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Posts Tagged ‘Key Plays’

Broncos vs. Saints: Key Plays

October 29th, 2012 - 12:08am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Third-and-3 from the New Orleans 27: Linebacker Danny Trevathan set the tone early for the Broncos defense, diving in front of a pass from Drew Brees intended for tight end Jimmy Graham to knock the ball away.

Third-and-6 from the New Orleans 27: With the Broncos driving in Saints territory, quarterback Peyton Manning found tight end Jacob Tamme for a 6-yard completion to extend the drive. Knowing where the first-down mark was, Tamme, dove forward to pick up the extra yard to move the chains.

Fourth-and-2 from the Denver 47: After calling a timeout, the Saints elected to go for it on fourth down near midfield. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard leaped in the air to intercept Brees’ pass and give the ball back to the Broncos. Denver took the lead and never looked back on the ensuing possession.

Third-and-1 from the Denver 16: Coming out of the locker room after halftime, the Broncos were looking to extend their lead. A stop would have held the team to a three-and-out and given the Saints momentum, but instead running back Willis McGahee plowed forward for a 3-yard gain and kept the drive going. Eight plays later, Manning hit Demaryius Thomas for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 24-7 lead.

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Broncos at Chargers: Key Plays

October 16th, 2012 - 4:35am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Third-and-16 from the 50: What began as a third-and-1 turned into a third-and-16 thanks to a false start then a holding penalty against the Broncos. In the end, it didn’t matter as quarterback Peyton Manning found Tight End Jacob Tamme open down the sidelie for a 25-yard gain. Four plays later, Manning hit wide receiver Eric Decker for a 7-yard touchdown to bring Denver to within a field goal at 24-21 early in the fourth quarter.

Third-and-8 from the San Diego 31: Trying to add to the Chargers’ slim lead, quarterback Philip Rivers dropped back to pass. But, cornerback Tony Carter stepped in front of his intended target, Robert Meachem, to come up with his first career interception. After a 15-yard return to midfield, the Broncos offense took its first lead of the night when Manning connected with wide receiver Brandon Stokley from 21 yards out to give Denver a 28-24 lead with 9:03 to play in the game.

Third-and-7 from the Denver 41: With the Chargers driving into Denver territory looking to retake the lead, cornerback Chris Harris intercepted Rivers’ pass intended for Eddie Royal. The pick stopped San Diego’s scoring threat and gave the ball back to the Broncos offense.

Fourth-and-16 from the San Diego 41: Any hopes of a miraculous comeback by the Chargers were put to rest when defensive end Elvis Dumervil strip-sacked Rivers for the second time of the game. Safety Mike Adams pounced on the loose ball and two Manning kneeldowns later, the Broncos were headed home with the victory.

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Broncos at Patriots: Key Plays

October 8th, 2012 - 1:10am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Third-and-5 from the Denver 47: Hoping to sustain the Broncos’ opening drive, quarterback Peyton Manning targeted wide receiver Demaryius Thomas deep downfield. The third-year receiver made the catch and took the ball all the way to the New England 18-yard line, but was stripped from behind. The Patriots recovered the fumble, ending the Broncos chances of taking the lead right out of the gates.

Third-and-5 from the Denver 47: Facing the same down and distance from the same line of scrimmage as its opening possession, the Broncos offense looked to extend its second drive of the game. This time, Manning was sacked, forcing Denver to punt the ball over to New England. This time, the Patriots capitalized and marched down the field for their first score of the game.

Third-and-1 from the New England 25: Needing just one yard for the first down, Manning handed to running back Willis McGahee. The veteran charged through the line and extended the ball forward as he was being tackled near the first-down mark. The play was ruled a first down on the field, but the Patriots challenged the spot. After a replay, the call stood and four snaps later, Manning found tight end Joel Dreessen for a 1-yard touchdown to tie the score at 7.

Third-and-10 from the New England 20: After the equalizing touchdown, the Broncos defense had the Patriots in a third-and-long situation. Instead of a three-and-out, quarterback Tom Brady hit wide receiver Wes Welker for a 14-yard gain to give the drive life. The Patriots wound up scoring on a 1-yard run by Shane Vereen to take a lead that they never relinquished.

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Broncos vs. Raiders: Key Plays

September 30th, 2012 - 7:30pm by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Third-and-6 from the Denver 24: After the Broncos’ first two plays from scrimmage yielded just four yards, the team was faced with an early third down to stay on the field. Quarterback Peyton Manning hit wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who then ran for a 26-yard gain to midfield to extend the drive. The offense continued marching down the field and culminated the possession with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Manning to tight end Joel Dreessen.

