The Denver Broncos are 0-6 in the red zone through two games, with the team either settling for a field goal or turning the ball over on each of their six trips inside the 20-yard line this season.
So, what’s the solution?
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson seems to believe it’s simply a matter of poor execution.
“It’s not all bad news,” Wilson said Wednesday. “I think we’ve been down there six times; we’ve had two fumbles on the one. We were down there on the one and we obviously can’t do that. That’s two of the six and we had a quick touchdown to Courtland [Sutton that wasn’t caught in bounds]. That’s three of the six. That’s pretty good — that could have been pretty good. We had the little flip toss to [Andrew] Beck, That should have been a touchdown, but we went offsides [which] can’t happen. That’s four of the six.
“The fifth one is probably the roll where I hit ‘E’ [Eric Tomlinson] on the sideline, and we were just barely out. That’s five of the six. Five of six isn’t bad. That’s how I look at it. It’s a game of inches, a game of discipline. It’s a game of doing things right and it changes the whole perspective of everything. Then we’re really kicking butt. The great thing is we are doing a lot of great things well. It’s just fine-tuning the details, and we have to get more touchdowns down there.”
Wilson pinned the blame on the players — as he should. The quarterback has backed his coach through two games. It’s not merely a matter of execution, though. Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett can improve his play-calling, too.
Denver has called too many passing plays near the end zone, and Hackett even admitted this week that the team should have a more balanced approach.
“Of course, you want that all across the field,” Hackett said Wednesday when asked if the team’s run-pass ratio should be more balanced in the red zone. “Whether it’s in the red zone, whether it’s in the field, whether it’s anything. Really, third-down to two minutes is kind of the only ones that you typically pass a little bit more, but those two situations you definitely want to be very even. But you still want to be sure you’re taking advantage of certain matchups that you think that you have. Like you said, each week is a little bit different. But yeah, we need to be more balanced across the board.”
Execution and better play calling. That’s how the Broncos can improve their red-zone offense. They know it. Fans know it. Now it’s time to do it.
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