Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Paige: Broncos' defense puts Kansas City
Chiefs in deep freeze
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
December 1, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The defense rested at 10:26 p.m. Sunday night. The verdict
was in before the trial was over.
It wasn't a shutout by the Broncos, but the defense put the deep freeze on Kansas
City.
The Orange crushed the Chiefs, restricting and restraining them to a not-so-grand
total of 151 meager yards in their own house.
Through three quarters, the Chiefs had 66 yards on offense. It was rout 66.
Errorhead Stadium, which held the noise-decibel record briefly last season, was
hushed up throughout, and it was nearly empty midway through the fourth quarter
on the cold-as-ice, end-of-November evening.
The Broncos permitted just 16 points, their lowest yield of the season.
Broncos coach John Fox said, "It's only fun when you win."
Sunday night was fun for these Broncos. Be aware of, and beware of, DeMarcus
Ware and this defense — which is missing two cornerbacks and two linebackers, but
keep on playing remarkably well. John Elway spent more than $100 million during
the offseason to improve the Broncos' defense.
He got his money's worth Sunday night, starting with Ware and continuing with
Win-where-why-what-and-Ward.
The Broncos' Force Field has given up 17, 20, 17, 17, 17, 21, 17, 22 and now 16
points in nine games. Those numbers are right out of the 1977 Broncos' defensive
playbook, when coordinator Joe Collier posted a big "17" in the team meeting room,
signifying the Broncos should not be lighted up for more than that number.
The 2014 version allowed only 30-something to the Miami Dolphins a week ago.
With a similar symphony in Orange, the Broncos can win in San Diego and
Cincinnati, and even in New England and Glendale, Ariz.
The offense and Peyton Manning have been the Broncos' workhorses all season.
The defense carried the heavy load again Sunday.
Here are some of the things the Broncos did against the Chiefs:
Jamaal Charles, one of the premier running backs in the NFL, was held to 35 yards
on 10 runs. K.C. wound up with 41 yards on the hard ground. The Broncos are the
best team in the league against the run. Ask around.
Quarterback Alex Smith, who is known for managing a game and scrambling when
in trouble and rarely throwing an interception, was picked off, was sacked six times,
was held to 15 completions for 153 yards and most of those yards were
meaningless late in the game.
Smith did throw two touchdown passes, but seldom hurt the Broncos with his arm
and never with his legs. His long-gainer was five yards.
Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe might as well have spent the night barbecuing in the
parking lot. Two receptions for 18 yards.
The Chiefs were pathetic on offense, but Denver was the guilty party.
Here are some more things:
The Chiefs were 1-of-9 on third down. They had two rushing first downs. Smith was
sacked for losses of 43 yards. The average-per-pass attempt was, ugh, 3.8 yards.
They didn't make a first down until past the middle of the second quarter. They had
negative offensive yardage a long time into the game and not long before the
Broncos had finished scoring on their first four offensive possessions.
At halftime, the Chiefs had four first downs, 59 net yards and seven points.
Ware looked like he was everywhere — finishing with a sack (he could have been
credited with half-sacks twice more) and, get this, the third interception of his
notable career. For the second time in Kansas City games this year, Terrance "Pot
Roast" Knighton batted a pass with his ham-hock hand, and this one deflected to
Ware.
Playing without cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Kayvon Webster, plus linebackers
Danny Trevathan and Nate Irving, the Broncos never let up.
This is a defense team Clarence Darrow and Randy Gradishar would be proud of.
Kiszla: What C.J. Anderson means to the
Broncos
By Mark Kiszla
The Denver Post
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At 38 years old, Peyton Manning's arm is not always as strong
as a stiff breeze.
But here's the good news: Maybe it doesn't matter, especially when C.J. Anderson
is giving everybody in Broncos Country flashbacks of Terrell Davis. Now there's a
sweet Rocky Mountain high.
On a brutally cold Sunday night in Kansas City, where a nasty wind out of the north
dropped the wind chill at kickoff to 14 degrees, the heartwarming story of Denver's
29-16 victory was Anderson.
It has long been my theory: If Denver absolutely needs Manning to be its best
player week in and week out, the Broncos will never survive the long, cold road to
the Super Bowl and win the NFL title.
Problem solved.
The unlikely hero to the rescue is Anderson. Through eight games of the 2014
season, the stout 5-foot-8 tailback gained an unspectacular 82 yards. Total.
Anderson patiently waited for his opportunity, as the Broncos ran the fool's errands
of trying to prove Montee Ball is a better draft choice than Eddie Lacy and Ronnie
Hillman can be an every-down back in the NFL.
In the second half of this season, however, Anderson could prove to be the team's
most valuable player.
Is he as talented as Manning, receiver Demaryius Thomas or linebacker Von Miller?
Absolutely not. But he gives the fancy-pants Broncos an edge, a needed dose of
mean and a different way to win when Peyton is less than perfect.
"Just running hard. Just letting people feel my story. Just being that tough, nasty
running back that the O-line loves," Anderson said. "It feels so good when you're
running through people and the O-line is saying: 'Dude, great run!' "
The Broncos use a delightfully cheesy motivational tool at their Dove Valley
headquarters. The team's player of the week is awarded the prime parking spot in a
lot filled with the automotive toys of rich, young athletes. It's perfect, because it
rewards athletes in the same way you see at your neighborhood fast-food joint or
local bank. Good work gets the benefit of fewer steps from the car to the office.
If anybody could use a lighter load on his feet, it's Anderson.
After gaining 167 rushing yards against a solid Miami defense in a start prior to
Thanksgiving, Anderson proved it was no fluke by ripping the Kansas City defense
for 168 yards on the ground. It required 32 tough carries.
"You don't count your carries. But when you hear 32 after the game, you go: 'Woo,
that really happened?' And I know I'm going to feel all 32 in the morning,"
Anderson said.
During the throes of a recent slump, which saw the Broncos drop games at New
England and St. Louis as their status as Super Bowl favorite got tossed in the
dumpster, Manning repeatedly shouldered the responsibility, with the veteran
quarterback going out of his way to say he stunk and needed to play better.
It was a laudable act by Manning. But what Denver really needed to get back on
the championship track was to find a way to win with Manning beginning to
comfortably show signs of age.
Manning did not stink against Kansas City. But he was not remarkable in the way
that had made him the league's MVP five times in his amazing career. His passes
sometimes wobbled in the wind. He completed 17-of-34 attempts for a pedestrian
179 yards.
But it did not matter, and Denver again revealed the Chiefs as championship
frauds, with smash-mouth football that would make Vince Lombardi proud. The
Broncos frequently broke the huddle with three offensive tackles and pounded
Kansas City into submission.
"You've got to give it to the big fellas up front. Making another statement. Just
trying to prove everybody on the outside wrong and prove that we can run the
ball," Anderson said.
It's hard to recognize these Broncos. Star Wars is out. Smash mouth is in.
"I think everybody calls us finesse because we have a quarterback who can throw
for 500 yards and throw for five touchdowns," Denver defensive tackle Terrance
Knighton said. "But we consider ourselves a hard-nosed group."
Don't call the Broncos pretty. Call them championship contenders, itching to fight
for the Lombardi Trophy.
Denver Broncos find balance in offense
helps in the W department
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, mo. — It was such a strange scene.
Along one wall in the cramped visiting locker room here at Arrowhead Stadium,
Broncos receivers Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders were
dressing from left to right.
In peace. No one bothered them.
All the media was congregating in front of another row of lockers, where new hero
C.J. Anderson and new kicker Connor Barth were mobbed with cameras and
microphones, not far from where blocking tight end Virgil Green was hosting his
own media session.
"We'll take it," Welker said.
This is no longer about Peyton Manning.
This is about Anderson, Juwan Thompson and the Broncos' running game
completing Manning as a quarterback.
In a hostile Chief-red environment, in 20-something degree temperatures that felt
much colder with a stiff wind, the Broncos handed the ball off to Anderson not only
on their first play in a 29-16 win here Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, but
on their second play, too. And their third play and their fourth play.
"I like it. I like it," Manning said. "I like winning games. We kept their defense on
their heels. We came out and established the run early."
The more Anderson ran, the more the Chiefs got tired of tackling him. A week after
rushing for 167 of the Broncos' 201 yards against Miami, Anderson pounded the
Chiefs for 168 of their 215 rushing yards.
Any team can run for 200 yards once. Do it twice and it's a trend.
Air Gase is not dead. It is merely getting set up.
"You've got to give it to the big fellas up front," Anderson said. "They know the run
is going to be called first and they're going to make a statement."
On Saturday night, Anderson and the Broncos' offensive line left their team hotel
and went out for barbecue at Oklahoma Joe's. It can be argued Anderson has done
more for the offensive line than they have done for themselves. Besieged with
heavy criticism and a message-sending workout of notorious bad boy Richie
Incognito just two weeks ago, the offensive line has suddenly become the Men of
Montgomery.
The insertion of center Will Montgomery at center flanked by Ryan Clady and
Orlando Franklin on his left and Manny Ramirez and Louis Vasquez on his right has
formed a line that can suddenly run block.
"Every O-lineman likes to run the ball," Montgomery said. "Going forward we're
going to have to do both. Depending on the opponent we're going to have lean on
one more heavily than the other. We just happened to run the ball the last couple
weeks."
Broncos coach John Fox can play all the way until Feb. 1 of next year and not have
his team play a better first quarter than the Broncos did in building a 14-0 lead.
Fox's defensive coordinator, Jack Del Rio, called two, third-down blitzes that
resulted in sacks by safeties T.J. Ward and Quinton Carter to kill back-to-back Chief
possessions.
And Broncos' offensive coordinator Adam Gase showed for the second straight week
that he enjoys selecting from the run side of his play-call sheet.
Anderson had 58 yards rushing on 11 carries in the first quarter. Manning was 6-of-
8 for 72 yards with two touchdown passes, one of them a 15-yard catch-and-run to
Anderson.
At halftime, the Broncos had 21 rushes for 102 yards. Manning had 20 pass
attempts for 136 yards.
All this balanced production after the Broncos scored 39 points to beat the Miami
Dolphins the previous week by using 35 running plays and 35 passing attempts.
