Denver Broncos End of Season Report
Record: 12-4 (1st in AFC West), #4 seed
Offensive rank: 16th (pending Week 17 results)
Defensive rank: 7th (pending Week 17 results)
Passing:
QB Brock Osweiler: 120/188 (63%), 2,112 yards, 20TDs, 6 INT.
Osweiler finally had the breakout year I've been hoping for since I handed him the job in season one. He's not going to win any passing titles, but in my mind this was still an MVP-caliber season from the young QB. His stats were up across the board, and he was by far the most judicious QB in the league, with fewer than half the picks of the next closest starter in the league.
...hopefully Madden doesn't regress him again for no reason this offseason.
Rushing:
HB Darren McFadden: 215 carries for 1,762 yards (8.2ypc), 13 TDs, 3 fumbles
HB Willis McGahee: 113 carries for 342 yards (3.0ypc), 5TDs, 0 fumbles
With Willis McGahee showing almost none of the versatility that he showed last season, McFadden was asked to shoulder much more of the load and thankfully was able to do so. His numbers were up across the board, the only thing keeping him from a 2,000 yard season (and probably the Pro Bowl) being rest towards the end of the year and the number of carries he yielded to McGahee. Best thing I can say for Willis... at least he didn't fumble for the second straight season. Still, a disappointing campaign for him after last year.
Receiving:
WR Demaryius Thomas: 43 catches for 902 yards, 8 TDs
WR Vincent Jackson: 27 catches for 544 yards, 5 TDs
TE Julius Thomas: 21 catches for 447 yards, 5 TDs
WR Eric Decker: 22 catches for 332 yards, 3 TDs
HB Darrn McFadden: 13 catches for 124 yards, 1 TD
Another season, another balanced passing game for the Broncos. These guys are never going to put up Pro Bowl numbers with the run-first nature of the Broncos offense, but all continued to do the job when called upon. Demaryius Thomas pulled away from the pack a bit more this season, but I'm still confident that all these guys can catch the ball when it counts.
Defensive Leaders:
Tackles: LOLB Von Miller, 65
Sacks: LOLB Von Miller, 16
Interceptions: CB Joe Haden, 5 (just nabbed his season goal in week 17), MLB Joe Mays, 5
Forced Fumbles: LOLB Von Miller, 7
It was very much the Von Miller show on defense this year, as the 4th year man turned in by far his best season to date. A lot of that has to do with rookie phenom DE Jaron Archer, who had 11 sacks and was also a terror in the running game. Given how much I traded to move up and pick him, I'm very glad he worked out so well. This is still a defense which doesn't rely on the turnover to thrive, though truth be told I wouldn't mind a few more.
Kicking:
Matt Prater 22/23, Long of 59
The Broncos close the book on their return to supremacy in the AFC West and look forward to hosting the Ravens in the Wild Card Round.