Q3 15:00: The Broncos will receive to start the second half.
Q3 14:55: Matthew Willis returns the kickoff to the 19-yard line. Quick note, in just about three quarters of football this season, Kyle Orton is 24-of-35 for 261 yards and four touchdowns to just one interception. That’s a quarterback rating of 116.5. Brady Quinn has now stepped in under center to start the second half.
Q3 14:19: After a 1-yard run by Justin Fargas, Quinn throws a pass intended for Riar Geer that falls incomplete. On third down, he connects with Eric Decker right at the first-down marker — but an illegal formation penalty on the Broncos negates the play. That makes it third-and-14 at the 15-yard line. Quinn lines up in the shotgun, drops back and fires to Lance Ball as he is being brought down. The running back is brought down after a 5-yard gain, bringing in Britton Colquitt to punt. Cassius Vaughn sprints downfield to bring down Tim Toone after a 58-yard punt — Detroit will take over at its own 20-yard line.
Q3 13:05: Shaun Hill is now quarterback for the Lions. First down brings a handoff to Aaron Brown for a 2-yard gain before he’s brought down by Joe Mays. On second down, Hill hands off to Toone on an end around, and Mr. Irrelevant — the final pick in this year’s NFL Draft — picks up 6 yards. On third-and-2, Alphonso Smith is there to break up the pass and force a punt. Perrish Cox is back deep to receive. The rookie fields it at the 20-yard line and takes off downfield. He finds the sideline, cuts back inside and is finally taken down at the Detroit 15-yard line. There’s a flag on the play, however. It’s an illegal formation on the kicking team — the 5-yard penalty is enforced on the end of the run, putting the ball at the 10-yard line, where the Broncos have a first-and-goal. It’s a 65-yard punt return by Cox.
Q3 11:09: After a loss of 2 on a run, the Broncos have a second-and-goal at the 12-yard line. Quinn quickly fires to Decker, who picks up 4 yards. On third down at the 8, Quinn lines up in the shotgun, but he’s taken down before getting a pass off. A flag on the play is holding on the Broncos, but it is declined, and Matt Prater jogs in for a field goal attempt. The 30-yarder is up and in, and the Broncos take the lead.
BRONCOS 17, LIONS 16
Q3 9:46: Prater’s kickoff sails about 3-yards into the end zone, where it is fielded by Toone. The rookie takes it out but he’s taken down by Syd’Quan Thompson at the 18-yard line. On first down, Hill is in the shotgun for the Lions. He fires a pass for a first down to Derrick Williams at the 32-yard line. The offense is called for holding on the ensuing first down, however, pushing the ball back to the 22-yard line.
Q3 8:46: On first-and-20, Hill is chased out of the pocket but throws complete to Dennis Northcutt for a 17-yard gain. Aaron Brown picks up 6 yards on second down to pick up another first down for the Lions. The ensuing first down brings a 9-yard pass. On second-and-1, Jarvis Moss sprints into the backfield for a sack and a forced fumble, which is recovered by the Broncos — Jarvis Green, to be precise. The two Jarvises got it done on that play.
Q3 7:03: The 9-yard sack and subsequent recovered fumble sets the Broncos up with a first down at the Detroit 45-yard line. Fargas picks up 3 yards on first down, then takes another carry on second down for 6 more yards. On third-and-1, there’s a flag on the play — encroachment on the defense, giving the Broncos a first down after the 5-yard penalty.
Q3 5:40: Brady Quinn is sacked on first down, moving the ball back to the 43-yard line and bringing up second-and-22. Orton fakes a handoff then gets the ball right back to Fargas on the next play, and the running back picks up 8 yards. On third-and-14, Quinn fires to Decker, but the rookie is brought down short of the marker. Prater jogs back in for a field goal attempt from the 27-yard line — it’s a 45-yarder — and the kick is no good. Detroit will now take over on its own 35.