It's almost impossible for the Broncos' offense to impress anyone with their
production. They set their bar too high last year, when they scored an NFL record
with 606 points.
But it's how they've been moving the ball the past two weeks that lends hope the
Broncos can win in January's cold weather, can maybe win in New England should
the AFC championship game go through Foxborough and can maybe beat a rugged-
style NFC team in the Super Bowl.
Those 606 points last year were derived mostly through the air, as Manning threw
for a record 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns. And in the end, the Broncos' one-
dimensional offense met its match against the Seattle Seahawks in the season's
final game.
This year, Manning may wind up in the neighborhood of his touchdown record as he
has 36 this year with four games to play.
But it was stunning how he threw for just 179 passing yards while completing a
pedestrian 17-of-34 passes.
It used to be Manning or bust. Now it's Manning or a second option.
John Fox knows how to win road division
games
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY — A win today at Arrowhead Stadium would give John Fox and the
Broncos the second-longest road division winning streak in NFL history.
The longest road division streak was put together by the Joe Montana-dynasty San
Francisco 49ers, who won 12 NFC West road games in a row from October, 1987
until December, 1990.
Fox has two teams that are tied for the second-longest streak with 10 consecutive
road division wins — his Carolina Panthers from 2004-07 and his current Broncos,
who started their 10-game streak with a Tim Tebow-led victory at Oakland in
November, 2011.
The longest road division winning streaks in NFL history according to the Elias
Sports Bureau:
Team … Start game ….. End game …… Win streak
SF ………. 10/11/1987 ……. 12/17/1990 ……… 12
CLE …….. 11/05/1950 …… 12/07/1952 ……… 10
CAR …….. 12/26/2004 ….. 12/30/2007 ……. 10
CLE …….. 12/12/1964 …… 10/30/1966 ……… 10
DEN ……. 11/06/2011 …… 11/09/2014 ………. 10
CHI …….. 12/11/1983 …… 09/22/1986 ………. 10
Aqib Talib, Julius Thomas not playing
against Kansas City Chiefs
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY — Julius Thomas’ left ankle did not come around this week as hoped.
He will not dress for a second consecutive game here tonight against the Kansas
City Chiefs.
Starting left cornerback Aqib Talib also will not play because of a strained hamstring
suffered early in the Broncos’ 39-36 win against the Miami Dolphins last week. Talib
keeps alive his dubious streak of never playing all 16 games in any of his seven NFL
seasons.
Thomas will be replaced by Virgil Green for a second consecutive week with Jacob
Tamme also getting playing time.
Talib will be replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Bradley Roby with veteran
Tony Carter moving from the inactive list to the No. 3 corner, with Chris Harris
moving inside as the nickel. Omar Bolden is the Broncos’ No. 4 and final cornerback
tonight as Kayvon Webster is also out with a shoulder injury.
In preparation for Dustin Colquitt,
Broncos work out with lefty punter
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY — As is their custom, the Broncos brought in a left-footed punter for
a workout the same week they have have to field punts against a left-footed
punter.
Dustin Colquitt is the Kansas City Chiefs’ left-footed punter. To prepare, the
Broncos had their returners Isaiah Burse, Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders catch
punts Friday from Chase Tenpenny, a rookie left-footed punter from Nevada.
Aqib Talib, Julius Thomas remain
sidelined against Chiefs with injuries
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
December 1, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Aqib Talib couldn't play Sunday night because of a
strained hamstring, it set up a pronounced matchup: The inept Kansas City Chiefs
receivers, who had not caught a touchdown pass through their first 11 games,
against the injury-riddled Broncos cornerbacks.
Besides Talib, a starter at left cornerback who generally matches up against the
opponent's best receiver, the Broncos also were without their No. 4 corner, Kayvon
Webster, who was out after dislocating his right shoulder last week against Miami.
Talib maintained his dubious streak of never playing all 16 games in any of his
seven NFL seasons. He tweaked his hamstring early in the Broncos' 39-36 victory
last week against Miami.
With Talib out, rookie Bradley Roby joined Chris Harris as the Broncos' starting
corners. Tony Carter, a veteran who was inactive the previous three games,
jumped into the No. 3 cornerback role, with Harris moving inside to the nickel spot.
Omar Bolden was the Broncos' No. 4 and final cornerback.
J.T. update. Julius Thomas' left ankle did not come around this week as hoped.
The tight end, who had a league-most 12 touchdown receptions through the first
nine games, did not dress for a second consecutive game Sunday against the
Chiefs.
Virgil Green, a superior blocker, was the Broncos' starting tight end for a second
consecutive week. Jacob Tamme also received playing time at the "off" or receiving
tight end position.
Kickoff issues. Connor Barth made his place-kicking debut for the Broncos. He
made his two short field goals of 22 and 24 yards in the first half, but his kickoffs
were a problem.
None got close to the end zone, much less for a touchback as the Chiefs got out
past their 30-yard line on all four first-half kickoff returns.
Sanders saluted. Before Emmanuel Sanders became one of the league's most
explosive receivers, before he pushed for his first Pro Bowl berth, he was a
Pittsburgh Steeler competing with Antonio Brown to get a uniform.
"Two dogs, one bone," Sanders said of coach Mike Tomlin's weekly advice to them.
Hines Ward remembers Sanders, who remained a key third-down weapon Sunday,
for his attention to detail. The NBC broadcaster and former Steelers star talked with
Sanders on the field before Sunday's game.
"What I always appreciated about him is how hard he worked. He would come to
me and ask to do drills after practice," Ward said of workouts that have continued
in Denver. "He just needed an opportunity. The thing I stressed to him is to learn
all the positions. You can play in this league a long time if you can play all the
receiver positions and run all the routes, not just on the outside."
Footnotes. Bolden continues to gain traction on special teams. He recovered a
third-quarter fumble after Britton Colquitt's short punt ricocheted off Marcus
Cooper. ... Broncos guard Ben Garland, a former Air Force star, mocked the 20-
degree weather, wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts in early pregame warm-ups.
... Broncos defensive tackle Marvin Austin, inactive last week, was back on the
game-day roster Sunday against Jamaal Charles and the run-heavy Chiefs. ...
Offensive lineman Chris Clark, who started at right tackle in Denver's first five
games, was inactive for a second consecutive game. ... Paul Cornick was Denver's
"swing" backup at offensive tackle, behind starters Ryan Clady and Louis Vasquez.
Broncos dominate Chiefs behind big
game from C.J. Anderson, defense
By Troy E. Renck
The Denver Post
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Peyton Manning knows history, but is not a slave to it. The
glove on his right hand provides fodder for a statistic he wishes would vanish, tilting
the conversation more toward Double Doppler than his receivers.
Manning, the story goes, can't win in the cold. And the Broncos can't beat anyone
good on the road.
On a Sunday night better suited for the Iditarod, the Broncos mocked the
thermometer and laughed at their travel woes, pumping their legs until their fury
turned the Kansas City Chiefs into a skid mark in a 29-16 victory at Arrowhead
Stadium.
"I wouldn't say it's a statement. This is just how we expect to play and how we
have to play," said defensive end DeMarcus Ware. "We showed we can do it. Now
can we keep doing it?"
The Broncos' once-precarious hold on the AFC West felt stronger, the grip tight.
Their 9-3 record leaves them ahead of the San Diego Chargers (8-4), and the
Chiefs' title hopes (7-5) are all but buried.
As Manning huddled the Broncos with five minutes remaining before a nearly empty
stadium, a thought began to crystallize: Perhaps the critics are psychoanalyzing the
wrong quarterback.
For the first time since he joined the Broncos in 2012, the Broncos won without him
playing his best. He finished 17-for-34 for 179 yards.
"It's only fun when you win," coach John Fox said. "It's not how you win."
The Broncos staged a clinic of how games are sealed in December and January. C.J.
Anderson ran with purpose and power, rushing for 168 yards on 32 carries. With
the weather turning sour, Anderson who wondered if he would make the team in
training camp, has equipped the offense with snow tires and 4-wheel drive. He
eclipsed 160 yards for the second consecutive game. In his fourth start, Anderson
looked more like Terrell Davis than an undrafted free agent.
"I would love to have seven or eight game balls for the offensive line," said
Anderson, who has accounted for 662 yards rushing and receiving over the past
four games. "I am just going to the holes they make for me."
Running wore out the Chiefs. Stopping the Chiefs' running game stole their hope.
Anderson might as well have been a python the way he squeezed the life out of
Kansas City. After a clumsy first half against the Miami Dolphins, Denver's defense
has stiffened. The Broncos held the Chiefs to negative yardage until six minutes left
in the first half. Kansas City had 66 yards through three quarters.
"We wanted to start early," safety T.J. Ward said. "Everyone was dialed in from the
first snap. We had our foot on the pedal."
Coaching great Bill Parcells insists that an NFL season begins after Thanksgiving.
The Broncos, wobbly and uncertain after an embarrassing defeat in St. Louis, have
reshaped themselves. Given the time, place and stakes, this was Denver's most
impressive victory of the season.
The domination was alarming. Denver began the game by converting five
consecutive third downs. And for good measure, it turned a fourth down into one of
the gutsiest calls of coach John Fox's tenure. David Bruton, the upback, rambled 13
yards on a fake punt, setting up one of new kicker Connor Barth's five field goals,
which tied a single-game team record.
"It was an opportunity. There were six in the box," Bruton said. "And I made the
call."
Manning entered the game 9-12 in temperatures less than 40 degrees. Make it 10-
12 after two consecutive in arctic conditions, and 11-1 overall against the Chiefs.
For good measure, Manning kept hand warmers in his pouch. His first long pass did
more to warm the hearts of anxious Broncos fans. Facing a third-and-5 at the 23-
yard line, he completed an over-the-shoulder touchdown pass to Demaryius
Thomas.
He became the first Bronco with 10 touchdowns in three consecutive seasons.
In the second quarter, special teams — ghosts in uniform for weeks — put Broncos
the solid footing. Isaiah Burse returned a punt for a season-best 22 yards. The
Broncos marched 10 plays behind Anderson. Anderson says he likes defenders to
"feel his story." The first tackler rarely touches Anderson, let alone feels his
narrative. He beat defensive end Justin Houston on a swing pass, then sliced
through Kurt Coleman's tackle at the goal line, shoving Denver ahead 14-0.
"C.J. is like a lizard," Ware said. "He slithers."
The sellout crowd sat on its numb fingers, stunned.
Fox followed by letting his hair down, at least the follicles that weren't frozen with
the Bruton gamble. Kansas City managed one impressive drive when it mattered.
On fourth-and 1 from their 49-yard line, the Chiefs kept their offense on field.
Jamaal Charles rammed for 11 yards. Alex Smith discovered his rhythm. He hit
Travis Kelce for a 19-yard gain, then found tight end Sal Fasano for a 20-yard
touchdown pass, as both plays victimized linebacker Steven Johnson.
Charles had 35 yards on 10 carries. Smith collected 153 yards through the air,
many when the the outcome was determined.
Broncos provided hope for the shivering Chiefs' fans on their opening drive in the
third quarter. On his third straight pass attempt, Manning fumbled, Houston
chopping ball out of his right arm after beating right tackle Louis Vasquez. The
Broncos' defense held Kansas City to Cairo Santos' 39-yard field goal, shaving the
lead to 20-10.
After receiving a gift, the Chiefs reciprocated. Terrance Knighton deflected a Smith
pass with his right paw, intercepted by Ware. The Broncos turned it into Barth's
third field goal (30 yards).
Stop the run. Step on throats with the run.
This is not the Broncos fans are used to, but a team they could get accustomed to
over the next two months.
"This weather is playoff weather. This is how it's going to be," cornerback Chris
Harris said. "We need to run the ball, and we have to get off the field and give it
right back to them. It's time to keep clicking."
Broncos vs. Chiefs: Highs and Lows of
Denver’s Week 13 win
By Troy E. Renck
The Denver Post
November 30, 2014
BESTS
Out-Foxed. Broncos coach John Fox went rogue in the second quarter. On fourth-
and-seven after a penalty on a punt, Fox called the fake. David Bruton, the upback,
took the direct snap and plowed for 13 yards. He had outgained the Chiefs’ offense
at that juncture in the first quarter.
In the clutch. The Broncos set the tone in the first quarter, converting five
consecutive third downs and nine overall in the first half.
Big paw. Terrance Knighton, who can dunk flat-footed, jumped to deflect Alex
Smith’s third-quarter pass into DeMarcus Ware’s arms. Ware’s third career
interception resulted in a Connor Barth field goal.
WORSTS
Houston, we have turnover. Justin Houston finally topped Louis Vasquez, beating
the right tackle to the edge on the Broncos’ first third down of the second half. He
chopped Peyton Manning’s arm, causing a fumble that the Chiefs converted into a
39-yard field goal.
Kickoff concern. Connor Barth was nails on field goals, but his kickoffs never
reached the end zone, leading to explosive returns.
Missed chances. The Broncos held a 13-point lead in the first half, but it could
have been more if not for back-to-back drops by Jacob Tamme and Demaryius
Thomas in the end zone.
THUMBS UP, THUMBS DOWN
Offense: This is the type of offense that wins in the playoffs. At halftime, the
Broncos had rushed 21 times, compared to 20 passes. C.J. Anderson’s ability to
make the first tackler miss, then wear down defenders in the second half, paid huge
dividends. He bulled for 100 yards for the second game in a row. Grade: A
Defense: The Chiefs didn’t reach positive yards until the second quarter. They
owned 66 through three quarters, one of Broncos most dominant performances in
recent memory. The Broncos stopped the run, created a turnover (DeMarcus Ware’s
third career pick) and harassed Alex Smith. Grade: A+
Special Teams: The group rebounded like Dennis Rodman after last week’s failing
grade. David Bruton converted a fake punt into a first down. Isaiah Burse delivered
a season-high 22-yard punt return. And Connor Barth made five short field goals.
The one issue was Barth’s leg strength, raising the question: Should the Broncos
re-sign Brandon McManus to boot kickoffs? Grade: A
Coaching: Coach John Fox showed an iron gut, calling a fake punt. Defensive boss
Jack Del Rio’s defense produced an early blitz sack by safety T.J. Ward and
offensive coordinator Adam Gase trusted the running game. Grade: A
GAME BALLS
C.J. Anderson: His 80 yards in first half defined dominance.
Offensive line: Second straight week the brutes led the offense.
DeMarcus Ware: Pressured Alex Smith, and intercepted pass.
Connor Barth calls first game ‘awesome’
experience after tying Broncos record
By Troy E. Renck
The Denver Post
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Sand paper couldn’t wipe the smile off Connor Barth’s face.
Sunday wasn’t his first NFL game. But it was his first with his new team. Following
the Broncos’ worst special teams performance of the season, Barth made a
memorable first impression, tying a franchise record with five field goals in Denver’s
29-16 trouncing of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jason Elam last accomplished the feat in October 2002. Barth wears No. 1, in part,
because he grew up idolizing the Broncos great.
“It’s awesome. It’s an honor. I hope I did him proud tonight,” Barth said. “I haven’t
met him. I hope to someday. But hopefully he’s OK with me representing him.
That’s all I am trying to do with his number because he was my role model.”
Barth joins Elam, Rich Karlis (1983) and Gene Mingo (1963) as Broncos with field
goals. While he lacked distance on his kickoffs, Barth was straight down the fairway
on chipshot drives, converting from 22, 24, 30, 33 and 37 yards.
“He was pretty good tonight and those weren’t easy conditions,” Fox said. “Some
people were talking about the lack of touchbacks. I think both kickers struggled in
that area.”
Broncos back in bid for home-field
advantage thanks to Patriots' loss
The Denver Post
December 1, 2014
The Broncos' 29-16 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on
Sunday night pushed Denver into a tie with the New England Patriots (9-3) atop the
AFC standings.
That's because Tom Brady and the Patriots fell 26-21 to the Packers at Green Bay
earlier in the day. That still leaves the Patriots in control of their own destiny for the
No. 1 seed, because they own the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of beating the
Broncos 43-21 when the teams met in Foxborough on Nov. 2.
If the Patriots win out, the road to the AFC championship will go through
Foxborough, Mass., where the Broncos have had little success.
The toughest remaining test for the Patriots is likely to come when they play at San
Diego (8-4) on Sunday. The Chargers remain one game behind the Broncos in the
AFC West race.
New England's only other road game will come Dec. 21 at the New York Jets (2-9).
The Patriots have the Miami Dolphins at home on Dec. 14 and close the season vs.
the Bills on Dec. 28.
The Broncos have two tough road games remaining, at San Diego on Dec. 14 and
at Cincinnati (8-3) on Dec. 22. Both of those teams are battling for the playoffs,
with the Bengals sitting atop the AFC North. Denver has home games against the
Buffalo Bills (7-5) on Sunday and the Oakland Raiders (1-11) on Dec. 28. The
Denver Post
Broncos beat Chiefs 29-16 to stay atop
AFC West
By Dave Skretta
Associated Press
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — When Denver signed Connor Barth to take over their
kicking duties this week, the veteran asked to wear No. 1 in honor of longtime
Broncos kicker Jason Elam.
Seems only fitting in retrospect.
Barth returned from a lengthy absence from the NFL to connect on all five of his
field-goal attempts Sunday night, matching Elam's franchise game record and lifting
the Broncos to a 29-16 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
"It's crazy," said Barth, who missed all of last year after tearing his Achilles tendon
in a charity basketball game. "My agent and I always talk about just one kick at a
time, so that's what I try to do every time and it worked out tonight."
Peyton Manning threw touchdown passes to Demaryius Thomas and C.J. Anderson,
who also ran for 168 yards, as Denver (9-3) remained a game up on San Diego in
the bunched-up AFC West.
The Chiefs (7-5) dropped two games back with their sixth straight loss to the
Broncos.
"This was one of those fundamentally sound games," said Denver pass rusher
DeMarcus Ware, who had an interception and a sack. "This is the time of year
where the whole team comes together."
Alex Smith had 153 yards passing and two touchdowns for the Chiefs, the second of
them to Jamaal Charles to make it 26-16 early in the fourth quarter. But Smith's
pass on the 2-point try fell incomplete, and the Broncos added another field goal to
put the game away.
Smith was sacked six times and Denver held Kansas City to 151 yards of total
offense.
"There's really not a phase I can point to that was a positive in this game," Chiefs
coach Andy Reid said. "We all have to do better. We're all in it together."
It certainly wasn't the kind of performance expected of the Chiefs, who emerged in
a frenzy before the game wearing all-red uniforms for the third time in franchise
history.
The Chiefs were honoring veteran safety Eric Berry, who will miss the rest of the
season after a mass suspected to be lymphoma was found in his chest. Berry has
professed his love for the red-on-red look, which the Chiefs wore last year against
Dallas and this year versus New England.
While the Chiefs won both of those games, they hardly gave themselves a chance
Sunday.
Manning capped an effortless 74-yard drive with a 23-yard third-down pass to
Thomas in the first quarter. Then, after the Broncos forced a second consecutive
three-and-out, Manning found Anderson out of the backfield on third down for a 15-
yard touchdown strike to make it 14-0.
Anderson, who went undrafted last year, was coming off a 167-yard rushing
performance last week against Miami. Starting in place of the injured Montee Ball
and Ronnie Hillman, he proved that it was no one-week fluke, gashing the Kansas
City defense with nearly every touch.
"Just picking the right spots and following them," Anderson said of his offensive
line. "They get all the credit. I can't get to any of those moves without getting to
the holes.
Even when the Chiefs' porous defense stopped the Broncos, they were usually
within range for Barth, who was signed to replace ineffective kicker Brandon
McManus.
Meanwhile, very little was going right for the Chiefs on offense, either. They had
minus-10 yards in the first quarter and were still at 66 yards through the third
quarter.
After recovering a fumble deep in Denver territory early in the second half, they
managed three yards before kicking a field goal. On their next possession, Smith
had a pass batted at the line and intercepted by Ware, the first pick he'd thrown in
179 attempts. And on the Chiefs' next possession, Smith was sacked by Ware on
third-and-1 to force another punt.
"We couldn't sustain any drives," Smith said. "It hurts."
Then, when the Chiefs finally held Denver on third down, backup cornerback Marcus
Cooper inexplicably let the punt to bounce off his leg. The Broncos recovered for a
fresh set of downs.
Barth added his fifth field midway through the fourth quarter to seal the win.
"We have to do a better job putting players in the right position and we have to do
a better job executing when we're in that position," Reid said. "We get that fixed
we'll be back on track, but we've stalled the last two weeks. We have to get this
thing turned around."
Notes: Chiefs DE Allen Bailey left the game with a concussion. OG Mike McGlynn left
with a quadriceps injury. Neither of them returned. ... Denver has not lost at
Arrowhead Stadium since the 2010 season. ... Manning had 179 yards passing. The
Chiefs still have not allowed a 300-yard passer this season. ... Charles was held to
35 yards rushing on 10 carries.
Denver muscles up, shows it's more than
just Peyton Manning
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
December 1, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Make the list, check it as many times as you need to, but
Sunday night was pretty much the checklist folks make of what the Denver Broncos
don't want in a football game.
It was:
A. On the road.
B. Windy.
C. Frigid.
D. A night when quarterback Peyton Manning simply wasn't going to be in a
position to carry them to the win.
Yet, in a rather tidy show of what Denver is going to need to be at some point in
the postseason, the Broncos flashed their playoff profile with a power run game
fueled by C.J. Anderson, a dominant defense, and a variety of game-tilting special
teams plays in a 29-16 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
"It has to be like that," defensive end DeMarcus Ware said. "Defensively, we have
to stop the run. Offensively, they've got to come with that tenacity where they run
the ball when we need to and like they did. The last two weeks, what, they rushed
200-some yards? That's very big. We have to play like that every week, and we
showed people we can have that look."
The Chiefs, at least on paper after all, completed Job 1 against the Broncos. They
kept Manning from beating them.
Manning finished with a season-low 179 yards passing, a season-low 17
completions and a season-low 50 percent completion percentage in a game that
started with a windchill of 14 degrees and only got colder and windier as the night
went on. Yet, the Broncos won by 13 points.
They did it with Anderson growing into a No. 1 running back right before the
Broncos' very eyes. Anderson, who suddenly finds himself as the team's workhorse
back after injuries to Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman, finished with 168 yards on 32
carries.
Last week, in the win over the Miami Dolphins, Anderson had 167 yards. He is the
first back in the league since Adrian Peterson in the 2012 season to have back-to-
back games of at least 150 yards rushing. The Broncos' 214 yards rushing Sunday
gave them back-to-back games of at least 200 yards rushing.
Asked about that balanced, grind-it-out look, Manning said: "I like it, I like it. I like
winning games." He then added: "Our offensive line was awesome."
"We knew to give us a chance to win we had to stop the run," Chiefs linebacker
Justin Houston said. "And we didn't do it."
The Broncos dove-tailed Anderson's work in the run game with a get-it-done
defense, despite having two of their top four cornerbacks -- Aqib Talib (left
hamstring) and Kayvon Webster (right shoulder) -- out of the lineup. The Chiefs
had minus-10 yards to their credit at the end of the first quarter and wound up with
a paltry 151 total yards. They finished with five drives that were three-and-outs,
three in the opening quarter.
The Broncos registered six sacks for 43 yards plus 12 hits on Alex Smith. Denver
cornerback Chris Harris Jr. shadowed Dwayne Bowe all over the formation and held
him to two catches for 18 yards.
"It was a good day for us," linebacker Von Miller said. "We knew it was going to a
tough kind of game. … We stopped a lot of stuff they were trying to do."
Toss in five field goals from Connor Barth, who has been a Broncos kicker only
since Tuesday, a fake punt that turned into a fourth-down conversion by safety
David Bruton Jr. and Omar Bolden's recovery of a Broncos punt that bounced off
Chiefs cornerback Marcus Cooper's left leg, and you have the full everything-but-
Manning win many have wondered if Denver could pull off when it counted.
Two weeks ago in a dismal 22-7 loss to the St. Louis Rams, the Broncos had just 10
rushing attempts, one of which was a kneel-down by Manning just before halftime.
In a Nov. 2 loss in New England, the Broncos' defense couldn't get the Patriots off
the field, Brandon McManus missed a field goal and Denver generally looked out of
sorts on a cold night.
The Broncos now have run the ball 80 times combined in their past two games,
both wins. They've put themselves back in the conversation about the AFC's top
seed, which they can earn if they win out and the Patriots stumble at least once.
"I think you need to be able to win different types of football games," Manning said.
"Sometimes, this is how it looks," Ware said. "You have to play in the cold. You
have to win on the road. You have to be physical on both sides of the ball. We can
do those things. We've shown we can do those things, and we want to be able to do
whatever we need to do to win however we need to win. Those are the best
teams."
Broncos' Connor Barth ties franchise
mark with five field goals
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Denver
Broncos’ win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Broncos made the switch at kicker earlier in the week, waiving Brandon
McManus and signing Connor Barth. Barth arrived on Tuesday and kicked a career-
best five field goals in the game. And after the game punter Britton Colquitt, a
borrowed microphone in hand from one of the Denver television stations, took a
spin as a reporter, asking Barth several questions in front of Barth’s locker. After
teasing Barth about the wind at Arrowhead, Colquitt asked, "Seriously, though, a
career high in field goals, 5-for-5, how do you feel about that?" And Barth
responded "Whatever I can do to help the team, it was exciting." Colquitt, the
holder on field goal attempts, then asked; "What is it like to know all you’ve really
got to do is close your eyes and swing your leg?" Barth then gave some props to
Colquitt and long-snapper Aaron Brewer. Barth was the fourth kicker in franchise
history to have five field goals in a game. Quarterback Peyton Manning said Barth
told him that "he was laying out by the pool this time last week."
The Broncos did not have cornerback Aqib Talib (hamstring) or tight
end Julius Thomas (left ankle) in the lineup -- both were game day inactives.
Both players did some work with the strength coaches before the game, but
when asked after the game how close they were to playing, Broncos head
coach John Fox said, "not close enough." The Broncos reported no major
injuries following the game, but tackle Louis Vasquez left the game for one
play after having his leg rolled up on from behind and tight end Jacob
Tamme left the game briefly in the first half, but played in the second half.
Tamme had a wrap on his ribs/lower back. Both players will be among those
evaluated more on Monday morning.
David Bruton gained 13 yards on a fake punt in the second quarter. The
Broncos had punted and pinned the Chiefs at their own 9-yard line,
but Andre Caldwell was called for running out of bounds, without being
blocked, on the coverage so the Chiefs chose to force the Broncos to punt
again. Only this time the Broncos elected to direct snap the ball to Bruton,
who went around the left end for the first down. The Broncos turned it into a
field goal 11 plays later for a 17-0 lead. "We’ve been working on that one a
while, good to see Bruton run the ball," Manning said.
Linebacker Von Miller can expect a letter from the league this week for his hit
on Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. Miller was called for a late-hit/roughing
the passer penalty. He also struck Smith in the back with the crown of his
helmet. Miller has been fined before, so he will likely feel the sting of the
multiple-offender status. Miller was fined $25,000 last December for a
helmet-to-helmet hit on Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Rapid Reaction: Denver Broncos
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A few thoughts on the Denver Broncos' 29-16 win over
the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
What it means: The Broncos tightened their grip on their fourth consecutive AFC
West title with a season sweep of the Chiefs. The Broncos sit at 9-3, a game ahead
of the San Diego Chargers (8-4) with the matchup in San Diego looming Dec. 14.
With the New England Patriots' loss in Green Bay on Sunday, the Broncos' chances
of getting the AFC’s top seed improved.
Stock watch: The Broncos got more proof of cornerback Chris Harris Jr.’s value to
the defense. On a night when two of their top four cornerbacks weren’t in uniform
because of injury -- Aqib Talib (hamstring) and Kayvon Webster -- Harris was asked
to lock down Dwayne Bowe for the evening. Bowe finished the game with two
catches for 18 yards.
Good news, bad news: In kicker Connor Barth’s first game since the Broncos
signed him Tuesday, he showed the kind of accuracy the Broncos want on
makeable field goals, with kicks of 22, 24, 30, 33 and 37 yards in the game.
However, the Broncos repeatedly surrendered quality field position on kickoffs, as
Barth did not get the ball into the end zone. Granted, it was a frigid, windy night in
Arrowhead, but the Chiefs started drives beyond their own 30-yard line for most of
the game.
Game ball: Sometimes the dominoes have to fall for somebody to stand up. It took
injuries to Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman to open the door a bit for C.J. Anderson,
who posted the team’s first back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Knowshon
Moreno had 119 yards and 115 yards in back-to-back December games in 2012.
Anderson had 167 yards in the Broncos' win over the Dolphins last week and 168
yards Sunday night.
What’s next: The Broncos' offensive line, which has taken its share of criticism this
year, has played with more consistency and forcefulness with run-heavy game
plans in the past two games. Now they have the league’s sack leader, the Buffalo
Bills, next on the docket. The Bills, who moved to 7-5 with a win over Cleveland on
Sunday, had two sacks against the Browns and lead the NFL with 48 after Sunday’s
win.
Aqib Talib, Julius Thomas among
Broncos' inactives
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas and cornerback Aqib
Talib did some work with the team’s strength and conditioning coaches before
Sunday night’s game in Arrowhead Stadium, but the Broncos held both players out
of the key AFC West matchup.
Thomas took part in Friday’s practice on a limited basis, his first on-field team drills
since he suffered a sprained left ankle in the first quarter of the Broncos’ loss in St.
Louis. Thomas was out on the field about two-and-a-half hours before kickoff
Sunday night and did some stretching and light jogging alongside Talib (hamstring)
and running back Ronnie Hillman (left foot).
Thomas still leads the NFL in touchdown receptions with 12. He has now missed two
games. Hillman, as expected, was among the Broncos’ inactives.
Talib, who was injured in the first half of the victory over the Miami Dolphins, did
not practice Wednesday or Thursday this past week, but had taken part in Friday’s
practice on a limited basis. Talib’s injury means Omar Bolden, who has played both
safety and cornerback, will have a far bigger role against the Chiefs than he has in
some previous games.
The question on Talib has simply been whether or not the Broncos believed he
could make it through the game if they put him in uniform. Last Sunday, Talib left
the game in the first quarter and tried to return later in the first half, but then
didn’t play in the second half.
Linebacker Brandon Marshall, who suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of the
victory over the Dolphins, was in uniform and slated to play against the Chiefs.
Marshall had been cleared for full participation Friday and said he expected his
“normal’’ workload.
Other gameday inactives for the Broncos were DT Marvin Austin Jr., RB Montee
Ball, CB Tony Carter, T Chris Clark, RB Hillman and T Michael Schofield.
For the Chiefs, the inactives were QB Aaron Murray, CB Jamell Fleming, C Eric
Kush, OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, WR Junior Hemingway, TE Phillip Supernaw, DL
Nick Williams
Stats to know: Broncos 29, Chiefs 16
ESPN Stats & Info
ESPN.com
November 30, 2014
The Kansas City Chiefs had a chance to tie the Denver Broncos for first place in the
AFC West and thought they might have had a chance against a Broncos team that
has struggled away from home this season.
But the Broncos made sure their divisional lead would remain safe.
The Broncos improved to 3-3 on the road (they’re 6-0 at home) and have won 11
straight road divisional games. They’re now 6-0 against the Chiefs with Peyton
Manning as quarterback.
The Chiefs had their four-game home win streak snapped. They’ve lost six straight
to the Broncos for the first time since an eight-game losing streak from 1976 to
1979.
Manning not great but good enough
Peyton Manning didn’t have a great game (17-for-34, 179 yards) but did enough
early to put his team in a good position to win. He threw two touchdown passes in
the first 14 minutes.
Both came against the blitz. Manning now has 12 touchdown throws against the
blitz this season. Only Drew Brees (15) has more.
Manning completed only 50 percent of his pass attempts for the game, which
matched his lowest completion percentage in a game with the Broncos. He had
previously gone 26-for-52 in his third game with them, against the Texans in
2012.
The win put Manning 100 games over .500 (176-76) as a starter for his career.
Anderson’s big day
C.J. Anderson had his second straight big game for the Broncos. A week after he
ran for 167 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins, he rushed for 168 on 32
carries.
He’s the first player to rush for at least 160 yards in consecutive games since Bryce
Brown of the Eagles did so two seasons ago and the first Broncos player to rush for
at least 160 yards in consecutive games since Ruben Droughns ran for 193 and 176
in consecutive weeks in 2004.
Anderson had 90 of his yards after contact against the Chiefs, the most yards after
contact by a Broncos player or against the Chiefs this season.
Barth gets his kicks
Connor Barth was 5-for-5 on field goal tries in his Broncos debut.
The five field-goal makes were a career high for Barth, who was playing in his 67th
NFL game. His career began with the Chiefs in 2008.
Broncos kickers entered the week with the second fewest field goals of any team
(9) and the second lowest field goal percentage (69 percent).
Barth is the first Broncos kicker to make five field goals in a game since Jason Elam
made five in a loss to the Dolphins in 2002.
Looking ahead
A Dolphins win over the Jets on Monday night would create a six-team tie for the
second wild-card spot. The Chiefs would be in that group with the Bills, Ravens,
Steelers and Browns.
Broncos run past listless Chiefs
By Chris Korman and Steven Ruiz
USA TODAY Sports
November 30, 2014
New look is the right look: The offensive line was Denver’s clear weakness in the
team’s loss in Super Bowl XLVIII, and the Broncos have been tinkering with the
lineup ever since. They may have finally found the right combination after plugging
Will Montgomery in at center, moving Manny Ramirez over to right guard and
sliding Luis Vasquez to right tackle two weeks ago. The results: An average of
207.5 rushing yards over the last two games. Against the Chiefs, the Broncos
utilized six offensive linemen on a number of plays, which helped power their run
game against a formidable Kansas City defensive front. A consistent running game
could be emerging in Denver for the first time in the Peyton Manning era.
C.J. Anderson helps, too: The undrafted running back continues to gain tough
yards. He had 168 on 32 carries and was the primary reason Denver had a 38:47 to
21:13 advantage in time of possession. The Broncos are ultimately going to hinge
on Peyton Manning’s ability to direct the passing game, but just because he can win
games by himself doesn’t mean he always should. This is a better mix.
Sometimes managing is not enough: Look, we’ve gone back and forth on this
for a long time. Alex Smith is a good NFL quarterback. He forever appears to be
about the 14th-best QB in the league, because he usually does so little to hurt his
own team and almost always enough to help it win. But he’s never really pushed a
team to victory with any regularity, and he certainly is not the engine Kansas City
needs to take the next step. Smith has yet to complete a touchdown pass to a wide
receiver this season. He’s completed one pass over 20 yards. The Chiefs’ offense is,
as a result, not dynamic enough. Color analyst Chris Collinsworth spent the final
minutes of the game acting like Kansas City was still in the early days of a drastic
offensive evolution. It’s Week 13. Smith is in his tenth season. Chiefs coach Andy
Reid has been a head coach in this league since 1999. There will be no revolution.
Klee: With bruising beatdown of Chiefs,
Broncos show they have a defense, too
By Paul Klee
Colorado Springs Gazette
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - There is an open bet going around the Broncos locker room. It
involves Terrance Knighton, a hoop and a basketball - whether or not the 332-
pound man they call "Pot Roast" can dunk on a regulation rim.
"Go ahead and put your money in that pot!" Knighton said in the sweaty visitors
locker room at Arrowhead Stadium.
It's been a good bet, during the Peyton Manning era in Colorado, to side your
money with the opposing team when Manning doesn't light the night sky with Star
Wars numbers. Denver has relied on Manning Magic to beat teams, namely good
teams, to such an extent that a poor night from the quarterback would result in
heartache.
That notion blew away with the frigid, harsh Kansas City wind on Sunday night.
With a hard-hitting performance that might be illegal in some states, the Broncos
delivered a 29-16 win and a message that sent most of the 76,894 fans to their
electric heating blankets before the fourth quarter had started:
The Broncos can beat a good team with their defense.
Through three quarters, Kansas City had 64 total yards (to Denver's 310), four first
downs (to 18) and the sideline look of a team that had been physically
overpowered.
What's going on here? The Broncos defense was the story?
"This weather is playoff weather," said cornerback Chris Harris, and he was right,
particularly if the Broncos must travel to the coldest place on earth, Foxborough.
"It's time to start clicking and it started today," Harris said.
Prior to this impressive drubbing, the Broncos' defense had more bravado than
bash. It had talked of becoming the best defense in the NFL, only to have the
Patriots rack up 43 points and the Dolphins roll to 36 in the month of November.
Now they have a spry running game, a defense that can carry the day when
Manning doesn't and a defensive tackle who swears he can dunk a basketball.
"I think everybody calls us finesse because we have a quarterback who can throw
five touchdowns and 500 yards," Knighton said of the label that has shadowed the
Broncos ever since Manning got the boot by the Colts and landed in Colorado.
When he tipped a pass by Alex Smith, Knighton jumped high enough to throw one
down like the Manimal. Or so he said.
"I felt like I was very high," Knighton said.
The tipped pass landed in the capable hands of DeMarcus Ware, who secured his
third career interception and the kind of play that can change playoff games.
"I told him it was an alley-oop," Knighton said.
The Chiefs have beaten the three teams that beat the Broncos: Seattle, New
England and St. Louis. So while they stunk like sour milk on Sunday, they don't
stink all the time.
But the Chiefs haven't beaten the Broncos since Tim Tebow was the quarterback.
Six straight matchups have gone to the Broncos, few more convincing than a
lopsided affair that knocked the Chiefs out of the playoff hunt and sent the home
crowd back to its fireplaces. The wind chill at kickoff: 27 degrees. The Chiefs will
hurt today.
The Chiefs offense is a vanilla sundae with vanilla syrup and vanilla sprinkles. It
seemed Kansas City's idea of innovation is an 8-yard pass, instead of a 6-yard
pass.
Kansas City's philosophy was dink and dunk and duh. The Broncos sacked Smith six
times. The Broncos offense seemed frozen, and that was OK. How about that?
"That's what we talked about: Right off the bat, let's put the pressure on them,"
Von Miller said.
It's not all Manning anymore. The Broncos have a running game with C.J.
Anderson, who followed his 167-yard coming-out party against Miami with a 168-
yard bash against Kansas City. How about that?
"C.J. is a beast," Harris said.
Yes, and Anderson is the real deal, an undrafted running back who scampers like
his paycheck depends on the next carry. So, too, were defenders like Harris, who
quietly allowed Dwayne Bowe only two catches.
"That's the first time I've followed a No. 1 receiver for the whole game," said Harris,
who got that assignment with Aqib Talib sidelined due to injury. He should keep it.
Manning is 13-1 against the Chiefs. They loathe him here like Jayhawks loathe
Wildcats. If the Broncos' defense continues its evolution from Manning sideshow to
the main stage, it wouldn't be smart to bet against them. Just ask Pot Roast, who
swears he can dunk a basketball and now has the game film to show off his hops.
"I can't wait to see that on film," Knighton said.
Broncos-Chiefs: 10 things to know from
Denver's 29-16 win
By Josh Katzowitz
CBSSports.com
November 30, 2014
The Broncos are 9-3, and with the Patriots losing to the Packers on Sunday, Denver
has to be considered co-favorites with New England to win the AFC title.
But the Broncos also haven't played great lately, falling to a hot Rams squad in
Week 11 and barely surviving a surprisingly tough Dolphins team last week. As
dominant as Peyton Manning had been earlier in the season, his quarterback rating
had slipped below 81 in two of the past four weeks. It's not like Manning was
mediocre, but he also hadn't been playing like the Manning we've come to expect
post-neck surgery.
On Sunday night, he wasn't asked to do quite as much, and yet, the Broncos 29-16
victory vs. the Chiefs never seemed in doubt. Once again, Manning was fine if not
completely overwhelming (he completed 17 of 34 passes for 179 yards and two
touchdowns).
But for the second-straight game, the Broncos also incorporated their running game
more into the offensive package, and for the second-straight week, unheralded C.J.
Anderson performed dominantly.
Against the Dolphins last week, Anderson -- who took over the starting job after
injuries to Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman -- rushed for 167 yards and a
touchdown, and vs. the Chiefs, Anderson managed 168 yards on 32 carries (and
caught a touchdown pass).
For the second-straight week, the Broncos, as a team, rushed for more than 200
yards. With Manning on the squad, when was the last time that happened in
Denver?
The answer is Weeks 9-10 of the 2011 season. The Tebow era.
Goes without saying that this team's offense has slightly more versatility than the
Tebow-led squads. Which we've seen more of in the past two weeks and which is a
great sign as Denver gets closer to the playoffs.
Don't forget about that defense
The Broncos defense was strong vs. Kansas City, as well.
Jamaal Charles rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries. Alex Smith threw for 153 yards,
two touchdowns and an interception. Denver recorded six sacks.
The Chiefs made plenty of mistakes in this game, but their offense could have kept
them in this game. Helped by Denver's defense, it failed on just about every level.
Oh, and this happened.
Not great.
Houston: one good play, one bad play
This is one way to stop elusive Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders: smack him
before he gets going. Isn't that right, Justin Houston?
But there's also a way to stop Houston. Get him into pass coverage vs. Anderson.
More Houston
In the third quarter, Houston redeemed himself, sacking Manning and forcing a
fumble that the Chiefs recovered deep in Broncos territory. Ultimately, Kansas City
only managed a field goal to cut the lead to 10 points, but for Houston, it extended
his league lead in the race for the most sacks.
FAKE!!!
Although the Broncos had already punted and the Chiefs were set to take over on
the Kansas City 9-yard line in the second quarter, a penalty flag on Denver gave it
another chance to kick to the Chiefs.
Then, this happened.
Leading by two touchdowns early in the second quarter, that fake was Denver
trying to land the knockout punch early. Bad decision -- and a bad break -- for
Kansas City.
More bad KC special teams
It's tough to blame Marcus Cooper on this Chiefs punt, but it was his knee that the
ball grazed, and because of that touch, it allowed Denver's Omar Bolden to pick up
the ball and give possession back to the Broncos.
At this point late in the third quarter, the Broncos offense was plodding along, and
though it would continue to do so after the fumble recovery, Denver kicked a field
goal off this turnover to take a 16-point lead.
Meet me at the Barth
Even though the Broncos got the win -- and despite what I wrote in the lede of this
piece -- Denver had a tough time scoring touchdowns. That meant much of the
scoring opportunities went to Broncos kicker Connor Barth, who tied Jason Elam's
team record with five field goals Sunday night.
Thus, the puns.
Heads up, Alex Smith!
Von Miller is coming your way, and he's going to hit you square in the back well
after you've thrown the ball.
Miller, naturally, was penalized for roughing the passer, and Smith went on to
throw a touchdown later in the drive to cut the Broncos' fourth-quarter lead to 10.
But still, that had to hurt.
A one-legged man in an ...
This is Peyton Manning. It looks like he's playing only with one leg. Here's the un-
Photoshopped picture.
Actually, Manning is just going through his pre-snap audibles and lifted his leg
behind him. I just thought the photo looked funny. Points for you if you can find
Manning's right foot amid all that white.
Chiefs honor Berry
The Chiefs were certainly thinking about teammate Eric Berry before Sunday's
game. Doctors discovered a mass in Berry's chest this week, and to honor
him, Travis Kelce wore his jersey during warmups.
Chiefs stuck in neutral as Broncos take
control of AFC West
By Frank Schwab
YAHOO! Sports
November 30, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs won't win the AFC West until they find
an offense that resembles what the rest of the NFL is running in the 21st century.
The Chiefs grind out a lot of wins by running the ball, and hitting tight ends and
tailbacks in the passing game as a change of pace. Having the great Jamaal
Charles at running back makes that a viable strategy against many teams. But they
can't keep up with the Denver Broncos that way. The Chiefs have zero touchdowns
by a wide receiver this season, an unbelievable stat in the pass-happy NFL. When
they face a team like the Broncos, they can't keep up.
The Broncos effectively knocked the Chiefs out of the division race in the AFC West
with a 29-16 win here on Sunday night. They dominated early and the Chiefs are
not built to catch up. Whether you want to blame that on Alex Smith's limitations,
coach Andy Reid's conservative nature or the Chiefs' poor receiving corps, it's a real
issue. Smith had 96 yards passing deep into the fourth quarter. It's too difficult to
beat elite NFL teams playing that style.
In the first quarter, the Broncos outgained the Chiefs 130 to minus-10. The Broncos
were ahead 14-0 after one quarter and were never really challenged after that.
Denver improved to 9-3, two games ahead of the Chiefs, and the Broncos own the
tiebreaker too. The 7-5 Chiefs are now in third place, one game behind the 8-4
Chargers, who won at Baltimore on Sunday.
The Chiefs have a lot of talent and have been a good football team in Reid's two
seasons. But until the Chiefs find a real passing game, their upside will be limited.
They'll continue to play for second in the AFC West.
Super Bowl Sneak Peek
By Peter King
MMQB/SI.com
December 1, 2014
Three months of the 2014 season down, two to go. Two months from tonight, in
Arizona, Super Bowl XLIX will be played. There can’t have been a better Super Bowl
preview than the game played in Green Bay between the Patriots and the Packers.
So even. So well-played. So highly competitive. No turnovers. Aaron Rodgers and
Tom Brady, both completing 63 percent of their throws on a 17-degree wind-chill
early-winter day, dueling in football’s most storied cathedral, Lambeau Field,
meeting for the first time in their combined 25 years in the NFL. Which seems so
unfair.
Meeting for the first time. Brady is 37. Rodgers turns 31 tomorrow. AFC meets NFC
once every four years. That means, at least in this tableau, we’ll never see this
again, unless Brady pulls a George Blanda and plays until he’s 45—or plays
somewhere else. Rob Gronkowski, playing in Lambeau for maybe the only time
ever. And Bill Belichick, coaching his 20th season, but coaching for only the second
time at Lambeau Field. The game just felt … well, important. And special.
“Awesome,” Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels said after Green Bay hung on
and won, 26-21. “That’s a Hall of Fame quarterback right there, and their tight end
is like the Terminator.”
From late in the second quarter, when the Patriots pulled to within 16-14, I got the
feeling this was going to come down to the end. Who would make a play to win at
the end? Who wouldn’t make a play at the end? I just didn’t want it to come down
to something fluky. Let the best team win on the merits. And the longer the game
went, I was convinced that’s how it would go. And if we were lucky, maybe we’d
get to see it again … two months from now, when the Patriots, if it happened,
would play in Glendale for the first time since Tyree Velcro Sunday, when the 18-0
season went up in smoke in the last Super Bowl in Arizona.
We’re getting way ahead of ourselves. Much to cover this morning, including:
The fallout of the Ray Rice decision.
Marvin Lewis losing his mind—in a good way, as it turns out.
Green Bay, New England and Denver, all 9-3, taking the helm of the league,
in that order.
Ferguson intruding on football, and vice versa, and the St. Louis police taking
offense.
Seattle: the best defense in football, again.
Johnny Football lives. He plays. He scores. He complicates the Browns’
playoff run.
The 102nd Grey Cup happens, and we have a correspondent inside the game:
Hamilton wide receiver Luke Tasker. Yes, son of Steve.
The disturbing story of Darryl Talley, and the heartwarming story of those
who read it and wanted to help.
We start in Lambeau. Green Bay sprinted to a 13-0 lead. New England got
touchdowns from its typical bargain-basement types, Brandon Bolden and Brandon
LaFell, to rally to within 16-14. The SI coverboy, Jordy Nelson, shook off Darrelle
Revis long enough to sprint for a 45-yard touchdown; 23-14. Brady to LaFell again;
23-21. Mason Crosby’s fourth field goal midway through the fourth quarter; 26-21.
Who would make a play to win at the end? Who wouldn’t?
New England converted a fourth-and-three at midfield, then drove to the Green Bay
20. Third-and-nine; 3:25 to play. Green Bay sent four and covered with seven.
Brady took the shotgun snap. From his left, end Mike Neal tried to beat tackle Nate
Solder to the edge, and Daniels bull-rushed left guard Dan Connolly. The line had
held well all day—no sacks in the first 56 minutes. But now Neal got a step on
Solder. Daniels bulled and then sped around Connolly. Neal and Daniels met for a
sandwich on Brady. He had no chance. On fourth-and-18, Belichick—rightly—sent
out the field-goal team. Stephen Gostkowski, a worthy heir to Adam Vinatieri,
wasn’t worthy here. Wide right.
Green Bay ball. One first down was all Rodgers needed. Seemed easy enough,
until it got to be third-and-four, with 2:28 left, at the Packer 43. New England was
out of timeouts. This was it. Make a play, Rodgers kneels for three snaps and it’s
over. Don’t make it, and you give it back to one of the best quarterbacks of our
lives, pacing the New England sidelines, dying for one last chance.
Green Bay came to the line in trips left (wideouts Jarrett Boykin, Davonte Adams
and Jordy Nelson spread from wide to tight of the formation), and tight end Andrew
Quarless split wide right. In the backfield, as a sidecar to the right of Rogers, was
wide receiver Randall Cobb. He doesn’t normally come out of the backfield, but he
did so early in the game on a wheel route and, mis-matched against Rob Ninkovich,
took a beautifully placed 33-yard strike from Rodgers. Now, as Rodgers called
signals and the play clock was down to three, Cobb motioned to the slot. Rodgers
snapped at zero.
“I’m running an angle route there, under a couple of slant routes,” Cobb told me an
hour after the game. Covered off the line by corner Logan Ryan, the matchup was
favorable—until he saw linebacker Dont’a Hightower standing near where he was to
angle, right in the middle of the field. Cobb peeked into the backfield and saw
Rodgers was searching. He had no one open.
“That means it’s scramble mode,” Cobb said. “I just gotta get open. Scramble mode
is more of a feel. I gotta find a hole. I know there are guys on the left running
slants, and I don’t want to run into them. I looked at Davonte, and he flattened out
his route, and I flattened mine out a little flatter, running left [behind Hightower]. I
wanted to make my guy [Ryan] go high. I wanted Aaron to have a clear shot at
me.”
Once clear of Hightower, a step or two past him, Rodgers zinged the ball toward
Cobb, maybe two yards past the first-down line. Now Devin McCourty came off
Adams and joined Ryan in coverage of Cobb. But McCourty was just a split-second
too late to break it up.
“Aaron put it right in there,” Cobb said. “Perfect.”
What do you remember when the ball’s coming toward you?
“Nothing, really. I just know I gotta make the catch,” Cobb said.
Were you feeling the coverage on you—physically? Or do you just know they’re
there?
“Honestly,” Cobb said, “I don’t know. I don’t recall. I guess I’ll see it when I watch
the tape. I just think about putting the ball away and doing whatever it takes to
catch it.”
He caught it. Game over.
“Bleep!’’ Brady said on the New England sideline. Or something to that effect. He
said it three times.
One team made the play. The plays, actually. The other didn’t.
But that doesn’t mean in two months the same team will make them if they meet
again. It was that close Sunday in Green Bay. It was that good.
Five thoughts on the Rice verdict.
I was out of pocket Friday when Judge Barbara Jones issued her ruling that Ray
Rice should be reinstated immediately. But after I read her 17-page ruling, I was
struck by the common sense of it, which leads my thoughts:
1. How could the NFL possibly think that, after giving Rice a two-game ban
to start, the continuation of a ban that reached 11 games was in any way
fair? We all heard Roger Goodell say he got it wrong when he gave Rice two games
back in July. Okay. Two games bad. Six games good. What is the possible
justification for extending the ban to 11—and, if Jones hadn’t ruled when she did,
maybe longer? The facts are these: Goodell saw the video of Rice dragging the limp
body of his fiancée out of the Atlantic City elevator, then heard from him she got
that way because he made physical contact with her in said elevator. Goodell said
he never saw the second video, the one of Rice making contact with Janay Palmer
(now his wife). But all that matters, obviously, is that Rice hit her, and she went
unconscious. The fact that the NFL was willing to let Rice sit for the season—which
the league obviously was willing to do—goes far beyond a reasonable sanction for a
first-time offender.
2. Rice’s future. I spoke to two NFL general managers over the weekend about
Rice, neither of whom is interested in signing him, but who believes Rice will be in
some team’s training camp in 2015. As one GM said, Rice has three things working
against him as we approach the final four weeks of the regular season: He is seven
weeks shy of turning 28, and coming off a season in which he averaged 3.1 yards
per carry (and his play reflected that statistic); he hasn’t played in a game in 11
months, and he hasn’t practiced live in three months; the distraction of Rice
appearing on the team, with the requisite protests and media attention that will
come with it, will be unwanted for a team in the home stretch of its season. Having
said all that, this GM did admit that Adrian Peterson would be different, because
Peterson is closer to a premier player now than Rice. For the football advantages,
the headaches with Peterson in your locker room would be more palatable than
with Rice. I think it’s a long shot Rice signs with any team before the end of the
season, and as I said on NBC last night, there’s a slim chance it would be New
Orleans and much less in Indianapolis, the two teams mentioned by Adam Schefter
as sniffing around Rice.
3. The Players Association is rightfully miffed at the NFL for not responding
to a Personal Conduct Policy proposal it submitted to the league a month
ago. In a recent interview with Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB, NFLPA executive
director DeMaurice Smith said it was “disrespectful” that the league had yet to issue
a formal response to the union’s Personal Conduct Proposal. As Smith said, the
league asked for input from a variety of sectors, including players and former
players. “If they have yet to submit a proposal,” Smith said, “and they have yet to
respond to the proposal we have sent them, and yet you continue to unilaterally
create new things in the disciplinary area, does that mean that everything is on the
table?” Last week, the union and league met again on the issue, and NFLPA
president Eric Winston said, again, the league did not respond with a written
proposal but said any topic was open for discussion that day. “They just want to
meet with the union,” Winston said, “so they can say they got our input and then
do whatever they want.” For the record, the major points in the NFLPA’s proposal,
obtained by The MMQB:
No action may be taken after an arrest.
As in the Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy cases, players may be put on leave
with pay while the cases are being adjudicated, if player and club agree.
Discipline may be imposed only after final disposition of the case.
After a conviction for a violent act, a player must undergo counseling with a
professional chosen mutually by the NFL and NFLPA.
NFLPA attorney must be present for all investigations into the players’
behavior.
All appeals of commissioner discipline must be by a neutral arbitrator, as in
the case of Judge Jones in the Ray Rice investigation.
4. The judge in the Rice case didn’t accuse the league of any wrongdoing,
but there was one striking piece of evidence she uncovered that has
overtones of the Bountygate investigation. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk beat
me to this over the weekend. Jones said in her report that Goodell called a meeting
after the more ominous TMZ video aired in September, “at which they looked back
at the notes of the June 16 meeting [with Rice] and ‘made sure all of us had the
same recollection,’ ” according to Jones. That reminded me (and Florio) of the
league finding fault with New Orleans coach Sean Payton for “instructing assistants
to make sure our ducks are in a row.” Those sound like the same thing to me. They
sound like each side is trying to get its stories straight. And when the judge
overseeing the Rice case sided with Rice and not the league, well, it sure seems to
me that the judge liked Rice’s version (and NFLPA attorney Heather MacPhee’s
version) of the truth more than the NFL’s.
5. Why the NFL doesn’t record disciplinary hearings, or have a
stenographer present, is beyond comprehension. It’s 2014. Nothing further,
your honor.
Finally on this topic: I quoted a source in July as saying Janay Rice made a moving
case for leniency for Ray Rice during the June 16 meeting. My source was incorrect.
According to Judge Jones’ report, Janay Rice was asked only one question during
the hearing—how she felt—and she cried and said, “I’m just ready for it to be
over.” I regret the error, and should have vetted the story further before publishing
the story of one source.
Crazy story of the day.
Watching the end of the Bengals-Bucs game Sunday, it looked like Cincinnati was
on their way to a loss. The Bengals were up 14-13, but with 26 seconds left, Bucs
quarterback Josh McCown completed a 21-yard pass to Louis Murphy that advanced
the ball to the Cincinnati 20. Now all the Bucs had to do was let the clock run down
a few more seconds, spike the ball, and summon the kicker, Patrick Murphy, for a
37-yard field goal on a calm weather afternoon in Tampa. The Bucs gathered at the
line, and suddenly the red challenge flag flew from the Cincinnati sideline. Coach
Marvin Lewis had thrown it. One problem: You can’t throw the challenge flag inside
of two minutes of either half. Replays are booth reviews then, not coaches’
challenges.
My first thought: Marvin is on the Competition Committee. Not many people in the
game know the rules better. He knows you can’t throw the challenge flag inside the
two-minute warning.
The Bucs had 12 men on the offensive side of the ball. Oniel Cousins had come in
as an extra offensive lineman/tight end, and rookie wideout Robert Herron, who
Cousins was replacing, just didn’t leave the field.
Now for the strange thing: Bill Leavy’s officiating crew missed the 12 men. The
Bengals caught it—and then CBS caught on the telecast. Even crazier: As Tampa
Bay lined up to run another play, the Bucs still had 12 men on the field.
The Bucs were about to snap the ball, and if they did the penalty on the previous
play wouldn’t have been fixable.
“I just lost my mind,’’ Lewis told me from Tampa after the game. “All I needed to
do was call timeout. I was trying to get Bill Leavy’s attention, and at the end, I was
worried they’d snap the ball so I just threw the challenge flag.’’
But, you knew …
“I knew you can’t throw it,’’ he said. But, he said, he also knew the sanction for
throwing the challenge flag was loss of a timeout, and the Bengals had two left. So
by the time the officials addressed the throwing the flag, Lewis was comfortable the
replay official upstairs would buzz down that there had been 12 men on the field.
I still find it amazing that the four officials on the field assigned to count bodies
before every play didn’t have the Bucs with 12 men on the field—and may not have
had them with 12 men on the field on the second play either, if no Bucs player
exited or entered the field before the snap of the ball.
“We are fortunate,’’ said Lewis, “because we have a challenge person upstairs. He
told me about the 12 men. Then it was just a matter of getting it to the officials’
attention.’’
Upon further review, of course, the 12th man was found on the previous play. A
five-yard markoff was taken from the 41, so it became second-and-20 from the 46.
Three pass attempts couldn’t net a first down, and the Bengals took over on downs.
What a dumb, dumb sequence by the Bucs. And not a very good one for the
officiating crew, or the replay official upstairs, Larry Nemmers.
“That’s how 2-10 football teams play,’’ said Bucs coach Lovie Smith.
And that’s how an 8-3-1 coach, Lewis, coaches.
* * *
Worth noting …
The St. Louis cops are ticked off at the Rams. The Rams hosted 50 business
owners and clean-up-crew workers from Ferguson at the 52-0 rout of the Raiders—
people who’d had their businesses torched or ruined in the wake of the
announcement that officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the death of
Michael Brown.
But five players touched a nerve before the game, entering the field with their
hands raised in the familiar Hands up, don’t shoot mode of Ferguson protesters. A
statement by local officers said: “The St. Louis Police Officers Association is
profoundly disappointed with the members of the St. Louis Rams football team who
chose to ignore the mountains of evidence released from the St. Louis County
Grand Jury this week and engage in a display that police officers around the nation
found tasteless, offensive and inflammatory … It is unthinkable that hometown
athletes would so publicly perpetuate a narrative that has been disproven over and
over again.”
