Denver Broncos Beat Down of Browns Inaugurates the New Winning Formula

Granted the Denver Broncos did beat the Cincinnati Bengals a week prior to their recent home game against the Cleveland Browns. 

Undoubtedly some key elements that were missing in Cincy suddenly found their way to Invesco Field at Mile High for the Broncos and their fans on Sunday.

While it’s still very early to say if the Broncos 2-0 start is going to propel them on to bigger and better things, it is encouraging nonetheless. With the offseason drama behind, this team needs solid footing to move forward and so far they are gaining traction.

It’s okay if you start shaking your head or wind up pinching yourself, just don’t jump off a cliff. The Broncos are in the top ten on offense and defense after two games on this young season.

Don’t discount the Broncos first game against the Cincinnati Bengals either despite the miracle finish. The orange and black tigers went into Green Bay and promptly feasted on the Packers; not exactly an easy task. 

Moreover the Bengals are probably better than most people think; this week they play division rival and Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh so keep that game on the radar.

 

Offense Ranking

Currently on offense the Denver Broncos rank eighth overall in the NFL. 

Now think about that for a minute.

Number eight after an afternoon in Cincinnati where the offense did not reach the red zone until Brandon Stokley’s miracle catch and run. No. 8 averaging 19.5 points a game.

That’s a full 2.5 points better than the New England Patriots, one win better, and one spot higher on the league stat leaders. Keep in mind the Broncos host New England in three weekends after going to Oakland and then hosting the Dallas Cowboys. 

Sure for the Broncos to be in the top ten after two games is a bit premature to venture, precariously enough it comes with interesting angles and takes as well.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank fourth in total offense. They fired their offensive coordinator just prior to the start of the season, and they are 0-2 in the most important stat of wins and losses. 

Dallas is No. 2 on offense and they lost at home on Sunday Night Football to the Giants as they opened their billion dollar plus new stadium. The San Diego Chargers are 1-1 after falling to the Baltimore Ravens at home. 

The Tennessee Titans lost to the Houston Texans and are 1-1 as the number seven team. The Broncos are eight, the 1-1 Patriots nine, and the 1-1 Philadelphia Eagles were decimated by the number one offensive team New Orleans.

So what’s the point exactly?

Currently the Denver Broncos have to be happy at being 2-0 and being able to average 375.5 yards on offense given all their challenges to get to where they currently are at. Consider only four teams are averaging over four hundred yards per game, and the Broncos aren’t that far off the pace.

Wins are wins, and they seem to cover over a number of ills.

The Broncos face the Oakland Raiders next and their 29th

rated offense.  The Raiders are averaging 16.5 points per game, a full three behind Denver.  Statistically speaking while prognosticating at a glimpse, this makes the game between the Raiders and the Broncos a toss-up.

 

Defense! Defense! Defense!

A large part of why Mike Shanahan was eventually let go had nothing to do with the offensive side of the ball. It really had to do with the apathetic attitude on defense and the lackluster special teams. 

Give credit where credit is due. Josh McDaniels and staff pulled the right strings in getting their defensive coaching staff together. In taking a bit of a gamble by moving to a 3-4 defense, the Broncos tried to better facilitate their lack of size and superior speed on the defensive side of the ball. 

So far it’s paying off big dividends as the defense is allowing only 6.5 points through two games. The score is the most important stat, and to protect leads is what this defense appears primed and ready to do.

Surprisingly enough, the Broncos are ranked third in the league in sacks with seven.  Elvis Dumervil has led the way with four against the Cleveland Browns.  This is a plus since the Broncos traditionally are not among league leaders in the sack department.

Against the rush the Broncos are currently ranked 10th in the league allowing 140 yards per game. Certainly there is room for improvement here; however to already be in the top ten in this statistic is a positive to build upon considering the fallout and implosion along the defensive line last season.

In playing the pass game, the Broncos again rank tenth in the league allowing 183.5 yards per game. Good enough to be ranked number ten on defense again. Considering this is a whole new defensive backfield with some live talent that is gelling week to week, look for this group to get better over time.

Possibly the most telling stat aside from the score is turnovers and the Broncos are winning the turnover battle by intercepting three passes and recovering two fumbles.  This is good enough for a +4 on the young season in the turnover department.

 

The Current Outlook

The formula for winning is simple and the implementation is catching up on the field.

Don’t be deceived. The Broncos still have a very long way to go, however they need to be a top ten team on both sides of the ball to give themselves a chance. So far they have done that. 

