Rice Takes

Sometimes you just have to put your foot down. The Broncos did that in Sunday’s 16-13 win over the Buccaneers.

Don’t get me wrong. I love watching shootouts. But there is something to be said for winning a defensive struggle. The Broncos showed they could do that.

I won’t pretend the Buccaneers have an elite offense. The fact remains, however, that they were averaging 350.2 yards per game entering Sunday’s game. They had only 307 against the Broncos.

They were also averaging 22.8 points per game before Sunday. They had just over half that against the Broncos.

The Bucs had allowed just four sacks in the first four games and none in the two games leading up to Sunday’s contest against the Broncos. Denver had three sacks in the 16-13 win.

For as much as the Broncos’ defense struggled early in the season, it toughened up against the Buccaneers. In seven of their 11 possessions, the Buccaneers had the ball for under 2:30. Only four of their possessions netted 37 yards or more. The other seven drives netted nine yards or fewer.

Beyond the stats, the Broncos defense simply stood firm. It didn’t get gashed. The tackling was better. The guys made plays when they needed to make them.

Perhaps most importantly, the Broncos showed they could be physical. They never let Bucs’ running back Ernest Graham get going. They allowed 38 yards to Warrick Dunn on one play; the rest of the game he had 36 yards on 10 carries.

Broncos’ cornerback Champ Bailey knocked Tampa Bay quarterback Brian Griese out of the game with a huge hit near the Bucs’ goal line.

The Broncos defense played tough on Sunday. And so did the offense did. The Broncos knew how good the Buccaneers defense was and is. They knew points would be at a premium.

Yet when Denver had to have a drive, the Broncos delivered. In a 6-6 game in the third quarter, they took advantage of great field position and Cutler found Brandon Stokley on a 10 yard touchdown pass to take the lead for good.

On their next possession, the Broncos went 62 yards in 14 plays, took 6:17 off the clock before Matt Prater hit a 27 yard field goal. Denver converted three third down situations before turning to Prater. The lead was 16-6 and with the defense playing as well as it was, the Broncos were in good shape.

The Broncos still have plenty of work to do. But so do a lot of other teams. Through five games, only one team in the AFC has a better record than the Broncos, and that team is the 5-0 Tennessee Titans.

Moreover, only two others team in the AFC are 4-1, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills. Most importantly, the Broncos again have a two-game lead over the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West.

It’s never too early to watch the standings. It’s never too early to be at or near the top of the conference. And it’s never a bad thing to win a game because you were just plain tough.

One last note. Congratulations to Broncos’ head coach Mike Shanahan. He became the seventeenth NFL head coach to record 150 wins. Outstanding.

What stood out for you in the Broncos win? I enjoy reading your comments. Thanks for reading and have a great week.

Best,
Mike

It’s called a season for a reason. All 16 games count. And the Broncos have to be glad for that.

With the win over the Titans on Monday night, the Broncos accomplished their first task of getting back to .500. Now, they have to keep it going.

One reason to think the Broncos can and will is the play of their defense. They have changed things up, they have made adjustments, and they have received more from young players who are developing.

While Vince Young isn’t the best quarterback in the NFL, he is dangerous. The Broncos didn’t let Young take over the game. They kept him and the Titans’ offense pretty well in check.

Another reason to think the Broncos can continue to play well is the emergence of the big play. For the first time in franchise history, the Broncos had four touchdowns of over 40 yards in one game.

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The Broncos can exhale again. A win enables a team to do that.

Shaking off their three-game losing streak, the Broncos flat-out got it done Sunday night against the Steelers.

It wasn’t a work of art by any means, but it was a win. And that is exactly what the Broncos needed.

Let me summarize all the qualifiers by simply saying the Broncos still have work to do. They still need to improve. But the fact is they played well enough to beat a very good Pittsburgh team.

More than anything, the Broncos played with passion. From their first drive when they answered Pittsburgh’s touchdown with one of their own, the Broncos showed life and energy and toughness that seemed to lack during the three-game losing streak.

Hats off to the Broncos defense. That unit made adjustments during the bye week and it showed.

The Broncos’ eight-man front seemed to be effective. They forced three turnovers, sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times and scored a touchdown. In addition, the Broncos held the vaunted Steelers’ rushing attack to 119 yards. And let’s not forget Champ Bailey didn’t even play.

On offense, touchdowns were the order of the evening in the red zone. That was a big-time step forward. Instead of settling for field goals, the Broncos kept the pressure on the Steelers all night by getting into the end zone.

And how impressive was Jay Cutler in the clutch again? When Denver had to have a drive at the end of the game, he delivered. I know, he’s still young, still learning and at times makes mistake but Cutler embraces the crucial moments and has shown an incredible ability to make plays with the game on the line. That is something you can’t teach.

The Broncos gave people reason to feel better. Now we’ll see if they can keep it up against the Packers.

What pleased you most about the Broncos win? I’d love to get your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

Best,
Mike

The Broncos’ 15-14 win over the Bills on Sunday was one of those games where it takes a little time sink in. After the excitement wears off, one is left to ask something along the lines of, “Did they REALLY just do what I think they did?”

It also shows that it doesn’t really matter how a team wins. The bottom line is the most important thing. The Broncos’ bottom line on Sunday against the Bills was a “W.” That’s all that counts.

I know it didn’t look pretty. The Broncos had plenty of opportunities to pile up the points. They outgained the Bills 470 yards to 184. The Broncos had a 171-112 yard edge in rushing yards. They held the Bills to 72 net yards passing.

And yet, the Broncos still found themselves scrambling to pull out an improbable victory on kicker Jason Elam’s 42-yard field goal as time expired.

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