Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you saw what happened yesterday in the waning moments of the Denver Broncos-Cincinnati Bengals game.

Even if you didn’t see it, you probably heard the call from Gus Johnson while you were in the kitchen making that bologna sandwich thinking all hope for a win was lost.

And, while the Denver Broncos snuck out of Paul Brown stadium with a W, there are more questions surrounding this team now than there were 48 hours ago.

The Broncos came into this season with a lot of questions surrounding their team—not only from a personnel standpoint, but also from a coaching and management standpoint as well, especially concerning the offseason moves made by the new regime.

And, while some would tell you that with this win, they’ve hushed critics or answered these questions, I’d say this: Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. 

Yes, they’re 1-0. Good for them. 

But, don’t forget what it took to get that win—an answered prayer to the football gods from someone who’s clearly been living right. Who that was, we’ll never know. But, it worked. 

The Broncos face one of the toughest schedules in the league this season and anything more than four or five wins will be surprising, especially if we continue to see offensive play like what we saw on Sunday against the Bengals. 

The Broncos offense was stagnant throughout the entire game, and looked almost lost at times.   

Their running game was below average, putting up a whopping 75 yards on 20 carries from five different ball carriers (Orton included).  Their passing game was lackluster, and aside from the 87 yard TD pass…err…deflected reception, Orton was 16-for-27 with 156 yards passing. 

Really, with the exception of the defense, there wasn’t much to be happy about watching that game if you’re a Broncos fan.

The questions being asked at Dove Valley right now are completely warranted at this point, and they require answers. Serious, honest answers that likely won’t be given from McDaniels considering his tight lipped, Belichick-esque approach to running a football team. 

It seems as though the paradigm has shifted in Denver. All through camp and the preseason, the bulk of the questions were aimed at Mike Nolan and his defense, with an exception being given to McDaniels’ offense. 

After their performance against the Bengals, Nolan’s defensive unit seems to have answered a great deal of the questions, while the offense begs more. 

We knew coming in that there were questions about Kyle Orton and whether or not he could run McDaniels’ complex, high octane offense, and how he would fit into that system. 

McDaniels answered that in the preseason by saying, “Kyle Orton will fit well in this system because he can manage the game.” 

Well, he did that in week one, and without a brilliant stroke of luck, he wouldn’t have done much against one of the defenses ranked among the worst in the league.  Now that question becomes: How good really is McDaniels’ offense without star players? 

Without Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Tom Brady, how good is it?

I’d like to state for the record that I like Kyle Orton, and I think (provided the offense get’s on track) that his numbers this season, will virtually mirror Jay Cutler’s in Chicago.  Neither of them project to be stellar this season, but both should be good.

Here in Denver, you’re also already hearing people chirp about McDaniels’ ability to effectively game-plan against someone, and his ability to recognize weaknesses and take advantage of them. 

Were there moments play calls should have been a little different? Sure. That said, I thought for his first go round, McDaniels did a fine job, especially knowing the challenge rules and having time added back on to the clock, which allowed the most improbable play of the season to happen.

But, the execution, or lack thereof, from the offense has to be a source of concern for McDaniels and the rest of the Broncos organization. 

Denver hired McDaniels, who’s billing was that of an “Offensive Mastermind” to make the Broncos an offensive powerhouse, and that’s where Bowlen went wrong.  The offense was already a powerhouse (Top 5 last season), it was the D that needed help. 

Alas, it is what it is, as Todd Bertuzzi would say.

Bottom line is this:

It was an ugly game, and the Broncos got an ugly win. I’m sure that McDaniels and the rest of the franchise understands that with the foes coming up on the schedule—N.Y. Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the AFC West matchups—there’s no room for poor play like what we saw against Cincinnati.

At this point, everything in Bronco Country is good, the offensive issues will be brushed under the rug for another time, and the defense will be placed upon their pedestal for the week until the first let down comes. 

Then these questions will all come back to the surface, and let’s hope that McDaniels will have an answer.

 

 

 

 

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