They need to score while keeping the other teams off the board. The defense has carried the team into being able to say they are undefeated at 2-0, but it’s still all about team. 

Offensively, the Broncos are using surgical strikes to beat their opponents into submission by spreading the ball around. On the cordial side, they have left the door wide-open for Brandon Marshall to step in and fill the void, but they are sending the message that this is all about having a real team. 

On the special teams side, Matt Prater showed he still has maturing to do as a kicker by letting the wind send two of his kicks wide against Cleveland, he is 4-6 on the year while still ranking sixth in the league with seven other teams.

The outlook is getting brighter, the next few games should tell us what this Broncos team is really made of, so stay tuned.

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Early Thoughts on The Broncos-Raiders Week Three Matchup

Well, it is a good thing the Oakland Raiders have one of the NFL’s best punters, because they might be using him a lot on Sunday.

When the first place Denver Broncos (2-0) head to Oakland to take on the Raiders (1-1), they will do so boasting the NFL’s number one defense after allowing a combined 13 points in their first two games against Cincinnati and Cleveland.

The Raiders played well against reigning division champion San Diego on Monday night in week one, but were unable to stop Darren Sproles really at all, and lost a heartbreaker.  In week two, they scratched out a win against lowly Kansas City on the road with a late touchdown by Darren McFadden.

This matchup with the Raiders, aside from being one that is on the road, is very favorable for the Denver Broncos.

Oakland is not a good passing team, and quite honestly, they are just not a good offensive team, ranking 24th in scoring and 29th in total offense.  Denver’s number one defense was tested by Carson Palmer, dominated Brady Quinn, and they should have no troubles keeping JaMarcus Russell in a bottle.

Denver’s biggest asset heading into this week three matchup is their run defense, which has absolutely mystified opposing offenses.  They held Cleveland to only 56 rushing yards last week, and Cincinnati was only able to net 76 yards from Cedric Benson.

While the Broncos’ defensive strength is stopping the run, Oakland’s biggest offensive threat is running the ball with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

McFadden has been, to me, their most impressive running threat this season.  He is fast, a good receiver, and he showed me against San Diego that he can lower his shoulder into a defender and pick up extra yards.

Bush is a powerful back inside the tackles who is deceptively fast in the open field.  He does not have a great burst off the line of scrimmage, but if he can get to the second and third levels, he is hard to bring down.

Oakland’s best offensive weapon is Zach Miller, their third year tight end.  Miller always seems to find a way into the open field, and has some of the most sure hands in the NFL.  He is a rising star in this league, and the Broncos will have the chore of defending him this week.

Defensively, Oakland has a much improved defensive line, a rising star at linebacker in Thomas Howard, and one of the NFL’s best cover cornerbacks in Nnamdi Asomugha.

Along the line, the Raiders added defensive ends Richard Seymour (New England) and Greg Ellis (Dallas) to improve their dreadful pass rush, and so far, they have done a serviceable job.

Oakland’s linebackers and secondary are very fast, and also very young.

So how does Denver get to the winner’s circle when they travel to Oakland on Sunday?  Here are some of my early thoughts as to how Denver can win this game:

 

1.  Continue to Stuff the Run

Denver’s run defense has been phenomenal this season, and it started with San Francisco in week one of the preseason.  The Broncos added Ronald Fields, Vonnie Holliday, Ryan McBean, Chris Baker, and Le Kevin Smith to beef up their front line this offseason, and so far, they have done a fantastic job.

Brian Dawkins and Andra Davis have also been critical in Denver’s improved run defense, which ranked among the league’s worst in 2008.  In fact, Dawkins and Davis have respectively led the Broncos in tackles in consecutive weeks.  Dawkins had 11 stops in week one, and Davis led the Broncos with 10 in week two.

It is going to be crucial for the Broncos to give McFadden and Bush fits so as to force JaMarcus Russell to beat them on Sunday.

 

2.  Keep the Pass Rush Strong

The Broncos have seven sacks in two games, four from converted defensive end Elvis Dumervil who is now lining up at outside linebacker. 

Seven sacks may not seem like a lot to a Steelers or Ravens fan, but for the Broncos, it is a huge step in the right direction for a team that has had absolutely no semblance of a pass rush since the Orange Crush days.

The Raiders have allowed only three sacks this season, but they will be missing their best offensive lineman, Robert Gallery for the next four to six weeks.  For the most part, they were able to shut down the Chargers’ pass rush, and the Chiefs didn’t have much luck either.

The Broncos will be the Raiders’ third divisional opponent to give the Raiders’ offensive line a test this season already.

