Well, Bronco Country I am thrilled to say that the Broncos are NOT a lost cause and can win football games just as they did Sunday afternoon against Cincinnati at the newly named Sports Authority Field in Denver.It was a very close ending but the Broncos impressively maintained their lead the whole game. There were a few moments toward the end when I thought the Bengals would gain the lead but our defense once again saved our butts from another heartache.
There will always be mistakes in every game... we had too many holding penalties once again but the bottom line is we gutted out this win and we are now tied 1-1 with the Chargers & Raiders in the AFC West. The Chiefs are hopeless this year, which I find hysterical!
As for Denver, we aren't horrible as KC who have given up 89... yeah 89... points in TWO games. LOL LOL If only the Raiders would hop on that train.....
But Denver isn't great either, they're still somewhere in the middle trying to figure themselves out as a team and until they do, until they gel together, we're going to have some obvious problem areas. This never-ending injury bug isn't helping us either.
Onto the game highlights:
Offense:Kyle Orton was much better than last week against Oakland but for every game we keep putting in Orton, I'll always wonder how much of a difference could've made and that this is just one more game that we hold him back.
Orton managed to get some decent numbers - 15/25 for 195 yards, 2 TDs and get this 0 INTs (shocking I know, lol).
Willis McGahee got his first 100 yard game as a Bronco in 28 carries and a touchdown
Our homeboy Eric Decker is an answer to Denver's prayers as he once again was the highlight of the game (in my opinion) with 5 receptions for 113 yards & 2 flawless touchdowns. This kid is the bomb!! lol I can't wait for the game when we see him & Brandon Lloyd out there together making these nearly impossible catches, owning that field together.
Eddie Royal was getting off to a good start & had 2 catches for 18 yards before he injured his groin in the 2nd quarter and never returned to the field.After Royal left the game, Denver had an emergency WR situation and none other than Tim 'I can do anything' Tebow was put in the game for a few plays as receiver. A lot of people thought it was funny, and it is kind of comical to a point, but if you think about it... as critical as it was to put him in there, at least we had someone who could catch the ball if need be and is someone who is very tough to bring down.
Orton & Decker both lost fumbles which at the time let Cincy have a shot at getting into the game more.
All together, the offense put on a much better more appealing show for the full crowd in Denver. At least we know this offense CAN play decent football and win. There is some comfort in that for all Bronco fans.
Defense:
Rocked the house yesterday, plain & simple.
I wasn't able to watch the game but even I can tell that they weren't as exhausted & worn out as they were last week. The offense helped them balance out the game by doing their part, which in turn helps our defense do their jobs on the high level we expect them too.
Wesley Woodyard led the defense with 10 tackles & 3 assists... Joe Mays was a beast for the 5 tackles & 3 assists he got.
And at the very end of the game, when Cincinnati had the ball and kept moving down the field... our defense showed their true Blue & Orange colors when they put an end to the Bengals chances of trying for a FG let alone a touchdown.
The defense held their own. With about 1:03 left on the clock Dalton threw an incomplete... then on 2nd-10, Jonathan Wilhite made a game saving sack for a loss of 9 yards (made my day right there!)... 3-19 Woodyard blocked another pass which took the Bengals to 4-19, they had no choice but to go for it if they wanted that chance to get ahead & win.
Dalton made his last throw of the game.
I don't know how or why the Broncos always seem to put themselves in close games but it was a thriller to the end and it was definitely nice to see Denver get on the board, get ahead & maintain that lead. They let Cincy back in the game but not enough to get behind and have to really fight for that lead back.
The highlights are all I have to go on but they say enough... Denver wins it 24-22. I'll take it!!
Injury Update:Before the game, Denver knew they would be without 4 key players (Bailey, Doom, Moreno & Lloyd). Now added to that list is WR Eddie Royal, out for about 2-4 weeks with a groin injury. Its not his fault but this is the LAST thing we needed.
Lloyd may or may not return to the field next week when they take on the Titans on their first road game. I think if he gets out there in practice and can work out the kinks, he'll be ready to go Sunday. But as many injuries that we've had going on, I do not by any means want him or any of them to further aggravate their injuries. If he has to sit out one more week in order to be completely healthy, then by all means, that's what they should do.
TE Julius Thomas also left the game with an high ankle sprain and there is no update yet on how serious it may be. If its pretty bad, we're looking at being even more short-handed with our receiving corps. For his sake & ours, I hope its nothing major at all. We can't afford it.
And here's to hoping that at least Bailey will be Ok'd for the Titans match-up. Playing on the road against a team that loves to pass... we need our Champ!! The Titans will eat our secondary up alive. We need all the help we can get. Oh, heck get all our injured players back to health... where's my magic-heal-everyone wand?? lol
