bgdavis -> RE: Predictions for Next Week (and maybe beyond) (2/9/2014 10:40:59 AM)
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ORIGINAL: 69in09 quote:
ORIGINAL: bgdavis Denver's defense took a major step backward this year. During the previous season their defense was ranked #2 in overall yardage and #4 in points given up. This season they were #19 in yardage and #22 in points given up. It was painfully obvious in the SB just how bad the Denver defense was compared to the Seattle D. Seattle got consistent pressure, played receivers tight, made tackles and forced turnovers. Denver's defense did almost none of that. Surprisingly, Seattle's offense was only ranked #17 in yardage (behind the Vikings at #13!), but against the porous Denver defense, they looked like one of the best offenses in the league. You can lay accolades on Seattle for success in all phases of the game, but a major factor in their offensive success was due to the fact that Denver's defense quite frankly sucked. Their defense wasn't that bad. Their D stuck the Chargers and the Pats in the playoffs. IMO, their offense failed them in the SB. It's worth noting those two playoff games were at home, and Mile High stadium also helps give them a home field advantage due to the slightly thinner air at that altitude. If their "defense wasn't that bad", then that would imply that the Denver defense essentially slacked off for most of the regular season, then played a couple of home playoff games at their real ability level, before ultimately laying an egg in the Superbowl. By contrast, I think a more plausible scenario is that they had a weak defense all along, but stepped up enough in their home playoff games, before finally reverting to form in the Superbowl. Their defense issues didn't get much focus because their high-scoring offense effectively masked the problem during the season.
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