Dumervil and company need to keep the heat on JaMarcus Russell, who is a very difficult quarterback to bring down due to his massive size.

 

3.  Keep Improving Offensively

The Broncos were dreadful against Cincinnati week one on offense.  They only had 10 first downs, and if not for the 87 yard play by Brandon Stokley would have undoubtedly finished week one with the league’s lowest offensive yardage total.

In week two, Denver was not as hot to start the game offensively, but as the game progressed, so did Kyle Orton and the Bronco offense.

They were able to score 27 points against the Browns while racking up 449 yards of total offense including nearly 190 rushing yards.

Oakland’s defense has been stingy in terms of allowing opponents to score, ranking ninth in that particular category, but they have not been shy at all about giving up yards.

In fact, the Raiders have allowed opponents a total of 44 first downs and as a result are ranked 23rd in total defense.

The Broncos’ offensive line is among the best in the NFL, and when the skill players come around, this unit could be dangerous.  Kyle Orton is not staggering, by any means, but he has yet to make any mistakes, and the running game for the Broncos is finally getting healthy.

Oddly enough, Brandon Stokley and Jabar Gaffney lead this team in receiving in the first two games, which is scary for opposing defenses in a sense that Brandon Marshall has yet to fully come around, and Eddie Royal is receiving double teams more often than LeBron James.

If and when Marshall gets fully acclimated and comfortable in this offense, he will take pressure off of Royal, and this passing game just became even scarier.

Kyle Orton said on Monday that if he and his receivers could be on the same page mentally on every play, and if everybody did their job, this offense would “put up a lot of points.”

 

Keep the Turnover Margin in Your Favor

The Broncos are +4 in the turnover margin for the first two games, so it is no coincidence that they are also 2-0.

Oakland is +1 in the turnover margin, and all three of their interceptions have come from one source:  former first round safety Michael Huff.

JaMarcus Russell has thrown two picks, and has been erratic with his throws.  Over the first two games, his completion percentage is the worst in the NFL at 35.2 percent, and his overall rating is an abysmal 46.6.

I will not say it is going to be easy, but if the Broncos are going to have a field day against any quarterback, it is undoubtedly going to be against the most inaccurate one in the league, or basic logic would indicate so anyway.

While Kyle Orton’s completion percentage of just over 55 is not staggering, he has the 11th best quarterback rating in the NFL at 90.9 and also the 11th most passing yards at 506.

This is going to be a big game for the Broncos.  Many Denver fans felt it absolutely necessary if not mandatory to start the season 3-0 before entering an eight game stretch against seven playoff teams, and they have set themselves up to do just that.

This is a very “winable” game against the Raiders, despite the fact that it is on the road in a relatively hostile environment.

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Dumervil Puts “D” Back in Denver

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Broncos Stand 2-0 after Defense-Led Home-Opening Win over Browns

After a 2008 season that started as an inferno, and ended colder than an Antarctic winter, Broncos fans have learned that guarded optimism is a way of life in the post-Mike Shanahan/Jay Cutler era.

Yet after a fairly impressive 27-6 win over Cleveland, there are some reasons to believe the 2009 Broncos may not be the debacle many expected this team to be.

The offense was pretty efficient, amassing almost 450 total yards. Kyle Orton wasn’t good (no surprise: 19-of-37), but was not intercepted and was involved enough to even out a good ground attack.

Knowshon Moreno carried 17 times for 75 yards, and Correll Buckhalter added 76 yards including a 45-yard TD scamper midway through the fourth quarter to seal the game.

Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Stokley turned out to the be the big receiving targets, while last year’s No. 1 and No. 2 receivers, Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, combined for just six catches and 54 yards.

The offensive efficiency, and the defense’s outstanding effort, helped cover up the fact that kicker Matt Prater again was abominable, missing a pair of field goals from inside 40 yards while the game was still close.

The real story of the day was Denver’s defense. Yes. You read that correctly. The revamped squad, under the 3-4 scheme, seems to have turned the corner.

Of course, after last season, anything outside of falling off a cliff with lead boots, would have been an improvement, but there are signs that the Denver defense could be at the very least, respectable, if not more.

With Andra Davis (10 tackles vs. Cleveland) and converted lineman Elvis Dumervil (4 sacks, all in the 2nd half) providing a formidable linebacker tandem, along with Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey holding watch over the opposing passing game, there could be a quality defense in the making.

The jury is still out though, on what this squad can do against a high-quality offensive team. Neither the Bengals nor Browns are reminiscent of a 400-point offense, to put it mildly. Last year, however, even 200-point offenses found ways to put up points with regularity against the Broncos, so some optimism is warranted.