Q3 3:33: Will Heller picks up 5 yards on a pass from Hill on first down after Alphonso Smith is there to take him down. Brown takes a handoff for a yard before being taken down by Wesley Woodyard, setting up third-and-4 at the 41-yard line. Hill is in the shotgun and Jarvis Moss is closing fast, but he’s held in the backfield, drawing a flag. The pass is nearly picked by Alphonso Smith, but falls incomplete. The flag is not for holding, however, it’s a personal foul for a facemask on the blocker trying to slow down Moss. That pushes the ball back to the 26-yard line, and the Lions face a third-and-19. It’s a run by Brown, who is brought down after a 7-yard gain. Syd’Quan Thompson is back deep to receive the Nick Harris punt. The rookie gets the ball back out to the 33-yard line.
Q3 1:32: After the 17-yard return, Quinn and the offense are back on the field. Fargas picks up a yard on first down, then Quinn shovels a pass to Fargas for a 3-yard gain as the crowd at INVESCO breaks into the wave. On third-and-5, Quinn lines up in the shotgun, drops back and fires deep toward Matthew Willis, but the pass is over the receiver’s head and brings out Britton Colquitt for a punt. The Broncos are called for delay of game before the punter gets the kick off, but when he does, it flies to the 18-yard line. Cassius Vaughn almost takes Toone down at the spot, but he eludes the first defender before being brought down by Nathan Overbay at the 27-yard line.
Q4 15:00: An 18-yard completion from Hill to DeDe Dorsey at the end of the third quarter gives the Lions a first down at their own 45-yard line to start the fourth.
Q4 14:56: A handoff to Dorsey nets 5 yards, and the Lions pick up a first down after a completion to Dan Gronkowski. Worrell Williams — D.J.’s brother — was in on the tackle. An incompletion brings up second-and-10 at the Denver 43-yard line, and Gronkowski wasn’t looking for the ball, causing another incompletion. On third-and-10, Hill fires quickly to Dorsey, but he’s brought down short of the first-down marker by Johnny Williams and Kevin Alexander. On fourth-and-2, the Detroit offense is still on the field — but the Lions call a timeout.
Q4 13:05: 65,104 fans are in attendance at tonight’s preseason matchup. And all of them are on their feet as the Lions go for it on fourth down — but Hill scrambles for a 5-yard gain and a first down at the 30-yard line.
Q4 12:43: After a 6-yard pickup on first down, the Lions pick up another first down on a completion to Dorsey. At the 15-yard line, Hill fires incomplete to bring up second-and-10. Hill finds Dorsey for a 6-yard gain, bringing up third-and-4 at the 9-yard line. The crowd is getting loud as Hill drops back into the shotgun. The Lions quarterback is forced out of the pocket before firing the ball out of the back of the end zone to bring up fourth down. Steven Hauschka knocks home a 27-yard field goal to give the Lions the lead.
LIONS 19, BRONCOS 17
Q4 10:25: Potentially interesting fact, this is the first time the Lions have played a preseason game in Denver since 1967. On first down, Quinn hands off to Fargas, who is hit hard at the line of scrimmage. It’s a gain of a yard. On second down, Fargas takes a pitch and finds the corner, picking up a handful of yards — but there’s a flag on the play. Holding on the offense negates the gain and pushes the ball back to the 11-yard line. On second-and-19, Quinn fires to a wide open Decker down to the 42-yard line. After the 31-yard gain, Quinn hands off to Bruce Hall on first down. He picks up 6 yards.
Q4 8:10: On second down, Quinn hands off to Hall again, who fights through several tackles all the way to the Detroit 29-yard line. It’s a 23-yard run. The ensuing first down brings yet another handoff to Hall, who gets down to the 17-yard line for another first down. Hall gets the ball once more, but he’s taken down after a yard this time. On second down, Hall takes a handoff for another yard, bringing up third-and-8 at the 15-yard line. Quinn lines up in the shotgun and fires to Decker, but the ball pops out of his hands into the air before falling incomplete. Prater is on the field for another field goal attempt, this one from 33 yards out. The kick is up and in, giving the Broncos the lead.
BRONCOS 20, LIONS 19
Q4 5:19: Prater’s kickoff goes through the end zone for a touchback, and the Lions will take over at the 20-yard line. Drew Stanton is now at quarterback for the Lions.
Q4 5:15: On first down, Stanton fumbles the snap, but falls on the ball for a loss of 7 yards. Second-and-17 is a pass that falls incomplete, but there’s a flag on the play. Two flags, actually. Holding on the offense and pass interference on the defense, but the penalties negate one another. On the replayed down, Stanton tries to find Brian Clark on what looks to be the exact same route, and it again falls incomplete. On third-and-17, the crowd is getting loud. Stanton is in the shotgun, and the quarterback drops back before launching deep to Eric Fowler, who makes an acrobatic catch on the sideline for a first down at the 41-yard line after keeping both feet in bounds.
Q4 4:28: New Bronco Jason Hunter makes the tackle on first down after a 7-yard run, and Jeff Stehle bats down the second-down pass at the line of scrimmage. On third-and-3 at the Detroit 48-yard line, Stanton scrambles first the first down himself. The ensuing first down is a pass from Stanton to Gronkowski for an 8-yard gain. On second down, Stanton lines up in the shotgun and fires a pass that is batted down at the line of scrimmage by Jason Hunter. Worrell Williams was flagged for illegal contact before the pass was thrown, however, giving the Lions an automatic first down at the 31-yard line.
Q4 2:53: Stehle takes down Brown after a 4-yard run, bringing up second-and-6. Stanton hands off to Dorsey on second down, but the back is brought down by Ben Garland after a 2-yard gain. Now on third-and-4 at the 25-yard line, the clock winds down to the two-minute warning.
Q4 2:00: The crowd just finished belting out “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey as the teams step back to the line of scrimmage for the third-down play. Stanton keeps the ball on a designed quarterback run, sprinting up the middle of the field before diving into the end zone for a touchdown. Detroit calls a timeout after the play — the team’s second of the half.
Q4 1:53: Detroit is going for a two-point conversion after the score. Stanton is in the shotgun. He takes the snap and quickly fires to Brian Clark, but Tony Carter was there in coverage to break up the pass. The Lions now lead by five.
LIONS 25, BRONCOS 20
Q4 1:52: The Lions kick the ball out of bounds, giving the Broncos the ball at the 40-yard line, but there was a foul on Denver as well — offsides — negating the play. Hauschka’s second kickoff sails out of the back of the end zone for a touchback.
Q4 1:47: On first down at the 20-yard line, Quinn quickly finds Marquez Branson, who stays on his feet for a first down. A holding penalty negates the play, however, pushing the ball back to the 10-yard line.
Q4 1:43: On first-and-20, Quinn fires to Decker, who makes several defenders miss on a couple spin moves and gets out to the 28-yard line — an 18-yard gain. On second-and-2, Quinn tries to dump off a pass to Hall, but the running back can’t find the handle, bringing up third down. On the next play, Britt Davis goes up and gets the Quinn pass out of the air for a first down at the Denver 44-yard line. The Broncos call their first timeout of the half. On the next play, Quinn quickly gets the ball to Willis, who sprints out of bounds after a 7-yard gain.
Q4 1:07: On second-and-3, Quinn buys time before finding Hall on a short reception short of the first-down marker. As the clock continues to run, Quinn pushes his way forward on a quarterback sneak for a first down. Denver calls its second timeout of the half.
Q4 0:45: On first down at the Detroit 45-yard line, Quinn is hit as he releases a pass that falls incomplete. That makes it second-and-10, and Quinn is lined up in the shotgun. He scans the field before finding Willis, who picks up the first down and gets out of bounds after the 12-yard gain.
Q4 0:32: Quinn drops back on first down and nearly connects with Willis at about the 15-yard line, but the pass falls incomplete. There’s a flag on the play. There is no penalty, after all — there were 11 men on the field for Detroit. With 26 seconds remaining, Quinn drops back on second-and-10 at the 33-yard line. His arm is hit and the ball pops out — the Lions recover. It’s Korey Bosworth, who spent part of OTAs with Denver. It was Willie Young with the sack and forced fumble. Detroit takes a knee to run the clock out, and the Lions win the game, 25-20.
Denver will be back at INVESCO Field at Mile High to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in their third preseason game this Sunday, August 29.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: Detroit Lions, Preseason, Second Half Blog
I have madden 11..what are yalls gamertags if yall have xbox live??
I have a ps3 freak30
roll quinn out on play action and toss a little swing to a TE in the flat. duh!!! lol
also are walton and beadles still in?
ya they play the whole game.
thats a good start!
nice long pass to decker! good throw by quinn
wow!!! great run by bruce hall! good stuff!
Go Decker
thats my boy Deck baby!!
running game!!
quins stats arent that bad..weirdly
man bruce hall is gettin some HUGE HOLES!! good running too
ya blaze i noticed that too! 6 of 8? i would have thought they were a lot worse.
Goo Hall…run through that line baby!!
Sorry guys for not posting for a few min…Computer is going very slow…And nice runs!!!
well this is a good game ^.^ OH NOES! THE ROYAL TREATMENT COMERCIAL! NOO
Dang deck…
oh man battery is bout to die. probably going to call it for tonight! see ya’ll next time! GO BRONCOS!!!!!!
Looks like the SD game is close also =-/ even though it doesnt matter, i hope they lose..
night ray
Guys my comp is slow sorry..i waited 15 min on a white screen lmao
hate to say it but i think this games over lol…I dont see quinn pulling this one out =-( i hope im wrong.
dont see ending well either
OMG!! THAT IS PATHETIC RIGHT THERE!
im out night
reminded me of a tebow run
good run by decker
they need to put matt willis on madden already
oh brady….
well…I had hope that brady could do it..Then he crapped on my hopes =-(
In return for Scheffler, a second-round draft pick (61st overall) out of Western Michigan in 2006, the Broncos got the Eagles’ fifth-round pick in April. That player turned out to be cornerback Perrish Cox, the 137th pick overall from Oklahoma State.
test
GGGAAAHHHH!!!! Very disappointing.
OFFENSE
QB
Otron A It’s obvioius he can throw the long ball. He jkust needs to throw it long accurately.
Quinn C Started 0 for 4 on third doiw2n. He got better, but nothing yto write home about.
RB C+ Brief flashes, but no consistancy.
WR B+ Jabbar looks great. Willis sdhowed some very mature thinking on him getting out of bounds late in the game.
OL B- Initailly overwhelmed by Lions DL, but made good adjustments. Not bad for having only one starter from last year starting.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punt coverage: D+ On second punt two Bronco gunners blocked each other, next p-unt (I think) missed tacke as Loion was catching ball.
Punt return: A WOW!!! Cox is THE MAN!!!
KIck coverage: B- Seldom allowed Lions past 20.
KIck return: F Offensive offside!!!! GGGAAAHHH!!!!
DEFENSE
DL: D- Still no pass rush.
LB: C- Way to many missed tackles and gaps not covered.
Secondary: B- Did well considering all the time Lions QBs had.
Broncos desperately need some folks to get healthy.
dd
Sorry had to do that post to read the blog.
Man, this blog was seriously messed up, seems to be working again.
This new blog is really pissing me off, LOL
Yeah, I don’t know how it looked in the stadium, but it sure didn’t look all that good on TV, lol.
The first quarter was an absolute beating down by the Lions over us at the line of scrimmage on both side of the ball. On O, Orton was either underthrowing or overthrowing and we were just as inept running the ball as we were last week. Whenever a good play was made it was usually negated by penalties, illegal formation seemed to be the flavor of the day, even on a punt!! We managed to let the ball slip through our hands for an almost pick 6 by Bly of all people, they ran on us at will, beating Haggan easily on the outside or others up the middle, and when the beat down was over by the end of the quarter we were darn lucky to be down only 10-0.
The second quarter saved the day for the O, two 80 yard drives, one to start the quarter and one to end it, Orton looked really composed, I keep being amazed on how well he moves in the pocket now, but if it wasn’t for Gaffney’s heroics it might of been all together different. I’ll go as far as saying that Orton is developping a better tandem with Gaffney than he had with Marshall, a lot of Marshall’s catches were prayers, Gaffney and Orton seem totally in tune and anyone who says we don’t truly have a legitimate #1 WR needs to buy some glasses. As far a the D it was nearly as embarassing as the first quarter, the Lions could pass anywhere in front of the LB’s or even at them and make big plays all day, same with the running. The fact that we couldn’t run brought up the problem I’m always talking about for this year, the Lions had no respect for it and peeled their ears back and kept pressuring Orton, who did well to escape a lot of it in the second half. Luckily we stopped their O for FG’s but mainly not because of great plays but for missed passes and catches by the Lions. The big exception in the D’s poor performance was at the very beginning of the quarter with a solid stop for a loss by Haggan followed by a sack for a bigger loss by Ayers and finished up by Bannan. Other than that the D could blitz with 6 to 8 at the line and apply absolutely no pressure onto Stafford. BTW, most of the night was the 43, with the 34 just here and there, what a difference Doom’s injury has made. Anyway, bottom line the first team loses to Detroit 14-16 at the half.
Not exactly what the coach had in mind I imagine, neither did the fans. Is it that the Lions are so much better than last year, or that we are playing just like where we left off last year, a little of both I guess, but the Lions kicked our tails at the line of scrimmage yesterday, and made us look a lot like the team of last year’s 2-8 finish. If it wasn’t for the Orton/Gaffney combo, we would of been severly embarrassed, I would of anyway, just my opinions.
The second half, if nothing else proved that the Lions are a team that is coming off a 0-16 season two years ago, they are rebuilding and they have finally assembled some good starters but have no depth to speak of, we have no depth either but at least we have an excuse, it’s because of the injuries. End result though is this second half of back ups was not very pretty other than for few moments of brilliance. And for the ones who are waiting for Quinn to come to his own as he learns the system better, better you than me, the guy looks frozen out there, cannot move away from pressure, throws it low too close to the ground and he had mainly one big play because Decker had no one ten yards around him. He is good at the dump off though and it was great to see Decker at the reception of that many times, On D the huge plus was the re-birth of Moss who started to look like when he was in college, absolutely awesome to see that, Phonzy played a little better but missed a very easy INT… Lots of Fargas, mixed bag of results, of course the highlight of the second half was Cox 65 yard punt return, what blazing speed, just what I always thought he would bring here from OSU. Branson keeps being a bright spot and Worrell, DJ’s brother made nothing as I expected but a couple of bad plays including a costly penalty way away from the play. To close this game review of mine, I found it nice to see that McD is making a visible effort to remain composed on the sideline, much more professional, and it was great to see Orton communicating heavily with McD during the game.
Post before last, Orton did well to escape the pressure in the second quarter, obviously not the second half…
javis moss showed someflashes in this game i wonder if he will get some time with the ones hes not very good playing the run and gets lost in space but that man is bring some passrush.
I just read an article about the game from Klis, he comes to pretty much the same conclusion as I just did above:
The Lions played like bullies. For a little more than a quarter, the Lions manhandled the Broncos on both sides of the ball.
Beaten, battered, bruised and embarrassed in front of their home fans, the Broncos discovered dignity on the outside.
Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney almost single-handedly gave the Broncos a measure of respect in their 25-20 loss to the improving Lions.
Maybe it’s just me but i sense that Brady Quinn is ready to move on. Maybe he knows that Orton and Tebow are locked in and there is really no way he will be a starter now or in the future…
Just finished watching the game on DVR.
Glad it’s only preseason because there were a lot of mental mistakes. Both sides of the ball. I hope it’s a result of the injury bug. Next week will be a big test for our o- line. That goes without saying. D-line needs just as much work. A few bright spots. Moss for sure. Decker is the real deal. Willis made some heads up plays. Orton looks like a savvy vet! And Gaff!
Low lights abound. In particular, Alphonso Smith. That guy just looks like he does not belong in the pros. Wasn’t Baltimore looking for a cb?
On that note, get healthy and get en next week!
GO BRONCOS 2K10!!!!!!!!!! Pummel Pittsburgh. (Even if it’s just a dress rehearsal)
Willis did make two heads up play in the last drive going out of bounds stopping the clock, after catching balls across the middle. It sure looks to me that Stokley is the guy who won’t make the cut. Baltimore doesn’t have any half pint size anything on D, just a stout mean bunch of athletes, full size mothers, if we unload Phonzy on them we can probably talk them into Quinn too, haha.
The Pittsburgh game Sunday is the third game of the preseason, the dress rehearsal game, starters will play into the third quarter and won’t play but a couple of drives in the fourth and last preseason game, so there is a lot riding on this one, and it’s kind of scary to be so close to a real game with so many troubling areas, even if many of the injured return, we are just about out of rehearsal time. And some think the Jacksonville game will be an easy game…. BTW, the Pittsburgh game will be nationally televised on FOX Sunday at 6 pm MDT.
Hmm…
Well Im not sure how bad it looked on TV last night, but from section 236,
row 11 seat 2… It looked like crap! lots of players were out of position. Offence, Defence. ST, 1st team, 2nd team. Embarassing! To make matters worse were the stinking Lions fans two rows back, and the one right next to us in the parking lot afterwards. Bact to our team, It may have been the camera angle for everyone else, but Orton didn’t look nearly as good as he did in the cincy game. The routes being ran by receivers look like they were right out of the Norht high school play book. I did love seeing Decker on the field, always playing over the middle, something that has been missing for a few years now. Although I hope his fearless efforts to go across the middle don’t end his career too early Even if Moreno and Bucky are healthy how effective can they be missing all of camp and pre-season? Ugh…
By the way. Does anybody know how to get in touch with Brady Quinn?
I think he needs to buy this jersey of his off my hands.
I always thought he got a bad rep having to play for the Browns.
He was great at ND showed lots of promise there.
Figured he’d have a chip on his shoulders. Something to prove.
He proved it! NOT AN NFL QB!
This is BRONCOS COUNTRY!!!!
Meant to say North High School.
Forgot to mention the fact that there were only 20 russing yards in the first half. Blah, makes me sick!
This is BRONCOS COUNTRY!!!
Missed the game because of church again lol. Didnt Tivo it this time. Just caught the Highlights on NFL.com. I saw that Orton through a INT and I was ready to crucify him until I watched the highlights and saw how it happened. Lance Ball Redeemed himself tho AND scored a touchdown. High Five to Orton for going back to him so he could redeem himself.
Didnt watch the game so I can really give an Analysis, besides I heard Most of our starters were Out. Dunno how cox did in the DB game, but I saw how he did in the Return game and It was beautiful. Maybe We leave KR to Royal and PR to Cox. But that man was FAST. They say he ran a 4.5 something…. HA!!!! the man may not have “track speed” but DEFINITELY has Game speed. Im gonna need Madden to correct Cox speed from that Horrible 88. (Even tho I think Madden 11 as a whole sux)
But we may have lost but Its better to lose in the preseason and not in the regular season. The year the Patriots I believe went undefeated, they lost all their preseason games. Best of luck to us this year. Love Bronco Football. TRB out….