1) The Broncos’ offense looks like it has finally gelled with that incredible 2nd-half comeback against the Chargers. Do you think they’ve reached their peak – realistically speaking – or do they still have a notch or two to jump?

With Peyton Manning in charge, I don’t think an offense can ever reach its peak because that peak just keeps rising. The Broncos are far from perfect. Dropped balls and fumbles are still an issue for receivers. The running game needs to be more effective on first down so that the play-action on second and third down can be more effective. Overall, the team is 4th in points per game with a 4th ranked passing attack. The running game is ranked17th in the league so there’s always room for improvement there.

For a guy who hasn’t seen a change in scenery for the past 14 seasons, Manning is adjusting to his new city nicely and his teammates are adjusting nicely to him. I expect even more improvement over the remainder of the season because that’s the expectation that Manning has for his team too.

2) What’s been done to improve the rush defense in Denver which was so soft last season?

First off the team drafted Derek Wolfe with their first draft pick in 2012. Wolfe is a hungry defensive end who has 25 tackles and 3 sacks already. His play has really brought some stability to the line. The Broncos also brought Justin Bannan back to Denver. He brings veteran leadership and solid tackling to the line. Kevin Vickerson is the third piece used to clog the middle. Overall, the defense has benefited from Jack Del Rio’s hard nosed style. It’s been years since Denver has been able to clog the run, so seeing the improvement is exciting and it allows for the Broncos to be more aggressive.

3) If Denver has a weakness, it would seem it’s the running game, averaging only 3.9 yards per carry. With defenses worried about Peyton’s accurate arm, I’d think that would open up the run more. What’s your take on the situation?

Although far behind the passing game, the Broncos run game is stable. They may not be getting big chunks of yards, but they’re making their runs count. The Broncos are 9th in the league with 54 runs that have gone for first downs. Willis McGahee is capable of breaking for huge chunks at any time, and he has. He has multiple 100+ yard rushing performances already this season. As for Manning’s arm opening up the rushing game, that will happen in time. We’ve already seen glimpses of it. Against the Saints in week 8, the team had 225 rushing yards.

4) What scares you the most about the Carolina Panthers – both offensively and defensively – in this matchup?

Offensively, that’s an obvious one. Cam Newton is both a threat in the air and on the ground. The Broncos have two great pass rushers in Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil, but I’m not sure that they can even keep up with his athleticism.

Defensively, I’m concerned about the Broncos ability to protect Manning. The Panthers are getting to the quarterback this season, and the Broncos had starting guard Chris Kuper go down last week with an ankle injury. Manning has been taken down a lot more with Kuper’s replacement, Manny Ramirez, in the lineup.

5) How much longer do you think Peyton will play before he retires? He doesn’t exactly strike me as the Brett Favre type.

I don’t know if Manning will retire without winning at least one more ring. If that doesn’t happen, I don’t think he’ll play past the age of 40.

Denver at Carolina – The Broncos are firing on all cylinders now that the offense has had the time and repetitions to adjust to Peyton Manning’s coach-on-the-field antics and it’s paying off. After having been down by 24 points to the San Diego Chargers 2 weeks ago, they stormed back with 35 unanswered points. The key to stopping this would seem to play into what SHOULD be Carolina’s strength – the running game. However, as we’ve seen, the Panthers’ running game has been inconsistent this season at best. They need to run the ball and keep it away from Peyton as much as possible and that’s no secret, either. Teams have wanted to do that since he entered the league in 1998, and Denver was soft in the middle against the run last season.

Statistic that matter: Since the Broncos often play with a lead and teams are forced to throw to play catch-up OR teams try to run early to keep the game close or try to keep Manning off the field, raw rushing defense doesn’t matter. What DOES matter is yards per attempt given up. There, the Broncos are tied for 5th in the NFL (with San Diego of all teams) at a miserly 3.7 yards/attempt. That does not bode well for the Panthers’ offense – 10th in the NFL with 4.4 yards/attempt.

Carolina will HAVE to have an effective passing game in order to win this one. Let’s have a look at how they stack up against Denver’s pass defense.

Since the Broncos are 4th in passing – which should be of no surprise – we know they’ll get their yards there. But what about Carolina?

The Panthers are 18th overall in passing, which is a decline from 13th overall last season, but it’s not all that much different. This year they’re not having explosive scoring pass plays…ask Armanti Edwards about that one. They’ve actually improved from last year statistically from 7.9 yards/attempt to 8.2, equaling Denver’s mark there exactly.

Sep 16, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas (23) with the ball as Carolina Panthers defensive end Frank Alexander (90) and cornerback Josh Norman (24) and outside linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) defend. The Panthers defeated the Saints 35-27 at Bank of America Stadium . Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

In 2012, Denver is 10th overall in pass defense, allowing 221 ypg. Look out, though…they’re 6th in the NFL allowing only 6.5 yards/attempt (just behind Chicago with 6.3). Carolina is right in the middle allowing 7.1 per attempt.

Well, what about sacks? Denver has the deadly Dumervil/Miller combo off the edges while Carolina has been getting good pressure the last few weeks with only their defensive line. Von Miller is an OLB in Denver’s 3-4.

Denver and Carolina are tied for 7th best in the NFL – along with the Minnesota Vikings – with 24 sacks. Denver’s dynamic duo may get the press, and Jared Allen in Minnesota, but Carolina’s sacks come from a number of different people.

The problem is that Manning only has been sacked 10 times in 8 games with 22 hits. Carolina? 17 sacks with 39 hits, but some of those are due to Cam’s running ability. He’s also a much bigger, stronger, and younger man than Manning and can take some punishment. It still doesn’t bode well for the Carolina pass rush killing a drive on a sack.

The statistics suggest Manning will be pressured at times, but that the Panthers’ defense will find it challenging to bring him down before he gets rid of the ball while Newton will see pressure off the edges. The only possible advantage might be that the Panthers’ pass rush comes from different players.

Charles Johnson leads the team with 7.5 sacks, followed closely by Greg Hardy with 6.5. Both are ends, which one would expect sacks from. Also coming on strong is rookie Frank Alexander with 2.5 sacks as a reserve. Dwan Edwards is the wild card here with 5 sacks and on pace for having double digits by year’s end.

Look for him to be the key performer in the contest. If he can help collapse the pocket or be in Manning’s face – whether or not he actually sacks him – that has the advantage of allowing Manning to SEE the pressure coming and force him to throw it early or otherwise get rid of the ball quicker than he had wanted. That’s the type of thing that forces interceptions – something Peyton isn’t unheard of having. I recall one game recently where he had interceptions on consecutive throws.

That’s what should make the difference in the game. Denver’s team is overall more balanced all around and probably has better coaching, which is of particular pain since John Fox was fired from Carolina after the 2010 season.

Prediction:

Denver 27, Carolina 19