Miles
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- Mar 18, 2019
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BUFFALO, N.Y. — In the aftermath of the Broncos’ loss to Minnesota in which Denver gave up a 20-point halftime lead, Von Miller made it clear how much the game stung.
“We came up short, and nobody hates losing more than Von,” he said in the visiting locker room.
But Miller said he also saw encouraging signs, ones that could foreshadow success. The Broncos’ focus had been good, and their first-half performance had few blemishes.
The loss, though painful, showed that success may not be far off.
Miller echoed those sentiments Thursday ahead of Denver’s matchup with the 7-3 Bills, who sit in the first wild-card spot in the AFC.
“Honestly, simply the energy that we have, the type of players that we have and the type of coaches that we have,” said Miller when asked why he feels hopeful about the team’s future. “It’s just a matter of time before we become a great team again. Great coaches and great players usually equal success. I’m still waiting for that, hoping for that and I know that it’ll happen for us.”
As the Broncos continue a stretch in which they play four of five games on the road, they’ll aim to find that success.
These are the questions the Broncos must answer in Buffalo if they hope to have their fortune change this week:
WILL THE BRONCOS’ SECONDARY BOUNCE BACK?
In the second half of Denver’s game against the Vikings, Kirk Cousins completed 18 of his 23 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns. During Minnesota’s four second-half drives — all of which resulted in touchdowns — Cousins completed five passes of at least 20 yards. He also struck quickly. The Vikings’ final two touchdown drives took just 35 seconds and two minutes and 14 seconds, respectively. On the first of those drives, Cousins found Stefon Diggs for a 54-yard touchdown. On the next drive, he hit Kyle Rudolph for a 32-yard score.
Both of the touchdowns were the product of blown coverages as the Vikings ran a hurry-up offense. On Thursday, Head Coach Vic Fangio downplayed the impact that the no-huddle offense had on the Broncos’ defense.
“I don’t really think that was the case as much as maybe it’s being alluded to,” said Fangio when asked if the tempo impacted the defense. “Yeah, there was some there where [it caused issues], as always is going to be the case when a team goes no-huddle. Really, [on] the significant plays in those drives, that wasn’t an issue.”
The Broncos, though, must shore up their communication against Josh Allen and the Bills. Allen won AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after completing 21-of-33 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
Allen has a dangerous weapon in John Brown, who entered Week 12 leading all AFC players in receiving yards. In the Bills’ Week 11 win, Brown caught nine passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Chris Harris Jr. could shadow Brown, but the rest of the secondary must be up to the task as well. Davontae Harris was replaced by Isaac Yiadom against Minnesota, but Fangio said Harris will start against the Bills.
"He’s still working through his issues that he had," Fangio said Friday. "He had a good week of practice and he’s focused and ready to go.”
Denver’s defense still ranks fourth against the pass despite a difficult second half against Minnesota.
Can Denver’s usual passing defense return for the matchup in Buffalo? Or will the second-half woes in Minnesota continue? The answer will play a major role in determining the outcome of Sunday’s game.