Fourth-and-1 from the Oakland 40: The Broncos chose to pass on what would have been a 58-yard field goal attempt, and instead went for it on fourth down on their opening series. The gamble paid off as Manning hit tight end Jacob Tamme for an 8-yard gain to the Raiders 22-yard line. Manning hit Dreessen in the end zone on the next play to give Denver a 7-0 lead.

Third-and-1 from the Denver 29: Denver’s second drive of the game started much like its first, needing a third-down conversion to stay on the field. Manning found Tamme for a 10-yard pickup to keep the possession alive. The Broncos took it all the way down to the Oakland 3, before Matt Prater kicked a field goal to give Denver a 10-3 advantage.

Third-and-3 from the Denver 6: The Broncos defense came up with a big stop at the end of the second quarter as Oakland had driven deep into Denver territory. The defense forced the Raiders to settle for a field goal as Sebastian Janikowski converted the 24-yard attempt to keep the score in favor of Denver at the end of the first half, 10-6.

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Broncos vs. Texans: Key Plays

September 23rd, 2012 - 9:03pm by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Third-and-10 from the Houston 20: Quarterback Peyton Manning’s third-down pass to running back Willis McGahee was caught, but he was tackled 4 yards short of the first-down mark. Kicker Matt Prater came on and converted the 32-yard field goal to put Denver ahead 5-0, but the Broncos would have liked to get seven, not three out of the drive that followed a safety.

Third-and-4 from the Houston 9: With Houston backed up deep in its own territory, running back Arian Foster picked up 8 yards to extend the Texans’ drive. Eleven plays later, Foster caught a pass from quarterback Matt Schaub in the flat and ran into the end zone to give the Texans a 14-5 lead.

Third-and-9 from the Denver 38: Driving late in the first half, Schaub targeted wide receiver Kevin Walter as he was being hit by Dumervil. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard jumped the route and made the one-handed interception – the second of his career. That turnover thwarted the Texans’ drive and led to a 53-yard field goal by Matt Prater at the end of the half.

Third-and-7 from the Denver 33: Manning found wide receiver Eric Decker open deep down the field for a 36-yard catch into Houston territory, but the play was negated due to a holding penalty. Guard Manny Ramirez was flagged on the play and instead of a long gain on third down, it created a third-and-17. After an incomplete pass, the Broncos were forced to punt.

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Broncos at Falcons: Key Plays

September 18th, 2012 - 4:15am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Third-and-12 from the Denver 12: Peyton Manning’s pass intended for tight end Jacob Tamme was intercepted by Falcons safety William Moore and returned 33 yards to the Denver 1-yard line. Three plays later, running back Michael Turner jumped over the pile and crossed the goal line to give Atlanta the early lead.

Second-and-11 from the Denver 27: For the second time in the team’s first two possessions, Manning’s pass was intercepted by a Falcons safety. Thomas DeCoud came down with the deep pass and returned it 15 yards to the Broncos 43-yard line. Denver’s defense held Atlanta to one first down on its ensuring drive and the Falcons settled for a Matt Bryant field goal.

First-and-10 from the Atlanta 40: With the Broncos driving into Falcons territory, Manning’s pass again wound up in the wrong hands. This time it was Robert McClain who picked off the deep pass and returned it to the Atlanta 47-yard line, ending a potential scoring drive.

Third-and-9 from the Atlanta 48: Following the third interception, Atlanta had the ball with prime field position to add to its lead. On third down, safety Mike Adams tipped Matt Ryan’s pass, forcing it to fall harmlessly to the turf. The officials threw a flag for defensive pass interference, but Head Coach John Fox challenged the call, which would eventually be overturned to force a fourth-down punt.

First-and-10 from the Atlanta 45: After starting with solid field position of its own, the Denver offense turned over the football for the fourth time in the opening quarter. Running back Knowshon Moreno fumbled the football and after much discussion, it was ruled that Atlanta had recovered. The Falcons converted that turnover into another Bryant field goal to go ahead 20-0 early in the second quarter.

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Broncos vs. Steelers: Key Plays

September 10th, 2012 - 1:46am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Below are some key plays for both teams in Denver’s 31-19 season-opening win vs. Pittsburgh at Sports Authority Field at Mile High:

Third-and-12 at the 50 (11:30, 1st quarter): With Peyton Manning looking sharp on the opening drive of the game, Denver’s offense had momentum before Larry Foote broke into the backfield to sack Manning on third down and force a punt.

Third-and-1 at the Denver 49 (7:21, 1st quarter): Denver started its second drive of the game with good field position at its 40-yard line, but couldn’t convert a third-and-short. McGahee fumbled the football, turning it over to Pittsburgh in Denver territory.

