After a huge victory in Oakland over the hated Raiders, the Denver Broncos flew to KC to seek another big division win and got it, 17-10.
Denver moved up one spot in the division and is neck 'n neck with the Chargettes & Chiefs.
This Thursday's night showdown vs. the Jets in Denver will be a defining moment in the AFC West. If Denver can claim their 3rd consecutive win, we will be breathing down Oakland's neck who (disgustingly) sits atop our crazy unpredictable division.
As for the game itself... wild. I missed the whole thing but was able to record & then watch it and it was just wild to see us pull off such a run-heavy game. I think its very funny yet coincidental that for so many years after Elway retired we were such a pass-heavy team & couldn't run the ball to save our lives. Now we've become just the opposite. Denver fans have begged for our historical run game to come back from the days we had the likes of Terrell 'TD' Davis running the ball, and we got our wish, big time.
Offense:
They dominated the game. Tebow took the reigns of our offense & got things done. The score may not reflect the domination I saw in the game from our offense but I think they were amazing to watch on the field. 55 ru
shing attempts for a mind-blowing 244 freakin' yards!!! That's nuts!!Whatever works, I'll take it. The fact that Denver pulled it off and was running down KC's throat and never let up, I don't care how silly or crazy the critics think we are. Fact is IT WORKED!! And the game plan we had in KC will not be the same next time we face each other or for another opponent.
As for Tim Tebow...
Tebow CAN throw, its just a matter of him improving immensely on his mechanics & accuracy to become an elite QB in the NFL.
But the fact that critics have repeatedly said we can't pull off this read-option system in the NFL, they are being proven wrong. Granted we haven't played the Patriots yet with that system, a much better team than KC but the fact remains Tebow is the most driven, motivated & determined football player I've seen in a very long time and he'll do what it takes to lead this team to many wins, most likely running the ball.
I like that our Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy is adjusting our offense to each game. Mix it up by all means, PLEASE!! Give Tebow more trick plays to work with, I know he could pull them off.
My only MAJOR concern with this run-heavy offense they have put in place is that they will end up putting all their focus into what works for Tebow & the offense and forget about putting just as much focus on helping #15 be a better, more accurate passer.
Not getting him the help he needs for that big weakness of his will only continue to hurt him in the long run.
As for his 8 passes on Sunday, at least 2 of those that were incompletes should have been caught & those missed chances are on the receivers, NOT Tebow. Earlier in the game he had a beautiful long pass to Decker and the ball may have wobbled through the air, it was a very catchable pass and there's no excuse for why Decker didn't haul that one in.
Tebow also had another decent pass to Eddie Royal that was incomplete. Not a pretty pass but again, very catchable. Those 2 missed chances are on the receivers, IMHO.
Tebow's only 2 completions out of 8 pass attempts all game long belong to Willis & the game-securing TD pass to Decker who made up for his earlier missed opportunity. A gorgeous 56-yard pass and #87 took the rest of the way. Best play of the game, by far.
As for our much-talked about run game. I love that we had so many people in there to run the ball.
Lance Ball was just 4 yards away from a 100-yard game with 30 attempts for 96 yards. Ball became the main go-to guy after Denver took a big hit to their big run game... losing both McGahee & Moreno to injuries early on.
After they both left & never returned to the field, Ball took over and Fullback Spencer Larsen got a few more chances than normal to r
un the ball. Eddie Royal had a few carries and of course, Tebow had a few himself, namely on the Broncos' first drive of the game. Denver got down to KC's 7-yard line and Tebow ran it in to take the lead that Denver maintained all game long.Our offense had a big day in KC. Will be very interesting to see what they do on Thursday night vs. the Jets.
Defense:
Our D was solid, shutting down KC in the entire first half - didn't allow any points at all for the first half. Was very impressed with our defense there.
Rookie Von Miller continues to be our little firecracker leading the defense in sacks by adding 1.5 from KC. I love this kid!! Such a beast on that field. Once again, Von-Doom attacked Cassel together each earning half a sack. I hope they can become more dominant with each & every game. Ryan McBean & DJ Williams also had big sacks on Cassel, with a team total of 4 with a total loss of 16 yards.
DJ Williams also caused a forced fumble, which was recovered by former Bronco now Chief, Casey Wiegmann.
Undrafted FA Chris Harris has become a surprise winner for our defense as he led the team with Joe Mays in tackles, 8 each (solo).
Was very pleased overall with our defense.
Special Teams:
The main thing I noticed were several of the punts, they were short enough that our guys were able to run down the field fast enough to stop the ball from bouncing into the end zone so that KC would have to start their drive from inside the 10.
It happened at least 3 times that I can remember. I think that was a huge playmaker for our defense to stop them from getting very far down field. There was one play that was the beginning of one of KC's drives that they were close enough to the end zone that had Cassel held on to the ball for just 2 more seconds, Von Miller would have gotten a sack on him but also a safety. Miller came flying at him. Again I love that kid! Keep it up!
Injuries:
We took a pretty big hit early on in KC when we lost both McGahee & Moreno in the game.
McGahee went out first with a pulled left hamstring. He's been in practice but I doubt he'll play on Thursday night & if he does it will be very little. I'd rather have him sit this one out and rest so that he's ready for our 2nd match-up with San Diego. We need McGahee for that one more than the Jets game.
Knowshon Moreno is most likely done for the season, as he will need surgery on his injured left knee and Denver said he will be placed on IR causing the Broncos to bring Jeremiah Johnson up from the practice squad. I feel for Moreno, he's had a tough season with too many injuries but I think Johnson will be a good fit for our run-away offense.
Also another concern is Ryan Clady. He left the game in the 2nd half and never returned. Can't remember what the injury was but
we can't lose him. Our Oline was awesome on Sunday, they really came through for Tebow, of course its much easier when your QB never throws the ball but still they did their jobs. Hope to get more info on his injury.Broncos Nominated for Awards:
Rookie Von Miller is nominated for the NFL Pepsi Rookie of the Week Award for his 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss yardage and 4 quarterback hits in the rival game against the Chiefs.
Miller also leads all the rookies in the NFL and is tied at 7th among all the other defensive players for sacks, he has 8 on this season.
Be sure to vote for him!!
In addition, the big Tebow to Decker 56-yard TD PASS is nominated for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Week Award. Vote! Vote! Vote!
Denver won this award a few weeks ago with their wild last minute win over Miami.
Videos:
Here are several highlights from the game. Enjoy!
Tebow to Decker for 4th quarter 56-yard TD pass
Split sack for Von-Doom
DJ Williams sack & forced fumble
Ryan McBean sack on Cassel
Miller gets sack on Cassel
Tebow runs in 7-yard Touchdown
Moreno runs 24 yards
22-yard run by Moreno; Injured on play
This last video is a rewind in time. The 1998 AFC Championship was a crazy crazy crazy match-up between the Broncos & Jets. I thought this would be fun to see ahead of our Thursday night game against New York. Brings back memories... that Shannon Sharpe is a funny man! lol
So fun seeing Elway, Sharpe, Davis, R. Smith, McCaffrey out there playing. Gotta love those Super Bowl days.............