With a trip to Oakland coming this weekend, the possibility of a 3-0 start for Denver is not unreasonable. The schedule gets much, much harder thereafter (consecutive games against: Dallas, New England, San Diego, Baltimore, & Pittsburgh).

The Broncos will need that 3-0 start, and at least 2-3 wins in that following five-game span, to prove to naysayers that this is a different kind of Denver team than the 2008 disaster was.

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Smile High: The Wonderful Weekend That Was for Colorado Sports

Sometimes the planets align, or an eclipse happens, or a beautiful comet streaks by and we get a quick look see. This weekend was like that for Colorado sports fans, as many of their teams took the field and won.

 

Colorado Rockies win two, widen wild card lead

This weekend, the Rockies played the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado clobbered Arizona in Phoenix. During Saturday’s contest, the Rockies got a solid pitching performance from Jason Hammel (9-8) as he went seven innings with three runs given up off of four hits while punching out five.

But the performer of the game was Jason Giambi, as he hit his first home run with the Rockies during a five-run ninth inning that put Colorado up 10-4.

Following the game Manager Jim Tracy said, “With the way things have been going offensively, as frequently as it has of late, you ask yourself the question, ‘Is this going to come back to haunt us?’ Tonight, we followed it up with a terrific ninth inning and did put it away.”

Sunday, the game was much dependent upon the pitching side of the game, as Ubaldo Jimenez whiffed eight batters over seven innings and only gave up one run. Jimenez was his usual hittable self early on, but domineering as he got into the flow of the game.

“That’s what I’ve learned about me; probably in the first two innings, I’m never as sharp as the game gets going,” said Jimenez. But as he got into the heat of a game with playoff implications on the line, Ubaldo sat down an amazing 12 straight batters at one point in the game.

With the wins coupled with a San Francisco loss Sunday, the Rockies lock on the wild card lead is about as solid as the Rocky Mountains themselves at four-and-a-half games over the Giants.

 

Broncos improve to 2-and-Ohio by beating the Browns

After McJaygate, Brandon Marshall’s tirade, and the team being basically overhauled, many Broncos fans were wary to say the least about how the team would fare this season. Well, things have begun well, as Denver’s NFL team is undefeated through two weeks.

In all, the offense looked improved over the first week, but not exactly proficient. Given that, the Broncos gained almost 450 yards on offense, and Kyle Orton played relatively well with 263 yards and threw a touchdown as well.

The Broncos pulled out the win 27-6 and looked solid if not somewhat impressive.

Following the game, Josh McDaniels said, “I think we have had confidence since really we started training camp. I think when you win on the road in this league it is tough, and that certainly can help your confidence level.

“We are not an overconfident football team, and we know we have got a long way to go and a lot of improvements to make.”

 

Colorado State Rams improve to 3-0, Air Force wins and is 2-1, and even CU got a victory

The Colorado State Rams (3-0) won in impressive fashion over the Nevada Wolf Pack (0-2) 35-20 in their second home game of 2009. They reached 3-0 for the first time since 1994 and have received votes in each national poll for the third straight week now.

Against Nevada, CSU moved the ball effectively up and down the field while creating turnovers as well, as they started up 14-0 and led 20-6 at one point.

Next up for the Rams is a tough in-conference opponent in No. 19 BYU in Provo, Utah, on Saturday.

The Air Force Falcons (2-1) won 37-13 versus New Mexico Lobos (0-3) in Colorado Springs on Saturday behind four forced turnovers. Air Force was up as much as 17-0 before New Mexico scored its first offensive touchdown of the season, one that broke a 15 quarter drought.

And finally, even the lowly CU Buffs (1-2) got a victory 24-0 over the Wyoming Cowboys (1-2) this weekend.

CU had been demoralized in their first two games of the season, and this win was much needed for them to at least gain some confidence coming into their Big 12 schedule.

The Buffaloes won behind a strong 127 running yards and two touchdowns behind Rodney Stewart. The Colorado defense only allowed Wyoming three first downs on the day.

 

So, as this wild and wonderful weekend comes to a close, there is nothing like the feeling you get when all your teams have won.

It’s like the planets all aligned for Colorado sports for the past few days, let’s all hope this great play lasts longer than a cosmic anomaly the teams can continue their winning ways.

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Broncos-Browns: Denver Goes 2-0 in Commanding Victory over Cleveland

The Denver Broncos had their home opener Sunday, as they drew the Cleveland Browns in the second contest in a row against an Ohio football team, defeating them 27-6.

