This week, Chris Hall of DenverBroncos.com discussed the Broncos’ upcoming playoff opener against Baltimore with Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway in the latest installment of Elway Access.
The Broncos finished the season on an 11-game winning streak for a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC going into the playoffs. It was a year that ranked among the best regular seasons in franchise history, but those accomplishments will mean little if they are not followed by a strong postseason run. The players’ incentive for all their hard work throughout the year boils down to what happens over the next few weeks.
“Playoff football is exciting, that’s what you play for,” Elway said. “That’s what you start working out in March for and go through training camp to get in the position that we are right now.”
One of the biggest factors in the team’s success has been quarterback Peyton Manning’s record-setting regular season. With that portion of the year complete, Elway said that looking back, he’s been thrilled to see Manning perform so well after missing 2011 due to injury.
“No. 1, I’m happy for Peyton Manning, with the career that he’s had in the NFL and what he’s done for this game, for him to be able to bounce back like he has, I’m happy for him that he’s reached the level that he has again,” Elway said. “He’s pretty close to the Peyton of old. No. 2, I’m thrilled for us, the Broncos, the fact that he’s playing that well because we’re back in that No. 1 seed, back as one of the elite teams in this league. We’re able to go out and start the playoffs this week and compete for a Super Bowl championship. That’s why we play the game and why we work at this game.”
Denver is set for a rematch with the Ravens Saturday at 2:30 p.m. MST at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. In the first meeting of the season between the teams, the Broncos led 31-3 entering the fourth quarter and defeated Baltimore by a final score of 34-17. A key difference going into Saturday’s game is the health of the Ravens defense, which has welcomed back a trio of key contributors who were injured and inactive in Week 15.
“They’re a lot healthier now than they were when we played them,” Elway said. “(Linebacker) Ray Lewis was down, (Dannell) Ellerbe, their other inside linebacker, was down. So they were really banged up the last time we played them. They’re going to be at full strength, or close to full strength, this time.”
The return of those players has made one of Baltimore’s strengths throughout the season – the team’s red-zone defense – even more formidable. The Ravens’ playoff-opening win over Indianapolis in the Wild Card Round was highlighted by a bend-but-don’t-break defensive effort that yielded 25 first downs and 419 yards of total offense but only nine points.
“One thing that they are, and you noticed it last week also, was the fact that down in the red zone, they’re as good as anybody in the league,” Elway said. “I think they’re top 5, if not the best red-zone defense in the league. Last week they gave up three field goals to Indianapolis even though Indianapolis had the ball for 37 minutes. That’s why it’s going to be important for us to not only be good between the 20s, but when you get down in the red zone, we have to get it into the end zone.”
Another significant difference between Saturday’s game and the Week 15 matchup in Baltimore is the venue. Denver will have the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd that helped the Broncos win seven of their eight home games during the regular season.
“It will be great that we’re playing at Sports Authority Field at Mile High with the fans behind us,” Elway said. “It will bring back that great playoff atmosphere, which is great for the fans. We’ve played better at home. We did a better job this year, we’re 7-1 at home. We’re comfortable there and the fans have been great the whole year. But this is a different atmosphere and they’re going to be a big part of it, especially when (the Ravens are) on offense.”
Tags: Elway Access, Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway
Later strand………………Happy B-day Cat in case I don’t talk to you before Sunday girl………GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!
Bronc on OC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…MY BRONCO BRO!!!!!!!!!
When the Broncos played Pittsburgh to start the season, I sat there relaxed because I had GREAT trust in Peyton Manning … they played better than expected for his first game back, and they won … lately, however, I’ve been getting that antsy feeling, HOPING that they don’t lose … tomorrow, I’m going to try to be relaxed again, having faith in the ability of this team to convert … I hope I’m able to do it … because – what’s the use of wasting all the wonderful moments with negativity and fear that they might lose … if they lose, they lose … but, DAMN, I’m going to enjoy the rest of this wonderful ride …
wow im away for an hour and everyones on here! whats going on cat? good to see you on here! i gotta run again got a long day tomorrow but i will have everything done in time to sit down and watch the bronco domination!!!
and ya alaskan we’ll talk all draft all the time come feb and march man, i cant wait.
Enjoy the ride people………all the way to the SB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hopefully I’ll be back tomorrow night……….GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope to see you tomorrow celebrating a win with rest of Broncos Country.
LBF I am so bummed I missed you. Not much is going on with me. Trying to not get my hopes hirer than they already are. Enjoy the game tomorrow!!!!
ILMSDB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ILMSPM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ILMSCB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
well tommorow is the big day. i have been excited all week. i hope not only do we win but we smash on the ravens. i am tired of hearing about ray lewis. this is our house and our day. this is it, what we been waiting for. and i say that if we win tommorow we be in the superbowl. can not wait. the family and i will be wearing our orange jerseys. my oldest son and I will be wearing our manning jerseys, my 8 yr old will his brand new bailey, and my wife has her elway. holding down in socal. love it. GO BRONCOS.
Hey, guys, please keep the cold weather up there!!! 40′s in Phoenix tomorrow, lows in the mid 20s, and maybe some SNOW on monday… Diggin’ out my longjohns…
On a brighter note, ready to watch some Raven feathers flying in the breeze tomorrow… My guess for game MVP???
