Denver Broncos: 3 Reactions to the Win Over the Bengals

We’re running out of words.

Phillip Lindsay racked up 157 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 19 carries.  His 8.2 yards-per-carry is double the league average.  Lindsay has the uncanny knack to make yardage out of seemingly hopeless plays.  Maybe a stretch but he reminds of Barry Sanders.

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Adding to his legacy, Lindsay took the game ball awarded to him by Vance Joseph and presented it to the offensive line.  As brash as Lindsay is on the field, his humility off of it may be more impressive.  He lives at home, he does the dishes after his mom cooks dinner.  He travels to local schools and inspires children.

On the field, he’s moved to fourth in the NFL in rushing, just 17 yards behind fellow rookie and first-round pick Saquon Barkley.  Barkley is likely the competition for the NFL’s offensive rookie-of-the-year award and for most of the season it looked like the award was easily his to lose.

It’s not even that Barkley is declining, he had a great game in a win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.  It’s more that Lindsay is a force that is not going to be denied.

We spent a lot of time hand-wringing over Lindsay’s size.  We were told that physics dictate that he MUST get injured at some point.  That time is over.  Lindsay may well get injured, everyone does but his size is not a limitation.  He does weigh nearly 200 lb. after-all.

That 17 yard difference between Barkley and Lindsay  can be explained simply with the fact that Lindsay still is not designated the starter for the Broncos and has 41 fewer carries than Barkley has.  That’s two full games at Lindsay’s pace.

The reason Phillip won’t get OROY?  Barkley plays for the Giants in the “media capital of the blahblahblah”.  New York will always win over Colorado in the media’s eyes and the guy in the Big Apple has an insurmountable advantage.

Fortunately, Lindsay’s output and impact aren’t reliant on accolades.  He’ll keep being the best whether it’s recognized or not.

The Broncos have a rookie standout on the defensive side, too: