Broncos vs. Bears: 5 matchups that will determine the outcome

Circle these five matchups as the crucial factors in the Broncos' Week 2 tilt vs. the Bears.

Heading into Week 2, the Denver Broncos are preparing to face off against a familiar foe for head coach Vic Fangio, as the Chicago Bears come to Empower Field at Mile High for a Sunday afternoon tilt. As you all know, Fangio was Chicago's defensive coordinator from 2015-18, so there might be a couple of niches opened up in his defensive scheme that could stop what could be an explosive Bears offense — a unit that he got to see up close and personal last year.

As always, we are going to dive into some key matchups that the Broncos need to focus on if they hope to walk away with a victory. This week's game seems like a must-win affair, even though the season is just barely getting started. If the Broncos falter in the five matchups I'll lay out below, starting off with an 0-2 record is a very high possibility.

Broncos OTs vs. Khalil Mack & Leonard Floyd

I know that I am picking the low hanging fruit here, but this matchup is the biggest key to the Broncos even remotely standing a chance on Sunday. Last week, Denver's offensive line allowed constant pressure on Joe Flacco, which made the veteran QB appear worse than he actually was. 

That performance was against Oakland's Clellin Ferrell, Arden Key and Benson Mayowa on the outside. This week, the Broncos' bookend tackles face off against one of the league's premier pass rush duos.

The Broncos are going to line up Elijah Wilkinson at right tackle after losing Ja'Wuan James for multiple weeks with a knee injury. Wilkinson's first test? None other than perennial Pro Bowler and All-Pro Khalil Mack. After Wilkinson's showing in the preseason, this could bring shades of Mack going against former Broncos' tackle Michael Schofield. Nobody needs to be reminded of that debacle.

The Broncos seem confident Wilkinson will be able to step to task, but I'm not confident in the slightest. Wilkinson gave up three sacks on Monday Night Football (though one wasn't his fault as Flacco held the ball for over five seconds) including a pair to Mayowa. The tape hasn't been exactly overwhelming in what we saw over the course of the preseason and in Wilkinson's time in Oakland.

On the other side, Bolles has continued his past technical struggles and faces up against Floyd, a player that will highlight Bolles' biggest weakness; speed off the edge. A lack of punch strength and hand placement leads to excessive holding penalties for Bolles when facing speed rushers.

This matchup could be disastrous for the Broncos' offense. Look for Denver to utilize some bootleg play-action to give Flacco some distance against these aggressive pass rushers. It may be their only chance to get a passing game going, especially with the rest of the Bears' defensive line.

QB Joe Flacco vs. S Eddie Jackson

Speaking of Flacco, I ran into a rather eye-opening statistic from last season regarding his ability to throw the ball downfield. Seemingly one of his biggest strengths due to his immense arm strength, he wasn't nearly as good in 2018 as his past reputation would lead you to believe.

According to Pro Football Focus, Flacco had a passer rating of 52.6 on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield in 2018, which was the second lowest mark in the NFL.

With the bland play calling displayed last week combined with the disastrous performance from the offensive line, Flacco didn't get many chances to take shots downfield. He did have a deep completion to Emmanuel Sanders for 53 yards, but it was one of the few deep attempts he could muster.

Meanwhile, Bears free safety Eddie Jackson has emerged as one of the best deep secondary players at the position, picking off six passes in his All-Pro second season.

Jackson also has a knack for finding the endzone after taking the football away. In his career, Jackson has eight interceptions and four fumble recoveries. He's taken five of those 12 turnovers to the house.

If Flacco does actually get a chance to push the ball down the field, he is going to have to look off Jackson first by using his eyes to create separation away from his intended receiver. Jackson is a true ballhawk at the safety position, and can change the tide of the game with a timely pick-six.

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CB Isaac Yiadom vs. WR Taylor Gabriel

In last week's game against the Raiders, Yiadom was constantly picked on in the passing game in a size and speed matchup with Raiders TE Darren Waller. A large convert from WR to TE, Waller created a ton of separation using his deceptive athleticism for a man of his size. 

Yiadom was beaten several times not only by Waller but also by WR Tyrell Williams, another long and speedy player coming from the outside of the Raiders' offense. Enter Taylor Gabriel, a shifty slot receiver that uses his quickness within his routes to create separation.

There's a staunch contrast in size between Gabriel and the combination of Waller and Williams, but Gabriel brings a true athleticism mismatch that Yiadom simply cannot compete with.

There's not going to be a lot of snaps featuring these two players in a one-on-one situation. However, when they do meet up, Gabriel has a clear advantage. 

Yiadom needs to be physical with Gabriel off of the line of scrimmage to slow down the timing of his route, otherwise it's going to be another long night for the Broncos' secondary.

TE Noah Fant vs. LB Roquan Smith

This is a tricky matchup to evaluate, but seeing the athleticism that both players possess at face value makes for an intriguing battle in the passing game.

Both Fant and Smith have raw and natural speed, with each man hovering close to the 4.5-second mark in the 40-yard dash at their respective Combine workouts. They both have above-average agility for their respective positions.

But what Fant doesn't have is experience at the NFL level, and his performance last week did little to give insight to his full potential in the passing game. The offensive play calling did him no favors, but Fant was mostly a non-factor in the offensive game plan.

Smith, on the other hand, was spectacular as a rookie last season. Don't let his mediocre 67.7 grade from Pro Football Focus fool you, because this is a very talented player for the Bears' defense.

Smith finished 2018 with 121 tackles (89 solo), eight tackles for loss and five sacks to go along with five passes defenses and a timely interception against the Los Angeles Rams high flying offense.

It's a battle of former first-round picks across the middle of the field, and one the Broncos could take some chances down the seams to exploit the intermediate secondary in the passing game.

Broncos' D vs. RB Tarik Cohen 

One of the more explosive players in the NFL, Cohen is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the football. Whether it be in the running game, as a receiver out of the backfield, lined up as a slot wide receiver, or as a punt returner, Cohen is a very dangerous player with the ball in his hands.

Last week against the Raiders, rookie running back Josh Jacobs torched the Broncos defense with over 100 total yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns. While the vast majority of that came via the ground game, Jacobs did show explosiveness against the Broncos defense with a 28-yard reception out of the backfield on a route that the Bears really like to use with Tarik Cohen.

Denver also allowed a 72-yard kickoff return to Dwayne Harris as the special teams continued their struggles in coverage.

Cohen excels in both of the return aspects, with a history of explosive plays from earlier in his career. He hasn't had a chance to receive a kickoff this season, but he had a 90-yard return wiped out in his rookie season, as well as a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown that year as well.

Cohen is an integral part of the Bears' offense and special teams units. He most certainly won't receive the same amount of workload that the Raiders gave to Jacobs, but Cohen will definitely be a large focus for the Bears' offense, particularly in the passing game.

The Broncos need to put a big neon sign over his head every time he steps onto the field, and make sure that somebody keeps an eye on No. 29. 

Follow Lance on Twitter @SandersonMHH and @MileHighHuddle.