Just hours after QB Aaron Rodgers announced he was sticking with the Green Bay Packers or the next several years, it looked like Denver swung and missed on a position they desperately need. Fast-forward a few hours, and Denver connected for a long, long, home run. After over a year of speculation regarding the Seattle Seahawks and QB Russell Wilson, a move was finally made. In a blockbuster deal, the Broncos acquired the all-pro quarterback, making them legit contenders immediately.

Trade Details

Denver Receives:

• QB Russell Wilson

• 4th Round Pick

Seattle Receives:

• QB Drew Lock

• TE Noah Fant

• DL Shelby Harris

• No. 9 Overall Pick (2022)

• 1st Round Pick (2023)

• Two 2nd Round Picks

• 5th Round Pick

Downfall of Seattle

While parody in the NFL is very real, the cream of the crop usually stays at the top for a long time, especially if you have a star quarterback. Seattle had that for a decade, making multiple Super Bowls, including winning one, as well as multiple winning seasons. They were the cream of the crop until they were not. After the 2020 season, there were rumors swirling around trading Wilson, but nothing ever came to fruition. In 2021, Seattle finished with its worst record with Wilson at QB, making it even more possible that they can trade him. Now, with him traded, it is a full fall from grace and is only the beginning. There are reports that WR Tyler Lockett is now being shopped as well and I would not be surprised if his running mate DK Metcalf was on the market too. It is a full tear-down, but it is going to be a while before Seattle gets back to where they were with Wilson. Whether it is the numerous coordinators that went through there, a failed offensive line, or the infamous Jamal Adams trade and contract that set the franchise back, Seattle has made some questionable decisions over the past few years. Now, going into 2022, they will have either a rookie quarterback or Drew Lock, leaving a major question mark at the most important position on the field. They are staring down the barrel of bad football for the next few years, at least.

Denver is Legit Contenders

Now, on a positive note, let us talk about the Denver Broncos. We hear the term “a quarterback away” a lot in the NFL, but it is not always the case. For the Broncos, however, it truly is that simple, because the rest of their roster is loaded with talent. On the defensive side of the ball, led by star S Justin Simmons and young CB Patrick Surtain II, the Broncos have an elite defense that can win you a few games if needed. Over the past few years though, it could not cancel out the mediocre QB play from Lock and veteran Teddy Bridgewater. With Wilson running an already talented skill group, this offense can take off. The WR trio of Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and the underrated Tim Patrick will be good pieces for Wilson to throw too, as well as a rising star at RB in Javonte Williams. Even with TE Noah Fant leaving through the deal, the Broncos are not short on weapons and would not be surprised if they added more through free agency and the draft. This team, which will be led by first-time head coach Nathaniel Hackett, has a chance to win double-digit games and fight for now what is a loaded AFC West.

Loaded AFC West

The underrated part about this move is how loaded the AFC is now at quarterback, specifically the AFC West. The four quarterbacks in that division are Derek Carr (Raiders), Justin Herbert (Chargers), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), and now Russell Wilson (Broncos). With this trade, this is easily the best division in football on paper and there is a chance all four of these teams have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. The Raiders, who made the playoffs last season, are probably going to open the season projected to finish in last place, which is crazy because they have the quarterback and the roster to win 9 to 10 games. Yes, everyone is still trying to catch the Chiefs, and rightfully so. They have been the class of the division for the past several years, including four straight AFC Championship game appearances, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl win in that span. It is going to be a dogfight out west, with every game holding that much more weight now that all four teams have a chance at making the playoffs at worst.

Trade details from cbssports.com

Stats and info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

If you look towards momentum to figure out who you believe is going to win a football game, this game went against everything you had in mind. The Cowboys, who were coming off their sixth straight win in which their backup QB led a game-winning drive on Sunday Night Football, faced off against a team in the Denver Broncos, who just traded one of their all-time great players in Von Miller and seemed to be waving the white flag. Despite this, the Broncos went into Dallas and stomped on the Cowboys, winning by a score of 30-16. Let us dive into how Denver got it done and what went wrong for Dallas.

Game Details

On the winning end, the Broncos played balanced football on offense. QB Teddy Bridgewater was efficient in the victory, going 19/28 with 249 yards and a touchdown. He added a rushing touchdown as well. WR Tim Patrick caught the lone passing touchdown on a 44-yard-deep pass. He finished the day with four catches and 85 yards. WR Jerry Jeudy also chipped in six catches for 69 yards to pace the air raid. On the ground, Denver’s two-headed monster highlighted the offense. HB Javonte Williams had 17 carries for 111 yards, while his running mate Melvin Gordon had 21 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, S Kareem Jackson led the team with nine tackles, while S Caden Sterns had an interception in the victory.

On the short end, QB Dak Prescott went 19/39 with 232 yards, two garbage-time touchdowns, and one interception. Both touchdowns went to WR Malik Turner, who led the Cowboys with five catches in the loss. TE Dalton Schultz led the team with 54 yards, while WR’s Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb had an off day, combining for 4 catches and 59 yards on the day. HB Ezekiel Elliott had a good average but managed just 10 carries for 51 yards due to a knee injury in which he returned, as well as a blowout on the scoreboard. Despite the loss, LB Micah Parsons kept up his strong rookie campaign, leading the Cowboys with 10 total tackles and 2.5 sacks on the day. He is not tied with DE Randy Gregory for the most sacks on the team, each with five.

Broncos Ground Game

As stated before, the Denver Broncos won this game offensively through their run game, which was dominant all day. The Williams-Gordon tandem combined for a whopping 191 yards on the ground, their most all season. With Bridgewater’s limitations, it is apparent that a ground and pound offense is the way to go for the Broncos, especially because you can depend on Bridgewater not to turn the ball over, as he has just five interceptions on the season. Denver has two really good running backs that can control the clock and help make explosive plays. Despite this, Denver ranks in the middle of the pack for rushing yards but may have found a formula for success against a top-tier team in the Cowboys.

Denver “D” Stays Hot

When people criticize the Broncos, it is usually regarding the offense. What gets overshadowed is how well the defense has been playing as a whole this season. Denver came into the day giving up just 17.1 points per game and 325.8 yards per game. Against one of the more loaded offenses in football, the Broncos gave up 16 garbage time points and 290 total yards, including under 100 yards rushing. It is crazy that with a defense playing this well, they are 5-4, but that is the reality at the moment. Denver’s defense should keep them in the playoff mix until the end of the season and may even get them into the playoffs.

Dak Struggles in Return

It has been a couple of weeks since QB Dak Prescott played a football game, his last game coming in Week 7 against the New England Patriots. The Cowboys won the game in walk-off fashion, scoring a touchdown in overtime to seal the victory. Prescott hurt his calf on the play, forcing him to be inactive against the Vikings in Week 8. Prescott struggled mightily in return to action, completing under 50% of his passes and finishing with a passer rating of 73.9. All around it was not a good day for the Cowboy QB, but no need to panic. Dallas is in a good spot and a dud was going to come at some point.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead to Week 10, the Broncos will host the Philadelphia Eagles (3-6) in an effort to sweep the NFC East, which would include three straight wins over the division if they can get it done. As for Dallas, they will host the Atlanta Falcons (4-4), who is coming off a win over the New Orleans Saints.

Stats from profootballreference.com

Schedule form cbssports.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

The saying “all good things must come to an end” was never truer on Monday, the day before the deadline, when Hall of Fame likely LB Von Miller was dealt by the only team he ever knew, the Denver Broncos, to the Los Angeles Rams for draft picks. Let us dive into the true parameters of this deal, what it means to both organizations, and who got the better end of the trade.

Trade Details

Like most Ram trades lately, they will be giving up a couple of draft picks in next year’s draft, which is similar to the Jalen Ramsey and Matthew Stafford trades. QB Jared Goff was the only notable player traded between those two deals, with the rest being draft picks or financial compensation. The Rams will only receiver Miller in the deal, while the Broncos will be getting two second-day draft picks, more specifically a second rounder and a third rounder from Los Angeles. On the financial side of it, the Rams will only have to pay 700K of Miller’s remaining salary. The other $9M will be paid by the Broncos.

Denver Broncos

Before we get to the player part of the deal, let us all acknowledge that the Broncos did very well in this deal. Even though they are 4-4, Denver does not look like a team that is going to be in the playoff mix by the end of the season, so trading Miller, who was probably going to leave in the offseason anyway, makes sense. Paying his salary this year helped the Broncos get two quality draft picks, which can be used as they start to retool their roster with younger talent. On the emotional side of it, it is a bittersweet day for both the Broncos, as well as for Miller. Miller is the franchise leader in sacks with 110.5, while also helping the Broncos win Super Bowl 50. He forced two fumbles and recorded 2.5 sacks on his way to Super Bowl MVP that year. Emotions aside though, the deal needed to be made and was a good one for Denver.

Los Angeles Rams

As the Rams have proved in the past, they are in it to win it and are doing whatever it takes to win the Super Bowl as soon as this year. The Rams went truly all in when they made the blockbuster trade for QB Matthew Stafford, who looks like an MVP candidate right now and has been worth every draft pick they gave up. With this deal, Miller will not be asked to do what Stafford has done but can be a valuable rotational piece with playoff experience. Even though Miller is not the player he once was, he is still dangerous and with guys like Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd around him, he can be even more effective. The Rams window to win the Super Bowl is open and adding Miller has only helped that case.

Who Won the Deal?

Like most deals that include draft picks, it is tough to tell who wins a deal. It is easy to say both sides won the deal, but for now, I would say the Rams won the deal. The Broncos did well with their draft picks and put themselves in a good position to regroup and retool as an organization fast, but the Rams were already Super Bowl contenders and just made those chances even better. Winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate goal, so if they can get that done, they easily win the trade.

Stats from profootballreference.com

Trade details from cbssports.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas