Thankfully, style points don’t count in the NFL.
If they did, then the Broncos probably wouldn’t get credit for defeating the Bengals on Sunday.
There is something to be said for finding a way to win in the face of mounting adversity, which is exactly what the Broncos did against Cincinnati.
Let’s face it, this game was ripe with excuses had the Bengals rallied to win. The Broncos weren’t just banged up, they were downright depleted. When you’re playing one of your back-up quarterbacks at wide receivers, things have reached the desperation stage.
It was also one of those games that the Broncos have found ways to lose in recent years. But instead of folding up under the pressure, they bowed up, rose up and made plays down the stretch.
Oh no, it wasn’t pretty. Without a doubt, the Broncos have plenty of things to work on. And I’m still not sure how good they’ll be this year.
But they found a way to gut out a victory. That was impressive.
To overcome all the injuries and still win is no small feat. Going into the game, Champ Bailey, Elvis Dumervil, Knowshon Moreno, Brandon Lloyd, D.J. Williams, Marcus Thomas, Demaryius Thomas and Ty Warren were all on the shelf. Then Julius Thomas and Eddie Royal got hurt before halftime.
The result? Other guys stepped in and stepped up and led the Broncos to the win.
While starters have their positions for a reason—i.e., the coaches think they are the best players—second-and-third teamers are usually out to prove they can produce, too, when they get the opportunity.
Wesley Woodyard? Oh yeah, he brought it. He made a game-high 13 tackles. Cassius Vaughn? While not considered a back-up, he still upped the level of his game with Bailey out of action. Jonathan Wilhite? When did the Broncos last make a defensive play of that magnitude? Seemingly a long time ago.
Eric Decker? He is emerging as a bona fide, big-time player. They guy gets it done. Lance Ball? He provided a nice change of pace from Willis McGahee. Even head coach John Fox said on Monday that Ball probably should have received a few more touches.
By no means are the Broncos a finished product of football excellence. We know that. But that doesn’t in any way tarnish what they accomplished on Sunday.
This is what a good team does. A team finds a way to win a game regardless of circumstance.
After seeing the Broncos miss out on such opportunities in the last few years, I found it wonderful to see them come through this time.
What impressed you most about Sunday’s win? Thanks for reading and posting your thoughts.
Best,
Mike
Tags: Cincinnati Bengals
Great article again Mike,
I was most impressed by our run defense. Especially with Dalton having success in the air, I thought their pass game would set up Benson to pound it inside. Instead, we had key plays from guys like Bunkley (I think I’m his biggest fan on the blog), Mays, and Woodyard as you mentioned.
Decker was impressive but I’m not surprised at all. Out of college I knew he’d be a player in this league. His injury senior year killed his draft stock, otherwise he could have been a 1st-2nd round pick. With only two wideots and the secondary knowing he was being targeted, he still managed to get open and put the ball in the endzone.
Total team effort and regardless of who the opponent was, we found a way to gut out a victory despite being short-handed all night.
Nice Article Mike,
I could not agree more! Happy about the win and they way they did it! Also was very impressed with Cassius Vaughn. His incredible speed stopping a SURE TD was very impressive to say the least!
THANKS MIKE!
GO BRONCOS!!!
Afternoon Mr. Rice!
You mentioned it and I agree, the most impressive aspect was the fact that the team was able to pull out that type of win after seeing these type of games go the wrong way for our beloved Broncos!
I’ve asked once already, I shall ask again. Did the Bengals receive 4 second half timeouts? I heard it mentioned and nothing since!
Mike, I think this week you pretty summed it up as well as anyone could.
sndvl, I remember that during the game but since we won that issue is no big deal obviously.
I had a smile on my face with Joe Mays’ play Sunday…Progression in progress.
new blog
Jim thanks again for your insite. A win is a win, if it`s down right ugly. Hey I`ll take it.
ooops sorry Mike Rice, Thanks MIKE FOR YOUR INSITE!! My mistake!!
It was an impressive victory .. even tho it was one that coulda easily been a loss. All we can ask from this team is improvement and I saw some on da line.
sndvl I thought that as well … people have mentioned it as well but I think they said they used a time out when they didn’t. after the dalton scramble where vaughn didn’t hit him … fox was trying to challenge but couldn’t … I think there was a miscommunication there that they called a time out … dunno .. either way glad it aint cost us the game. TRB
Thanks to all for weighing in.
sndvl…as far as the timeout situation, I believe at one point, Cincinnati called a timeout but then it was not charged because a play was being reviewed. The Bengals still had that particular timeout to use, which they ended up using.
Mike
I agree, that is a definitive recap of the game.
I feel like our lines are improving somewhat. If we can keep moving forward, with both units becoming more cohesive, we might have something. Also, I was just so glad to have a single player 100-yard run game. Seems like it has been forever since we had one of those.
After last weeks loss i came on here and totally put down our offensive cordinater. I think i said something along the lines of “who is calling these Sh*ty plays” because last week i couldn’t remember seeing us run the ball back to back on any drive it was like the run didn’t work on the first play so then we passed it 13 times before we would try to run it again. I think that even if the run isn’t working you have to keep doing it or else the defense won’t stay honest.
So I am proud of our OC this week. He did Not give up on the run even when it wasn’t working out he still stuck to it…Getting first downs off it on third down. and all that was great to see. 28 carries for 101 yds at 3. somthing avg. is not real good for a running game. but you stick with it and keep the defense honest and it opens up plays for you.
Hopefully when we get our WR’s back we can still stick to that game plan.
Do you know how hard it is to pirouette?…I’m not sure if the surface at Sports Authority is grass — I assume it is. Watching the game on streaming internet, there was a brief shot that showed the Bronco Cheerleaders pirouette as a group. I was pretty impressed.
There was a point in the game, where the Broncos scored to take back the lead, and I looked at the clock. I couldn’t believe how much time was left on the clock — I think it was the middle of the second quarter. Simply way too much time to be comfortable with a lead. I know it sounds silly to be unaware of the clock to not realize that there was still over two quarters left to play — perhaps it is a result of being away from the game as a viewer. I remained keenly aware of the tension and stress, sustained over a long time period performed by the athletes at the professional level. Truly worthy of admiration. I am a composer, and am beginning my fourth opera. The libretto is going to be a text in Ancient Greek, and so I’ve been familiarizing myself with Ancient Greek words. They actually have a word for, “struggle for victory”.
αγωνηα — agonia. I am saying that the word the Ancient Greeks used for “struggle for victory,” is also the word they used for agony. But there is something else that is also interesting. It is a word that also means, “of the mind.” Best wishes, Broncos, to you in Nashville!
one-way-links…
[...]Find A Way « DenverBroncos.com[...]…
tumblr search…
[...]Find A Way « DenverBroncos.com[...]…