Three Keys for the Denver Broncos Versus the Seattle Seahawks

Aug 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Seattle Seahawks center Lemuel Jeanpierre (61) pass blocks on Seattle Seahawks defensive end Greg Scruggs (98) in the second quarter of a preseason game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

There are certain games on every schedule that draw more attention than the others, and the Denver Broncos have one of those games on Sunday. They will travel to the northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch.

Playing in Seattle is difficult for the visiting team, winning in Seattle is almost impossible. The Seahawks are 18-1 in their last 19 home games. If the Broncos are going to make that 18-2, then there are three areas that they must have the advantage in.

A Good Start:

Getting off to a good start is crucial for the Broncos, the Seahawks love to overwhelm teams early at home and a lot of their games are over before the end of the first quarter. The Broncos don’t necessarily have to be leading after the first quarter, but they have to be even or within a score. If the Seahawks get a two score lead early, the environment gets even tougher and the Broncos could be in for a long day.

If you look back to the Super Bowl, the Broncos never recovered from the first play of the game. I don’t think the Broncos would have won the game if that safety hadn’t happened, but I do think it started a domino effect that the Broncos could not stop. If the Broncos can withstand the early wave from the Seahawks, then we have a football game.

Turnovers:

The Broncos must win the turnover battle and that also means they can’t have any. The Seahawks and their fans feed off of turnovers when they are at home, and that’s how they blow people out. The Broncos have done a good job protecting the football through two games with no turnovers, but the Seahawks are a completely different defense than the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs.

Defensively the Broncos have to come up with at least two turnovers that lead to easy points for the offense. No team is going to make a living on the Seahawks if they continually have to go 80 yards to score. The Seahawks will make plays on offense but if the Broncos can take the ball away a couple of times, then they have a shot.

Red Zone:

The red zone will be key for the Broncos on both sides of the ball. When the offense does get the ball inside of the 20 yard line, the Broncos have to score touchdowns. They are not likely to get down there more than three or four times, so scoring when they do will be a must.

As mentioned earlier, the Seahawks are going to move the ball but if the Broncos can force them to kick field goals, then that’s a win for the defense.

Because this is a bigger game than most, we are going to give you a bonus key.

Pass protection:

The secondary for the Seahawks is terrific but it was the pass rush that destroyed the Broncos offense in the Super Bowl. There weren’t many plays to be made in that game but there were a few had Peyton Manning had time to throw.

San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers proved last week that there are plays to be made if the Broncos can keep Manning upright. The difference is that Rivers had the advantage of being at home and did not have to deal with the crowd noise. The Broncos will have to use the silent count all day and that will make it easier for the Seahawks pass rushers to get off the ball.

The Broncos present some matchup problems for the Seahawks secondary and they can cause some damage if Manning has time to throw. Because of the blowout in the Super Bowl, it’s easy to forget that Demaryius Thomas had a huge day. The Seahawks also struggled last week to cover Chargers tight-end, Antonio Gates who had three touchdowns. Julius Thomas has the ability to exploit those same matchups but it all comes back to the pass protection.

Prediction:

It won’t be a blowout like it was last February but this is a tough spot for the Broncos. They are still finding themselves on defense and the home-field advantage in Seattle is real.

The Broncos play well and it’s a game all the way, but the Seahawks win this one 28-20.