The Lead
The Broncos made bolstering their offensive line a priority over the offseason, and their investment has paid dividends in the first half of the season.
The quintet of left tackle Garett Bolles, guard Ben Powers, center Lloyd Cushenberry III, guard Quinn Meinerz and right tackle Mike McGlinchey has been a strength for the Denver offense and a key reason behind the Broncos' ascendant run game.
After Tuesday's practice, Meinerz said the amount of game time that the five players have shared together this season has been a key reason behind their synergy as a unit.
"It's a tremendous help to have as many snaps as we've had together," Meinerz said. "There's nothing that can replace those game-day reps together. It goes into the work that we've all put in to keep our bodies healthy. It goes all the way back to the spring when we were working out here — all of us were here together — and we have just done a great job staying healthy, and that's really important."
Meinerz also stressed the importance of unity in establishing the run game, which has taken massive strides in recent games. The Broncos have outgained their opponents on the ground in their past three games, culminating in a 153-yard performance on the ground in Denver's 24-9 win over the Chiefs.
"Throughout the weeks leading up to the game, you could see a ramp up of the run game," Meinerz said. "That's just all of us working together. … It takes all 11 to have successful runs. It's been a lot of fun to have more runs called."
Along with the run game, Meinerz said cohesiveness in identifying the stunts of opposing defensive lines has helped the Broncos with their communication and preventing negative plays.
"The first thing when it comes to communicating with the stunts and stuff, it all starts with our eyes," Meinerz said. "It's about putting our eyes in the right position, so that way we can actually see what is going to happen. … As long as all five of our [linemen's] eyes are in the same place, it makes it a lot easier in the physical element to be able to communicate the twists and those kinds of things."
The Broncos' offensive line will face a difficult test in the Buffalo Bills' defense on "Monday Night Football." The Bills are tied for fourth in the league with 29 sacks and are in the top five for points allowed per game.
Still, Meinerz has been encouraged by the Broncos' ability to play complete team football, and he said that type of consistency can lead to wins in the second half of the season.
"I'm really looking forward to ... going through these next couple weeks and ... growing as a team," Meinerz said. "I think we're having more and more games of playing complete football together with offense and defense and special teams. That's really what it takes to win in this league."
