Football Outsiders themselves even say this:


As a result, the Broncos are now living in "best team in DVOA history" territory. The Broncos are now the sixth-best team in DVOA ever measured through Week 7, and the second-best team this century, trailing only the 2007 Patriots. It's interesting to note that there are only four teams from the current century in the top dozen for DVOA through Week 7, and three of those teams had Peyton Manning at quarterback: the 2007 Colts, this year's Broncos, and last year's Broncos, who also had a DVOA rating over 40% after Week 7.

We're #1 overall by about 20% over the next team (the Ravens), #1 in offense, #2 in defense (to Detroit, but we're not as far back as we've been), and #20 in special teams.

Also of note in this piece from FO is a mention of strength of schedule based on DVOA.


The Seahawks are just one of a number of teams who are about to see their schedules get much harder or easier. Some of the others, with their ranks for both past and future schedule:

SCHEDULE GETTING EASIER: New York Jets (from 2 to 18), Indianapolis (from 5 to 28), Minnesota (from 11 to 29), Carolina (from 12 to 30).
SCHEDULE GETTING HARDER: Pittsburgh (from 32 to 8), Philadelphia (from 29 to 9), New England (from 28 to 3), St. Louis (from 25 to 4), San Diego (from 24 to 2).

This says that the Patriots and Chargers have benefited from an easier early schedule and they're about to get much harder. Denver's schedule goes from 6th hardest to an estimated 15th for the rest of the year, btw.

[TXBRONC]

Gotta agree. We see the plays Roby gives up because he gets picked on as a rookie, but his play is by FAR better than what Webster gave us last year. I'll admit, I was one of the people that wasnt thrilled with that draft pick...but he has quickly changed my mind and I can see him turning into one of the more dominant and physical CB's in this league. I've been very impressed with him thus far.

Roby is a lot further ahead of where people thought he would be at this point myself included. I couldn't be more thrilled.

[Joel]

I disagree with your Phillips/Ware comparison, Joel. Ware is by far a better player.
Fair enough; it's mainly a question of HOW MUCH better: For $10 million instead of the $3 million Phillips is getting this year, let's hope the answer's "a LOT."

[CoachChaz]

Roby is a lot further ahead of where people thought he would be at this point myself included. I couldn't be more thrilled.

His confidence impresses me as much as his skill. He plays like he doesnt fear ANY receiver.

[Joel]

Gotta agree. We see the plays Roby gives up because he gets picked on as a rookie, but his play is by FAR better than what Webster gave us last year. I'll admit, I was one of the people that wasnt thrilled with that draft pick...but he has quickly changed my mind and I can see him turning into one of the more dominant and physical CB's in this league. I've been very impressed with him thus far.
Webster was pretty good last year though, and BSN claims he's far better now: He just can't get on the field much to prove it because Roby's playing too well to use Webster in anything but dime.


His confidence impresses me as much as his skill. He plays like he doesnt fear ANY receiver.
Well, the first game of his career he mostly shutdown a first ballot HoFer and made the game-sealing play by knocking down a Pro Bowlers pass; that's a pretty high Swagger Coefficient.

[Joel]

Since I mentioned DVOA earlier in the thread, I thought people might be interested in the newest ratings. We're not only #1 in DVOA, we're #1 by a huge margin. Football Outsiders themselves even say this:

We're #1 overall by about 20% over the next team (the Ravens), #1 in offense, #2 in defense (to Detroit, but we're not as far back as we've been), and #20 in special teams.
That's pretty darned impressive (and a good example of why I posted that "is our D better than our offense right now" about this time last year.)


Also of note in this piece from FO is a mention of strength of schedule based on DVOA.

This says that the Patriots and Chargers have benefited from an easier early schedule and they're about to get much harder. Denver's schedule goes from 6th hardest to an estimated 15th for the rest of the year, btw.
I'd noticed that about SD; they're ranked just ahead of us in total yds/gm (which dropped us out of the top 5) but have mostly played average or worse offenses: We started the season against Indy, who's #1 in total offensive yards. Hadn't noticed the same about NE, but it's encouraging to hear. I really wish we could've played them before their line starting coming together (why can't OURS do that?!) Our schedule does get MUCH easier after that game though; this years AFCW has the toughest schedule I can remember, but it's mostly front-loaded for us and back-loaded for SD.

[VonDoom]

I'd noticed that about SD; they're ranked just ahead of us in total yds/gm (which dropped us out of the top 5) but have mostly played average or worse offenses: We started the season against Indy, who's #1 in total offensive yards. Hadn't noticed the same about NE, but it's encouraging to hear. I really wish we could've played them before their line starting coming together (why can't OURS do that?!) Our schedule does get MUCH easier after that game though; this years AFCW has the toughest schedule I can remember, but it's mostly front-loaded for us and back-loaded for SD.

Yeah, obviously beating SD is the important thing, but the end of their schedule is brutal. I can't feel too bad for them, though, given our first eight games (that would be six playoff teams from last year, and six teams that won at least ten games last year).

[Joel]

Yeah, obviously beating SD is the important thing, but the end of their schedule is brutal. I can't feel too bad for them, though, given our first eight games (that would be six playoff teams from last year, and six teams that won at least ten games last year).
They're finishing against what we started against; what goes around a division comes around, and they got the Jags instead of the Colts, so no, I don't feel sorry for them. If I were to feel sorry for any AFCW team playing half its schedule against playoff teams, it would be Oakland (whose karma deserves any and all misfortune the Football Gods choose to inflict.)

Beat SD and NE, then it should be downhill; the NFCW teams are done except for the Lambs, Indy's done and the Bengals look very beatable, despite their typically solid play at home. My only big concerns will be @Arrowhead (which always sucks) and the rematch @SD. I said at the start of the season we don't have many creampuffs this year, but except for the Jets those few are all on the back end.

[capt. Jack]

I really like Roby!!!
They are starting to get it together, I think!

[underrated29]

well how about that.

I just made a Roby thread as I hadn't been in here yet.