KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Denver Broncos are a running team.
They’re not going to turn Peyton Manning into a game manager like Alex Smith or anything, and there might be a day or two left this season when the temperature is above freezing and Manning throws for 400 yards, but after a small slump the Broncos understand who they are. And that’s as a team that can win by relying heavily on running back C.J. Anderson, which the Broncos did again in a 29-16 win at Kansas City.
You probably didn’t know Anderson a month ago, unless you’re a Cal football fan. He was sitting on your fantasy football waiver wire without anyone dreaming of picking him up. Last week he rushed for 167 yards against the Dolphins. On Sunday he rushed for 168 yards against the Chiefs. He’s the first Broncos back in nine years to have back-to-back games of at least 150 yards. He had never had more than five carries in a game before November.
“C.J. was just a workhorse tonight,” Manning said. “C.J. was really special.”
That workload was by design. Manning, often labeled as someone only worried about his own stats, said the Broncos wanted to establish the run. It was 18 degrees at kickoff. The Chiefs’ crowd was loud, at least at the beginning. So the Broncos got the ball to Anderson 11 times in their first 17 plays. The 17th play, a 15-yard touchdown catch by Anderson, put the Broncos ahead 14-0. The Chiefs never threatened after that.
The Broncos had to learn the hard way that they couldn't be an elite team with a one-dimensional offense. In a really disappointing loss to the Rams two weeks ago, the Broncos threw 54 times. Anderson had nine carries. The offense scored seven points.
Manning is great, but Manning on every play isn’t the Broncos’ best answer.
“I think it was a wake-up call,” Broncos coach John Fox said about the lack of balance in that game.
Anderson joked after Sunday’s game that he’d feel all 32 carries on Monday. The good news for the Broncos is that he’s feeling good. Before the Broncos kicked off against the Oakland on Nov. 9, Anderson had 24 carries in his two NFL seasons. He was your typical undrafted third running back, around in case anything happened. Then Montee Ball hurt his groin (twice) and Ronnie Hillman injured his foot. Against the Raiders, Anderson turned a short flare pass into a 51-yard score, making multiple defenders miss. Fox admitted that play opened some eyes. A light bulb came on. Anderson eventually became a go-to option in the offense.
A few weeks later, and Anderson might be the Broncos’ MVP. Not literally – it’s obviously Manning and the way he runs the offense – but in terms of giving the Broncos the balance that turns them back into a championship contender, he has been an enormous difference. The Broncos had lost two of three games and were in danger of losing to Miami last week before Anderson took over. With a new-look offense, the Broncos again look elite. And Anderson said he can continue this workload for as long as it's needed.
"I feel fresh," Anderson said. "I didn’t play seven, eight, nine weeks. I’m kind of like a pinch hitter."
Anderson was a virtual unknown a month ago. On Sunday night he was starring for the Broncos and getting interviewed by NBC afterward and getting the “Sunday Night Football” game ball.
“That was amazing,” Anderson admitted.
He said his life has been pretty normal despite the recent surge in production and attention, although that’s hard to totally believe. But he’s not worried about anything but continuing to churn out yards, because that’s how he’ll keep hold of this opportunity.
“I feel like (offensive coordinator Adam) Gase challenged me, he said I’m going to call this run and if you can give me 4, I’m going to call it again,” Anderson said. “So I felt like if I can give him 4 – if I can give him 8 – then keep calling them.”
Like any city that won a championship once and hasn’t in a while, there are comparisons to the old title teams, and the parallel in Denver is hard to miss. John Elway was a 37-year-old quarterback in 1997. When the Broncos built their identity around running back Terrell Davis, they won a Super Bowl. And then another one. Those two seasons, Elway threw for less than 200 yards in four of their seven playoff wins. Davis had 100 yards in each of them.
Now Elway is the general manager of the Broncos, and he’s hoping 38-year-old Manning can get another Super Bowl championship at the end of his great career. Anderson isn’t Davis just because he has had two big games, and this Broncos offense is never going to entirely be handed over to the running game as long as Manning is around. But if nothing else, the Broncos know this young running back who was an unknown a month ago can give them a different way to win, especially in the playoffs.
“At the end of the day this game is only fun when you win,” Fox said, when asked if Manning is fine with the new run-heavy approach. “No matter how you do it.”
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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