Mike Nolan’s 3-4 defense seems to be adapting quite well as they all but shut down the Bengals’ potent offense in Week One and much was the same Sunday as Denver basically shut down Cleveland’s offense as well.

But the Browns’ offense is more dilapidated than domineering, as they have been ranked 32nd in the NFL in almost every important offensive category since November of 2008.

The Broncos defense was stellar, but it could just be a house of cards built upon sorry opposition. Sure, Denver only allowed 200 total yards of offense by the Browns (after allowing only 307 to the Bengals), but that was behind an old and fat Jamal Lewis (38 yards) and holding a young and inexperienced Brady Quinn to a paltry 161 yards, picking him off once.

Easily the star of the defense was Elvis Dumervil. The converted lineman to linebacker had a career-high four sacks versus Cleveland and seems to be enjoying it so far.

“Yeah, I guess I’m a linebacker now,” he said. “It’s fun, though. I get to play linebacker and I still get to do what I love—rush the passer. I’ve found my niche. It makes me a complete player.”

The fact of the matter remains that the ’09 Broncos defense is like the new Cowboys’ stadium fire escapes—untested. What will the Broncos do against some of the better offenses in New England, Pittsburgh, or Philly? What is encouraging though is that Denver’s D is ranked fourth in yards per game and second overall in points given up per game as they have only allowed one touchdown.

The offense on the other hand, was anemic at best in Week One, but rather fruitful on Sunday at home. The ground game was good as Correll Buckhalter had 76 yards on nine carries, the biggest an explosive 45-yard touchdown romp in the third quarter.

Josh McDaniels’ play-calling was dynamic with 449 total yards, including 263 passing by Kyle Orton. Denver also racked up 25 first downs compared to Cleveland’s 11, and went 8-15 on third downs. The young coach couldn’t really be happier, but you couldn’t tell from some post-game quotes.

“I think that our guys understand that there are a lot of things that we want to fix and a lot of things we want to improve on, which, I think, is really where most teams in the league are right now. You are never at your peak after Week One. Our players saw that on the film on Monday, and we have got to get better.”

And including his great play-calling, the young coach has a deep desire to improve on a week-to-week basis, which is very promising indeed. The Broncos are (shh!) rebuilding, the word with a million negative connotations in sports. The best ideology to have with a team in the situation is to attempt to cultivate a team-first mentality, and to progress in any and all areas possible.

Really though, in the big picture of things, the Broncos are 2-0 now after winning 27-6 over Cleveland. Also, Denver is leading the AFC West heading into Oakland.

The Raiders have looked surprisingly decent so far in 2009, taking the Chargers down to the wire, and winning a grind-it-out battle against the Chiefs today. So, any writers that predicted Denver would easily sweep the Raiders this year would find himself terribly mistaken.

Well, I know there is a reason this is a rivalry, both teams play each other as hard as possible no matter what the records of either team are. The point is, the Broncos find a difficult opponent in Oakland next week and are likely already preparing for them. Denver plays the Raiders on Sunday the 27th at 2:15 p.m. MDT.

 

Notes

Broncos great Shannon Sharpe was inducted into the Ring of Fame at Invesco Field at Mile High during halftime of today’s game, that was after he parachuted in before kickoff. He is currently a finalist for becoming an NFL Hall-of-Famer with his own bronze bust in Canton, Ohio in 2010…McDaniels beat Eric Mangini today, another Bill Belichick disciple…Knowshon Moreno looked healthy rushing for 75 yards on 17 carries and also caught two passes for 22 yards as well.

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Broncos 27, Browns 6: Denver Improves to 2-0 in Home Opener

The Denver Broncos made Shannon Sharpe Day worth the future Hall of Fame tight end’s while today as they defeated the 0-2 Cleveland Browns 27-6 and improved to 2-0 on the season.

After Peyton Hillis fumbled and lost the opening kickoff, things were looking a bit bleak for the Broncos.  Their defense stopped Cleveland from scoring a touchdown with a 22-yard field on the opening possession of the game, and Cleveland’s 3-0 lead was short-lived.

Behind the stellar play of their revamped defense and a vastly improved offense, the Broncos easily handled and continued their historic dominance over Cleveland.

 

Game Recap

The game started off with a fumble on the opening kickoff return by Peyton Hillis that was recovered by Cleveland.  Fortunately, the Broncos were able to hold the Browns to a short Phil Dawson field goal, and Denver began the game with a three-point deficit.

