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Posts Tagged ‘What Went Right’

What Went Right, What Went Wrong: Kansas City

December 30th, 2012 - 9:18pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

WHAT WENT RIGHT

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The Broncos dominated Sunday’s game from start to finish, outgaining the Chiefs by 369 total yards. Denver racked up 38 points on offense and officially kept the Chiefs out of the end zone in the 2012 season.

The defense also held Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles to just 53 rushing yards. Quarterback Brady Quinn had just 49 passing yards and was sacked four times.

WHAT WENT WRONG

ONE TURNOVER

With Denver driving, up 7-0, running back Ronnie Hillman took a carry off the right tackle for 4 yards — but coughed up the football. Cornerback Brandon Flowers returned the fumble 64 yards to the Denver 12-yard line.

Hillman did not receive any carries after the play. Head Coach John Fox was asked if that was because of the rookie’s fumble.

“I would say that is fair,” he said.

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What Went Right, What Went Wrong: Cleveland

December 23rd, 2012 - 8:54pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Record-Setting Win

Several records were set in Sunday’s win against the Browns. First and foremost, linebacker Von Miller set a new franchise, single-season record with 17.5 sacks.

Next up, quarterback Peyton Manning tied Brett Favre for the most career games in NFL history with at least three touchdown passes. Both players have 72.

In addition, wide receiver Eric Decker’s two touchdowns Sunday gave him 19 over the past two seasons. That total ties the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a two-year span, with that mark previously shared by Rod Smith and Anthony Miller.

Fast Start

The Broncos wasted no time jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and a 14-3 lead at halftime before leading by as much as 25 in the fourth quarter.

The opening drive was fueled by the Manning to Demaryius Thomas connection. Thomas caught three passes on the eight-play drive for 57 yards — including a diving 22-yard touchdown.

“We always talk about starting fast,” Thomas said. “This is my first time, for me, starting that fast as an individual. We started fast as an offense and defense started fast, everything was clicking.”

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What Went Right, What Went Wrong: Baltimore

December 16th, 2012 - 8:25pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

WHAT WENT RIGHT

No Turnovers

For the first time this season, the Broncos finished a game without turning the ball over a single time.

“I thought that was pretty significant,” quarterback Peyton Manning said. “We’d love to keep that going.”

Meanwhile, the Denver defense grabbed two takeaways — a fumble forced by defensive tackle Justin Bannan and recovered by safety Rahim Moore along with an interception that cornerback Chris Harris returned 98 yards for a touchdown.

“We knew that turnovers were going to be important in this game,” Head Coach John Fox said. “We ended up plus-2. It’s something that Baltimore’s done a tremendous job of taking the ball away and not giving it up. They’re plus-12 on the season.”

Bottling Up Playmakers

With Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin coming off a two-touchdown game and running back Ray Rice fresh off a 100-yard effort against the Washington Redskins, the Broncos knew slowing down those two playmakers would be paramount if they wanted to leave M&T Bank Stadium with a win.

By the end of Sunday’s game, Rice had just 38 yards on 12 carries and only 3 yards through the air on three catches. Boldin, meanwhile, was targeted six times. He didn’t have a single reception.

“We shut the run down,” Bannan said. “We set the tone in the first half and kind of went from there.”

Baltimore’s other big-time receiver, Torrey Smith, had just one catch for 14 yards.

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What Went Right, What Went Wrong: Oakland

December 7th, 2012 - 2:12am by Sam DavisOther posts by

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Wide Outs Getting Involved
Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas were both effective in Thursday night’s game. Decker caught eight passes for 88 yards and Thomas caught five for 83.

“I thought Decker played great,” quarterback Peyton Manning said. “I thought we had a good mix of routes to him. We put him in the slot some when Demaryius is down or Stokley is not playing as many plays, Decker is our versatile guy. He plays inside or outside. He had eight catches or something today and I thought that was really key for him. I thought he provided some matchup problems for them.”

Thomas missed some time in the second quarter with a shoulder injury, but came back for a strong second half to catch three passes for 52 yards. His biggest catch of the game came on a third-and-4 with less than four minutes to go. Manning hit Thomas for an 11-yard gain to move the chains the offense would run the clock out from there.

Winning the Turnover Battle
Head Coach John Fox preaches week in and week out the importance of winning the turnover battle. On Thursday night, the Broncos did just that, finishing with a margin of +1.

While the Raiders were able to turn a second-quarter Peyton Manning interception into a touchdown, linebacker Von Miller’s third-quarter strip sack was one of the key plays in the win.

With the Raiders backed up inside their own 15-yard line, Miller came from the blind side and hit quarterback Carson Palmer to jar the ball loose. Defensive tackle Mitch Unrein covered it up, and two snaps later Denver was in the end zone with a 23-7 lead.

Along with cornerback Champ Bailey’s second-quarter interception that Denver turned into three points, the Broncos won points-off-turnovers battle as well.

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What Went Right, What Went Wrong: Tampa Bay

December 2nd, 2012 - 8:48pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The Manning-to-Thomas Connection
Quarterback Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas connected for 99 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. The first score came with a defensive back seemingly draped all over Thomas.

“I threw that ball as early as you can throw a pass,” Manning said afterward. “I threw that ball super early and Demaryius came around, kind of came right around the DB and made a heck of a catch. That was really a special play.”

The second touchdown was equally as impressive, as Thomas beat double coverage for the 10-yard catch in the end zone.

“I knew if he was going to check me, he wasn’t going to be able to stop be from cutting across his face and getting to where I needed to be,” Thomas said of the linebacker covering him before a safety came to help. “Peyton put the ball in a great spot and I made a play.”

The Von Miller Show
The AFC’s reigning Defensive Player of the Month kept up his hot play of late against the Buccaneers. He tied for the team lead with seven tackles, sacked Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman, forcing a fumble on the same play, and intercepted him. He returned the pick 26 yards for a defensive touchdown.

“Defensive player of the year,” defensive end Elvis Dumervil said of his teammate. “For sure. What he has been doing, not only sacks, pressures, the impact he has had on the game, he should definitely be a strong candidate.”

The Third Quarter
Through 11 games this season, the fourth quarter has been Denver’s sweet spot. The Broncos have outscored opponents 124-37 in the frame.

On Sunday, it was the third quarter when Denver did its damage.

Both of Thomas’ touchdowns and Miller’s defensive score came during the third quarter. The 21-point outburst turned a 10-7 deficit into a 28-10 lead, which proved too much for the Buccaneers to overcome.

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