Third-and-13 at the Denver 36 (3:35, 1st quarter): With the Steelers on the edge of field goal range, rookie defensive end Derek Wolfe collected his first career sack. Wolfe dropped quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for a 9-yard loss to force a Pittsburgh punt.

Third-and-13 at the Denver 21 (1:04, 2nd quarter): Facing his second third-and-long of the drive, Roethlisberger found wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders for a 17-yard gain down to the Denver 4-yard line to extend the drive. The Steelers scored three plays later when tight end Heath Miller caught a 3-yard pass to take a 10-7 lead at the half.

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Broncos vs. Steelers: Key Plays

January 9th, 2012 - 12:41am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Third-and-12 at the Denver 18 (14:56, 2nd quarter): After a 21-yard pass to Eric Decker was overturned via instant replay challenge, momentum seemed to be on Pittsburgh’s side. Denver faced a third-and-long from deep in its own territory trailing 6-0, but this was the play that swung the momentum back to the home side as Tim Tebow found Demaryius Thomas deep down the left sideline for a 51-yard gain. The big play set up Tebow’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Royal two plays later that gave Denver a 7-6 lead.

Second-and-10 at the Pittsburgh 20 (13:21, 2nd quarter): Ben Roethlisberger connected on a 52-yard pass to Mike Wallace, but the Broncos successfully challenged the ruling. Instead of a long gain into Denver territory, Pittsburgh faced a third-and-10 and would go three-and-out, turning the ball back to the Broncos.

Second-and-7 at the Denver 30 (12:15, 2nd quarter): The Tebow-to-Thomas connection struck again, this time for 58 yards. Again, two plays after the long pass play, the Broncos found the end zone. This time, Tebow kept it himself and charged up the middle for an 8-yard rushing score to give the Broncos a 14-6 advantage.

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Broncos vs. Chiefs: Key Plays

January 1st, 2012 - 7:21pm by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

Third-and-4 at the Kansas City 15 (8:47, 2nd quarter): Quarterback Tim Tebow saw an opening on the left side, but was hit and stripped by Chiefs safety Kendrick Lewis. Linebacker Justin Houston fell on the loose ball, thwarting a potential Broncos scoring drive.

Third-and-6 at the Kansas City 36 (11:05, 4th quarter): Tebow scrambled on third down while looking for a receiver downfield, but was brought down for a loss of 9 yards by Houston and Chiefs defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry. The 9-yard loss took Denver from the Kansas City 36 back to the 45-yard line, taking the team out of field goal range.

Third-and-9 at the Kansas City 12 (5:53, 4th quarter): Chiefs quarterback Kyle Orton found rookie wideout Jonathan Baldwin for a 15-yard gain to extend the drive. Instead of punting from deep in its own territory with more than five minutes to play, Kansas City was able to run nearly two more minutes off the clock and drive to their its 46-yard line before punting.

Fourth-and-2 at the Denver 48 (0:19, 4th quarter): Tebow’s desperation fourth-down pass was intercepted by Kansas City cornerback Brandon Carr, ending the Broncos final drive of the game. The Chiefs took over with :08 remaining and Orton took a knee to end the game.

-Stuart Zaas

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Broncos at Bills: Key Plays

December 24th, 2011 - 7:56pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

Second-and-10 at the Denver 27 (12:20, 1st quarter): Willis McGahee took his second carry of the game and made it count, sprinting 24 yards up the field. That put him over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, making him the second player in NFL history to run for 1,000 yards with three different franchises, joining Ricky Watters. It also jump-started the Broncos’ first offensive possession, an 11-play drive capped off by a 1-yard Tim Tebow touchdown run.

Fourth-and-8 at the Denver 10 (6:10, 2nd quarter): After a false start penalty, Dave Rayner lined up for a 28-yard field goal. He had already missed two attempts wide left earlier in the game – a 45-yarder and a 31-yarder. But the kicker knocked this one through the uprights – the first of four he would make in the game – to give Buffalo its first points of the contest.

Third-and-1 at the Denver 30 (4:56, 2nd quarter): Jeremiah Johnson is stopped for no gain by two Bills, forcing a punt. It marks Denver’s fourth consecutive three-and-out after their opening-drive touchdown. This one is costly, as Britton Colquitt’s 50-yard punt is fielded by Leodis McKelvin, who sprints up the sideline for an 80-yard return touchdown. It gave Buffalo its first lead, 10-7. McKelvin set a Bills single-game franchise record with 135 punt return yards on the day.

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