The Broncos followed with a drive that resulted in a nice punt by Brett Kern, pinning the Browns deep in their own territory.  Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn fumbled a snap and Darrell Reid fell on the ball at the nine-yard line, putting the Broncos in optimal scoring position.

After two unsuccessful tries by Knowshon Moreno to punch the ball in, Kyle Orton threw a perfect strike to tight end Tony Scheffler for a two-yard touchdown to put the Broncos ahead 7-3.

Cleveland answered right back with a lengthy drive that resulted in yet another Phil Dawson field goal to cut Denver’s deficit to 7-6.

The Broncos then answered with a very long drive of their own that was capped off by a short Matt Prater field goal to make the score 10-6.

The score remained the same until halftime, as Prater was unable to connect on a field goal for the Broncos just seconds before both teams headed to the locker room.

On the opening drive of the second half, Brady Quinn hit Josh Cribbs on a short out route and he was blindsided by Elvis Dumervil, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Brian Dawkins, setting the Broncos up with great field position. 

Denver had to settle for a field goal once more, extending the lead to a touchdown at 13-6.

The score stayed the same until the fourth quarter when the Broncos got two big scores by Peyton Hillis and Correll Buckhalter and those two touchdowns provided the final score of 27-6.

This was the most complete game from a Broncos team that I have seen in a long time.  Aside from the field-goal kicking blunders, this team played an excellent game overall.

 

Elvis Dumervil

Dumervil really stood out on Denver’s defense today when he finished the game with four sacks and a forced fumble. He has really stepped up in his new role as a rush linebacker in the Broncos’ 3-4 defensive scheme.

 

Offense

The Broncos’ offense improved greatly from their poor week one performance, more than doubling their first downs and total yardage.  In all, the Broncos had 25 first downs and 449 yards of total offense.

After somewhat of a slow start to the day, the offense really got going for the Broncos in the second half, and was led by the running game and smart decision making by Kyle Orton.

The Broncos’ running backs totaled 186 yards on the ground, 75 from Knowshon Moreno and 76 from Correll Buckhalter including a 45-yard scamper that put the Broncos ahead for good.

 

Defense

Denver’s defense continued its dominant play from the first game against Cincinnati and had four sacks, three turnovers forced, and they held the Cleveland offense to only 11 first downs the entire game.

The Browns were also only able to make one red zone appearance, and the only reason they were able to get inside the Broncos’ 20 was because they recovered a fumble at the 22-yard line.

I am consistently impressed with the Broncos’ run defense, which has significantly improved from the 2008 unit. 

Denver was able to bottle up Jamal Lewis and hold him to 2.5 yards per carry after holding Cedric Benson (who had 140 yards against GB) to only 3.6 yards per carry in the previous week.

The pass defense has also stepped up, and today they made Brady Quinn and the Browns’ passing offense non-existent in a sense.

Andra Davis had a big day today against his former team, leading the Broncos with 10 total tackles.

The Broncos have allowed only 13 points in two games, and are about to face an anemic Oakland offense in week three. 

 

Josh Cribbs

The Broncos bottled up Josh Cribbs and he had almost no impact on the game at all.  He returned a couple of kicks and was taken down almost immediately, and did virtually nothing in the punt return game.

It was also surprising that the Browns did not operate out of the wildcat even once in this game, but that could also be due to the fact that the Broncos were playing stellar run defense.

 

Other Random Thoughts

I wrote in my preview that the Broncos needed to be able to run the ball effectively and control the game clock to win this game, and they did exactly that. 

As a team, they rushed for nearly 190 yards and two touchdowns, and that really set up the passing game.

While Kyle Orton was not staggering, he was solid and did not make any mistakes.  He even looked elusive at times and made smart choices under pressure despite the fact that his completion percentage suffered because of it.

The Broncos have not gotten Peyton Hillis as involved as I anticipated before the season started, but he did have a touchdown today which was promising.

Denver has a lot of momentum right now.  They are playing inspired on defense, and the offense is finally picking it up.  When the Broncos are able to get Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal fully involved in the offense, they could be very dangerous.

Next week, the Broncos will travel to Oakland for their first divisional contest of the season after sweeping the state of Ohio and taking an early 2-0 lead on the AFC North division.

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Broncos-Browns: Firing on All Cylinders, Denver Rolls Over Cleveland

And the streak rolls onward to nine.

The Denver Broncos have now beaten the Cleveland Browns in their last nine meetings.

The game began with legendary Broncos tightend Shannon Sharpe parachuting into the stadium. Sharpe was officially inducted into the team Ring of Fame today.