The SLPOA stressed that forensics tests didn’t support the claim that Brown held his
hands up and said to Wilson, “Don’t shoot.” After the game, one of the Rams in the
demonstration, wideout Kenny Britt, said the players weren’t taking sides. “Not at
all,’’ Britt said. “We just wanted to let the community know we support them.” The
officers said they would demand a “very public apology” from the Rams and the NFL
today. The team had no comment last night.
Johnny Manziel sees the light of day for the first time in nine
weeks. Cleveland’s backup quarterback might not be Cleveland’s backup
quarterback after coach Mike Pettine and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan look
at the tape from Buffalo today. They’ll like what they saw on Manziel’s first drive,
an eight-play, 80-yard, no-huddle Manziel-being-Manziel touchdown drive. But then
Manziel fumbled on the next series under a heavy rush, and overall, his 13 snaps
over 12 minutes were a mixed bag. What else would you expect against a front
seven that brings constant pressure, after not playing for two months? That’s why
I’d be very surprised if Manziel wasn’t given a shot to start Sunday at home against
Indianapolis. If I’m Pettine, I call in the quarterbacks Tuesday, tell them this is an
all-hands-on-deck game, tell Brian Hoyer he could be called on at any moment, and
tell Shanahan to let Manziel be Manziel. At 7-5, Cleveland can afford maybe one
loss down the stretch. Hoyer, over his last four games, is a 53-percent passer with
one touchdown and six interceptions. As good as he was in the first half of the
season in solidifying Cleveland’s shaky offense without Josh Gordon, he hasn’t been
good enough over the past month, or in the two games since Gordon came back.
Manziel should get a shot, and now.
Colt McCoy will keep Robert Griffin III on the bench for at least another
week. Other than the fact Washington stinks out loud (safety Ryan Clark used the
word “embarrassing” four times in his first 20 postgame words on Sunday) there
was some news out of its 49-27 loss at Indianapolis: McCoy will start against the
Rams Sunday. “Yeah, yeah,’’ said coach Jay Gruden. “Colt competed. There are
some things I wish we would have done differently, play calls and execution-wise,
but I feel like he competed and did a nice job out there.’’ McCoy, after a slow start,
threw for 392 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. In three games this year,
McCoy has completed an eye-opening 75.3 percent of his throws, for a passer
rating of 113.5. I still think Washington needs to play Griffin before the end of the
year. They either need to see more of him before deciding whether to keep him—
or, if they’ve already decided to jettison him, showcase him in a positive light so he
can fetch a better return in trade.
Three Questions With …
Buffalo News writer Tim Graham did a terrific job detailing the woes in retirement of
former Bills linebacker Darryl Talley and, in the process, set off a fundraising effort
for Talley by a fan named Frank Croisdale that is amazing: As of 7 a.m. today, the
site had raised $136,408 for Talley, from 3,008 donors—with no assurance that the
very needy Talley would even take it. Talley told Graham he’s too proud to take
charity. Graham’s story, and its implications, deserve to be read by all football fans.
The MMQB: I thought one of the amazing parts of the story you told is
about going down Bittersweet Lane to get to the Talleys’ home in Orlando.
How did he lose it all?
Graham: “Yes, their cross-street is Bittersweet Lane. It sounds made up, but it’s
true. It’s a combination of mistakes made with good intentions and the economy
and what he was dealing with mentally. I think this is important. He was having
issues mentally before his business went south. This is a guy who thought about
throwing himself off the balcony of a hotel in Hawaii in 2003. When he started
cashing in his 401k and his pension and his college funds … Someone with a clearer
mind would have said, ‘The business is gone. We need to protect what we do have
and not throw it away.’ No one did. Now he’d let down his family and all his
employees. He felt terrible about it. Then his house is foreclosed on. Everybody can
relate to losing a business.”
The MMQB: Are you a little bit stunned that what you wrote led to the
creation of this fund drive, and fans raised more than $100,000 in two
days?
Graham: “It’s West Virginia, where he played in college, and Western New York—
not the most opulent places—digging into their pockets. I think it says so much
about Darryl Talley. It’s fans remembering a guy who gave everything and
epitomized looking out for his teammates. If you were going to tell this story, the
fact that it was Darryl Talley really made it resonate. I did not anticipate this
reaction at all. The idea of raising money over the internet never crossed my mind.
What I wanted to do with this story was to take a step back, tell the story and get
out of the way. I did not anticipate it being a life-changing story for people. It’s the
ultimate honor as a journalist to tell the story and have it impact people. I can’t
express how grateful I am, both to the Talley family for letting me tell their story,
and to the readers.”
The MMQB: What should the NFL do to help Talley?
Graham: “That’s a tough one. I think Darryl’s mission is to let the average fan
know what former players are going through. But you can’t just make Darryl a
special case. There are so many former players; you can’t just help him and not all
the others. The system needs to be more inclusive to help players like Darryl. The
league has made great strides in recent years, but they need to do more.”
A Grey Cup Diary, by Luke Tasker
Editor’s Note: I asked Hamilton Tiger-Cats WR Luke Tasker—son of former Bills
special-teams ace Steve Tasker—to do a short diary during the Canadian Football
League’s 102nd Grey Cup Week for The MMQB. Tasker, fourth in the CFL this season
with 72 catches, was playing for the 10-9 Tiger-Cats against the heavily favored
Calgary Stampeders (16-3) Sunday night in Vancouver. Why do this? I believe
America would enjoy the CFL if it simply knew more about it.
Tuesday, Nov. 25, Vancouver
This is what it’s like to be in a city with the Grey Cup in it—even a few days away.
We had a group of seven players go to Cactus Club Café on the waterfront here in
Vancouver when we got to town today, and the guy who ran the place came over.
The place is right down the street from our hotel. “Anything you guys need while
you’re in town, let us know,” he told us. “If you want us to bring food over to your
rooms, just call.” So we knew that would kind of be our place for the week.
Obviously I’ve never played in the Super Bowl—the Chargers cut me at the end of
training camp last year—but the CFL is the big leagues to me. I wish people in
America could see the spirit, the rivalries, and how big the Grey Cup is. This is the
102nd Grey Cup. That’s twice as old as our beloved Super Bowl. I was in this game
last year; we lost to Saskatchewan at Saskatchewan, and I got the feel of what a
national thing this is. It’s such a part of Canadian life. It’s a Canadian holiday, not
just a big sports event. The country stops to watch this game.
Friday, Nov. 28, Vancouver
There’s a real buzz in the city now. You can feel the country coming together here.
I met a fan who has been to the last 30 Grey Cups. He’d never miss one. What
happens in the host city is you go around town and you see bars that have been
taken over by each fan group. There’s a Winnipeg Blue Bombers bar, a Tiger-Cat
bar (well, probably a few of those), a Saskatchewan bar. Saskatchewan green is
everywhere. They’re like the national team.
We went out for a meal today and we had Calgary fans at a table near us,
Saskatchewan fans at another table, Hamilton fans at another table. Cary Koch,
one of our receivers, used to play for Saskatchewan, and he went over to their
table for like 10 minutes. Once you played somewhere in this league, the fans
always remember you.
That’s the thing about this league—the fans are so loyal. The rivalries are fierce.
Our biggest rival is Toronto, which is only about 45 minutes from Hamilton. On the
last week of the regular season, we were playing Montreal in Hamilton on a
Saturday. Toronto won the night before. If we win, Toronto’s out of the playoffs. So
CBC has a camera in this bar where a lot of the Argos are watching our game, and
it’s late in our game, and we’ve got Montreal beat, and they show the camera shot
from the bar in our stadium, with sad faces on all the Argos players. Our fans went
nuts. It’s like they’re happier to see Toronto out of the playoffs than to see us win.
Saturday, Nov. 29, Vancouver
It’s about 25, 26 hours before the game, and I’m standing on the field where we’re
playing tomorrow. It’s a beautiful day here, cold but I can see the sun coming
through the roof of the dome. We just finished our walk-through and our media
stuff. My family is coming in for the game, so we’ll have dinner tonight. I’m so
happy my dad could get off from his TV duties this weekend to see the game. That
makes it more special.
A lot of people would look at the CFL and the NFL and think, “Well, it can’t be that
big a game in the CFL, compared to the NFL.” It’s all relative. I went to my
brother’s big high-school rivalry game this year in Buffalo, and man, that was
a big game. You ask Brandon Banks—our great return man who played for
Washington for a few years; he returned two punts for touchdowns last week—
about how big a game this is, and he’ll tell you. It’s a big game. For me? I went to
Cornell. I tried out for the Chargers and I was crushed not to make it. I played in
the Grey Cup last year, but there’s something about this year, this game. We have
a confidence I don’t remember from last year. We are convinced we’re going to win
the game. This is the biggest game I’ve ever played in my life. I can’t wait to play.
Went to dinner with my family. My dad gave me some good advice about the game.
“Play like you’re showing off in the backyard,” he told me. “Play in the moment,
with a lot of joy.”
That’s the plan.
Sunday, Nov. 30, Vancouver
After a great night’s sleep, I went to chapel at 9:30, then looked over my play
sheet from 10 to 10:30 this morning. I love our gameplan. After team breakfast, I
came back to the room and just relaxed. I didn’t want to watch the NFL games or
anything else on TV; I just watched a highlight video of our plays that our media
guys prepared and tried to rest before the bus ride to the game. Downtown was
mobbed. We needed a police escort—people everywhere, all in different CFL
uniforms. I love how all of Canada is represented at these games.
The game … well, I was having a lot of fun until the last minute. We were down 20-
16, and Calgary punted to Brandon Banks, who ran it back [90 yards] for a
touchdown—just like last week! But there was a flag. One of our guys was called for
a block in the back. We didn’t like the call, because we didn’t think the guy who got
blocked was in position to make a play anyway. Now it’s an hour and a half after
the game, and it still hurts. I’m mad for so many of my teammates, like Tim O’Neill,
our 35-year-old left tackle. We wanted to get a ring for him. I wanted to get a ring
for me too. We’ll all remember that punt return for a long time.
It was a great experience—the week, the game, the crowds. But you know what it’s
like in sports: There is only one team that goes home happy at the end of the year.
The team that loses the Super Bowl feels the same way we do now.
FINE FIFTEEN
1. