Just in case you weren’t aware, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
But what you were more likely not aware of was how Denver got to where they are at today—just a day away from stepping onto the field in New Jersey to take on the Seattle Seahawks for the NFL’s championship game.
En route to New Jersey, Denver has taken a long path—a path paved by offense.
And not just a good offense. Not just a great offense. A historic offense.
It all started in their first game of the season, when Manning threw for seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens, and he never looked back.
Denver ended up setting a NFL record for points in a season (603), and Manning’s 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns were the most in league history (sorry Tom Brady).
For the first six weeks of the season, it looked like this team had a chance to go undefeated in the regular season. That was until Andrew Luck and the Colts, happened, beating the Broncos in Week 7 39-33.
Following that game, Manning only threw for under 200 yards in one game, breaking the 350-yard mark in four games following the loss to Indianapolis.
The Broncos were lucky enough to suffer minimum injuries on the offensive side of the ball.
Running back Knowshon Moreno, who has a history of injury, led the team in rushing in all but three games this season.
After a disappointing first few games for Ronnie Hillman, he was sent down to the practice squad, and Moreno filled in as the No. 1 option.
Relying on offense, the Broncos lost just three games all season, one of the losses coming to the New England Patriots in overtime, which turned out to be the best regular season game this season.
Julius Thomas had a breakout year at tight end, picking up 788 receiving yards after only catching one pass previously in his NFL career.
Demaryius Thomas continued to be the top receiving option for Manning, but it’s a pick-your-poison approach with this offense, as Wes Welker (when healthy) and Eric Decker also had strong years, stepping up if Demaryius Thomas was focused on by the opposing defense.
But, it wasn’t all about offense. The road to the Super Bowl for the Broncos is also about overcoming serious injuries on defense.
Elvis Dumervil jumped ship this offseason, signing with the Baltimore Ravens.
Then, Denver lost its best defensive player Von Miller. Miller was suspended for the first six games of the season due to violation of the league’s drug policy. When he was eligible to return, Miller played in nine games, but tore is ACL against the Houston Texans.
They also lost defensive back Chris Harris in the Divisional round for the rest of the season, after Harris recorded three interceptions and 58 total tackles in the regular season.
But the Denver defense has continued to perform admirably in the playoffs, holding San Diego to 17 points in the Divisional round, and New England to 16 points in the AFC Championship game.
Matt Prater could be considered the unsung hero of this squad, breaking the NFL record for the longest made field goal with a 64 yarder in Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans.
Prater missed just one field goal in the regular season, and is 5-for-6 in the postseason.
While the defense is the obvious “weakness” of this Denver team, it’s tough to find one area in which the Broncos have a serious hole, as they showed all season, and straight into the Super Bowl.