Broncos scouting report: How Denver matches up against Vikings and predictions

Minnesota Vikings (6-4) at Broncos (4-5)

When: 6:20 p.m. MT, Sunday

Where: Empower Field at Mile High

Radio/TV: 850 AM, 94.1 FM/NBC

Broncos-Vikings series: Denver is 7-8 in 15 regular-season games dating back to 1972; the Broncos lost 27-23 in the last meeting, on Nov. 17, 2019, in Minnesota, but have won three of the last four matchups.

In the spotlight

The Broncos have won three straight. Denver’s rushing attack has been effective, the defense has been solid and Russell Wilson has been one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the league.

Still, head coach Sean Payton doesn’t believe the team has found its sweet spot on offense.

“There are so many things we have to clean up and get better at,” Payton said. “We coach it. It’s the details. There’s so much that goes into it. It starts with building it around what you have and who we have.”

For Payton, discovering a sweet spot is like finding Shangri-La, meaning it doesn’t exist. Football is an imperfect game since there’s always something to improve on. But if the Broncos want to get anywhere close to perfection, it starts with reducing the penalties and self-inflicted mistakes.

This season, the Broncos have committed 64 penalties — tied for eighth-most in the NFL. In the win over the Bills on Monday night, Denver was flagged 10 times for 61 yards. It was the second time the Broncos had 10 penalties in a game.

Denver had five false start penalties, with two coming in the first quarter. The Broncos were also flagged three times for offensive holding. Meanwhile, center Lloyd Cushenberry III had three of the five penalties committed by Denver’s offensive line.

Even though the Broncos won, their self-inflicted woes stalled drives. In the first quarter, Denver faced a third-and-7 from Buffalo’s 25-yard line when right tackle Mike McGlinchey was penalized for a false start. With Denver facing third-and-12, running back Samaje Perine’s 8-yard run was well short of a first down, forcing the Broncos to kick a field goal.

McGlinchey has committed a team-high eight penalties, according to Pro Football Focus.

“This game is hard to play when it’s third-and-15 against good pass rushers,” Wilson said. “That’s our focus…play clean football.”

Payton said Denver’s self-inflicted mistakes are “frustrating.” And sure, there are other things the Broncos need to work on to get better on offense. But going from third-and-5 to third-and-15 can be the difference in the outcome of a game.

And with the Broncos trying to climb into the playoff picture, the margin for error is slim.

Who has the edge?

When Broncos run

Sean Payton thought the Broncos could have run the ball better against the Bills even though they rushed for 122 yards, including 79 yards on 21 carries from Javonte Williams. At some point, Williams is going to surpass 100 yards rushing in a game. It’s just a matter of when. The Vikings have held opponents to under 100 yards rushing in three of the last four games. Edge: Broncos