Also worthy of note, the Broncos won their tenth straight home opener, and have now started 2-0 for the third straight season.

Today’s win, 27-6 over the Browns, was an outstanding team effort by all members of the Broncos. Everyone did their job, and the team looked very impressive playing in front of it’s fans at Invecso Field.

The game opened with a disastrous play, during which Peyton Hillis fumbled (and lost) the kickoff and gave Cleveland excellent starting field position. However, the Broncos defense held fast, and forced the Bronwns to settle for a field goal.

After a Broncos three-and-out gave Cleveland the ball, newly acquired linebacker Darrell Reid was able to recover a Brady Quinn fumble, giving the Broncos excellent field position. Kyle Orton capitalized with a nice two yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Scheffler.

The rest of the first half was uneventful, with the Broncos adding three more points on a Matt Prater field goal.

The second half opened with the Broncos defense making more big plays.

Elvis Dumervil tackled Browns wideout Joshua Cribbs and forced a fumble that was recovered by Brian Dawkins. The Broncos were able to capitalize with another Prater field goal.

The Broncos entered the fourth quarter up 13-6, but were not done by any means. The offense was ready for their “best quarter” of the young season.

On a second down and eight from the Denver 49-yard line, Kyle Orton hit Jabar Gaffney on a deep-out route. Gaffney ran away from the defenders and sprinted all the way to the two yard line. Peyton Hillis then bull-rushed his way into the endzone to put Denver up 20-6.

After another Browns three-and-out, Correll Bucklhalter put the game out of reach. Taking a handoff at midfield, Buckhalter ran easily into the secondary, where he put a beautiful move on two defenders.

He had to stiff-arm and fight cornerback Eric Wright for the final five yards, but was able to make it into the endzone, putting the game away for the Broncos.

Brady Quinn’s final, last ditch effort pass was intercepted by rookie safety Darcel McBath.

This game, in addition to being another solid Denver win, was a very promising sign for fans. The Broncos defense turned in a lights-out performance, holding the Browns to just 11 first downs and 200 net yards on offense.

On the other side, the Broncos offense woke up in a big way, tallying 449 net yards of offense.

Elvis Dumervil had a career day, getting to Quinn for four sacks and forcing a fumble.

The Denver rushing attack also looked excellent. Correll Buckhalter led the way with nine touches for 76 yards, including the big 4th quarter run. He was followed by rookie Knowshon Moreno (17 for 75 yards) and LaMont Jordan (seven for 19 yards).

Kyle Orton also had a solid day, finishing 19 for 37 with 263 yards and a touchdown. He has yet to throw an interception.

The Denver offensive line did not allow any sacks.

Overall, today was a very good day in Broncos Country. The defense backed up last week’s performance and showed that they might just be “the real deal”. Mike Nolan’s defensive playcalling was excellent once again.

The offense made up for last week’s sluggish start, and the team looks confident and ready.

Coupled with a Chargers loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Broncos now sit alone atop the AFC West.

Next Sunday, the team will travel to Oakland to take on an improved Raiders team. It is very important for the Broncos to open the season 3-0, and they will work all week to accomplish that goal.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

The “D” Is Back in Denver

Only time will tell how much the 2009 Broncos Defense has improved.  But one thing is clear—this years’ D is markedly improved over the last couple of years.

I realize that the Cincinnati Bengals won’t remind anyone of the 2007 Patriots, but with a healthy Carson Palmer and the offensive weapons they have, I would expect them to have respectable production this season. 

They should likely be one of the top 10 offenses by the end of the year. 

Today, they scored 31 points against the Green bay Packers at Lambeau Field to beat them 31-24, not too bad in my opinion.

Last week, the Broncos held the Bengal’s offense scoreless for the better part four quarters. 

Granted, the Bengals made several mistakes that may have prevented a score.  But all teams make a mistake here and there.

Today, the Broncos defense held the Browns to just six points. 

This is the same Browns team who scored 20 points last week on the Vikings respectable defense. 

This weeks performance included limiting the Browns offense to 54 yards rushing and 200 yards total. 

“Doom” Elvis Dumervill had four sacks, seven tackles and forced a fumble to lead the Broncos D. 

Pretty impressive against any NFL team.

While this Broncos defense hasn’t been perfect, they showed some things that we haven’t seen from the Broncos D in quite a while.  Some observations:

1. Confidence – the Defense looked confident on the field.  They seemed to have a plan and executed that plan proactively, whereas in previous years they seemed to wait for the offense and react to them.
2. Aggressiveness – this unit has a plan and executes it in a way that disrupts the offense.  They aren’t waiting to react to whatever the offense does.
3. Unpredictability – Nolan is bringing some excellent game planning and taking advantage of the players skills by showcasing them in different situations.
4. Leadership – Dawkins leadership and enthusiasm is infectious and it is showing up on the field for ALL of the defense—not just him.

To put things in perspective:

The last time the Denver Broncos held an opponent on the road to less than seven points was on October 17th 2004 @ Oakland Raiders when Denver won 31-3

The last time the Denver Broncos held any opponent to less than seven points was on October 15th 2006 when Denver won 13-3 @ home.

The last time the Broncos held consecutive opponents to seven or less points was September 2006.

So far, I think the result has to be better than most expected here. 

It’s quite clear to me that they have reversed the trend of the past few years and will not be setting any records for points allowed or fewest turnovers.  

I have a confident feeling about this defense for the first time in years.  I look forward to see how this unit plays against some of the better teams, especially after having some more experience together and building more chemistry as a team.

After week two, without the evening or Monday games played yet, the Broncos already are tops in the league with only 13 points allowed in two games.

Test 3—Oakland Raiders next week should be an interesting dress rehearsal for the tough part of the schedule coming up after that.  Until then, let’s all toast to the fact that the “D” is back in Denver.

 

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Hate To Say “I Told You So,” Denver Broncos Open 2-0

Amidst the offseason turmoil that dominated any and all press concerning the Denver Broncos, the consensus opinion emerged that Denver was in a “rebuilding stage” and that coach Josh McDaniels wouldn’t last more than one season. 

One major poll on ESPN projected Denver to win just three games all season.  If that is to be the case, then the Broncos will have to close 1-13 after their solid 27-6 handling of the Cleveland Browns.

In all fairness, the Bengals and Browns are not playoff-caliber squads, so Denver’s early season success should of course be taken with a grain of salt.  But it seems that Denver’s consistent, blue-collar schemes don’t have the flair that most major networks and commentators want to talk about. 

Jay Cutler gave them fireworks, big plays and touchdown passes that made weekly highlight reels.  But he also gave up way too many red-zone interceptions and wore his defense out by putting them on the field for 35-40 minutes per game.

Kyle Orton’s journeyman success on the other hand, will continue to be ignored.  No one is going to mistake his skill set for Jay Cutler’s.  But Orton has eclipsed 200 yards passing in both contests, and more importantly, has managed both wins without throwing any interceptions. His patience has prevented costly turnovers, gave the defense time to rest and kept the Broncos in the game.

Denver’s run game is still taking time to develop, as aside from Correll Buckhalter’s late 45-yard TD scamper, Denver hasn’t had any explosiveness to their ground attack.  Knowshon Moreno has been battling injuries and needs to show that he was worth a first-round selection as he has split time with the veteran Buckhalter.

The committee approach this week by Denver bared a strong resemblance to McDaniels’ New England heritage, with Peyton Hillis and Lamont Jordan getting some situational snaps as well.

Something to consider is that the Denver run game may produce less this year as defenses dare Orton to throw against thin secondaries that load the box.  This could come back to hurt them however as the Broncos had eight different players register receptions against Cleveland and Cincinnati, with a near even distribution of throws to receivers and RBs/TEs. 

The pass-catching ability of the Broncos TEs and backs cannot be ignored, and McDaniels knows from experience that an offense that uses all its players is more difficult to defend than a team with just one or two main targets.  Despite not having Cutler’s cannon arm, Orton is still more than sufficient at throwing short safe passes that can turn into large gains after the catch.

Lastly, Denver’s defense has made significant strides compared to last year’s squad.  While the defensive line is hardly scary, they have still produced enough pressure to keep the secondary from having to run with receivers for ten seconds every play. 

Additions Andra Davis and Mario Haggan both have made plays in the first two games, and team with Elvis Dumervil and D.J. Williams to form a linebacking unit that is much better than they will get credit for. 

Like the offense, these guys haven’t made a bunch of highlight reel plays, but have played sufficiently well to manage the game and keep the Broncos in contention. 

Next week’s matchup at Oakland will show if the Broncos are going to separate themselves once more from their rival and annual AFC West doormat, or if they will fall victim to the inevitably doomed season most experts have called for. 

After JaMarcus Russell managed to complete only seven passes against an equally lowly Chiefs team, fans have to think that the Broncos have a great chance at opening 3-0, and for the moment, silencing all the doubters. 

At the very least, the Broncos will know they can lose the next 13 and haven’t let any analysts down.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

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