EVERYBODY IN ORANGE…
Be loud, crowd…
15 hours and 33 minutes till Kickoff!!!
B-R-O-N-C-O-S BRONCOS BRONCOS BRONCOS!!!! I can’t wait to scream my brains out tomorrow at Sports Authority!
14 hrs. 32mins. and going crazy!!!
Me too DB!!!! Watching Playbook on NFLN over and over. Decorating the room for the game and guests.
Wish my sister would have contacted me before unloading her tickets or I would be in the south stands screaming too Turtle.
Fine then – I’m going to bed…
the ring is dead, Gollum is dead, Frodo and Bilbo are…
“Certain death – slim chance of success – what are we waiting for….”
Gray, Jim, somebody fropm the Bronco front office!!!!
Please post a bio of Curly Culp so that those who never had the pleasure of seing him play can see what an exceptional player he was. Absiolutely deserves HOF induction.
Good to see everybody having fun last night, long live Broncomania!
And as far as this game goes today, if we lose it it’ll be all on us, like a total lack of something because we are built to truly dominate this Ravens team at this point as demonstrated in Baltimore.
No excuses, anything but a win won’t be acceptable for this Bronco fan.
I see 9-1 odds on this one, we play the game 10 times we win it 9 times, the Ravens just once, and this just isn’t that day…
“THIS BIRD IS ABOUT TO BE EXTINCT!!!”
About to wear as much Bronco orange as I can and heading out to the bar to watch the game with the local Bronco buddies.
Too much fun as it well should be this time of year!
Enjoy this one you all because next week against the Patriots the odds of winning will look nothing like this one.
Yes, N-E at Denver for the AFC Championship is a forgone conclusion for me while obviously I hope every single member of our team and organization doesn’t see it like that at all. One game at a time, the only way to roll.
GO BRONCOS!!!! No pressure, LOL.
Ahhhhhh!!! Game day!!
Anyway I see Gray has left the building sort of speak as far as the contest goes, so I’ll post my prediction here for a change:
Broncos win 27-13
Its party time!
As for this game, ITS THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!! GO BRONCOS 2013!!
good morning everyone. ready to go. lets beat some raven butt.
cat, is it your birthday tommorow. mine is monday. well if it is Happy Birthday.
GO BRONCOS.
BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT”S NUDEY MAGAZINE DAY.. IT”S NUDEY MAGAZINE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!
GAME DAY!!!
What a long week, waiting for today to get here.. All I’ve been hearing from the haters is Peyton’s cold weather playoff record. This is a HUGE game, not only for the Broncos, but also for Peyton to get that monkey off his back.
It’s truly amazing how this team has come together so quickly, a true testament to John Elway. The best part is it’s a young core, full of unselfish players, and I love the workman-like attitude instilled by John Fox. I expect the whole team to bring their lunch pail to Sports Authority this afternoon – and go to WORK on the Ravens!
PUM PUM PUM!!!
HAPPY GAMEDAY BRONCMIGOS!!! NEXT STOP….. SPORTS AUTHORITY!!!
B-R-O-N-C-O-S BRONCOS BRONCOS BRONCOS!!!!!!
turtle, you going to the game. nice. wish i could be there. make sure the noise is on high all day.
Gameday!!!
Safe travels turtle. Bring the Thunder. And everybody else going to Mile High!
And baylin, enjoy your brews. What’s on tap? Lol
I’ve got my Orange hoodie and the boy has his Orange Manning jersey. It’s a great day to be United In Orange…
GO BRONCOS!!!
Contacts to Manning, Miller and Clady for being named to the AP All Pro team!
orange all day sndvl. how u doing. going to be a great day. i felt more nervous about this game than last year. dont know why. just excitement. GO BRONCOS.
I want to see us punch the Ravens in the mouth early, get a lead, and run out the clock.
Got my dumervil jersey over my broncos t shirt all under my broncos hoodie which came in the mail yesterday along with my bronco hat. I need a pair of bronco underwear and i’m all set!!
Doing great Socal. Thanks!
As for the nerves, last year we backed in, with no expectation to win. This year being the #1 overall seed… It’s expected of us. Completely understandable to be a bit anxious. Lol
It’s ok. Great day to be a Broncos fan!!!
Man the wait is killing me
Good Day Broncos Country!!!
We’re on our way in…riding the light rail out of Littleton!!! Whether you at the game or at home, or a sports bar,
one thing’s for sure —-BRONCOS COUNTRY IS ALIVE AND KICKING!!!!!
Time to bust down the stable doors and chase off those scavenger birds from our HOUSE today !!!
Enjoy the game everyone!!!
UNITED IN ORANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a great time Royal! Chase away them pesky MAGPIES! LOL
new blog
Elway sold the soul of the Broncos for 96 million dollars! And what about retired number 18? Can it return to the sacred place it belongs? Or does Elway and Mannings, arrogance rule out? Bottom line Denver won’t win a playoff game as long as Elway and Manning are there! Tebow and his 10 million man army are laughing!
I blame the conservative coaching staff for the give away of this game. They would not let Manning throw to Decker or Thomas or anyone in the last two minutes of regular time. Instead they run Hillman, a small running back who fumbled once before and gave this game to Baltimore. Shame on your coach Fox. What a waste of a super talented team and Peyton Manning.