Schlereth: Stuff Cards run attack, pick up blitz key for Broncos win
Oct 18, 2018, 10:38 AM
The Denver Broncos take on the Arizona Cardinals on the road in prime time Thursday night looking for a victory in perhaps the biggest game of head coach Vance Joseph’s career.
And to come away with that win, “Schlereth and Evans” co-host Mark Schlereth laid out two keys on Thursday for an orange and blue celebration:
Stopping the Cardinals rushing attack
The Broncos rushing defense the past two games has been, to put it politely, less than stellar.
In back-to-back weeks, Jets running back Isaiah Crowell and the Rams running back Todd Gurley gashed Denver for 200-plus yards on the ground. It’s the first time a team has given up 200-yard rushers in consecutive games in NFL history.
On Thursday, the Broncos take on a very capable running back in David Johnson, who at 49.5 yards per game in 2018 seems due for a big game.
“You have got to shut down David Johnson and this running game,” Schlereth said. “This offensive line of the Cardinals is not very good. Their tight ends are not blocking tight ends. They have an issue there.
“If you let David Johnson go off, it’s going to open up the play-action for that young quarterback.”
Schlereth said if you shut down the run, you put pressure on rookie quarterback Josh Rosen and create turnovers.
Broncos picking up the blitz
According to Schlereth, the Cardinals blitz on first, second, and third down about 50 percent of the time.
So, in order to keep Case Keenum upright and away from making costly turnovers, Denver needs to be stout in its blitz pickup, says Schlereth.
“If you do not pick up your blitz pickups, if you do not get those things picked up, you’re going to put pressure on the quarterback,” Schlereth said. “And we know one thing this year that’s different than last year. This year, Case Keenum will turn the football over. So, blitz pickup becomes paramount.”
Schlereth said rookie running backs Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay need to be “great in the blitz pickup game.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
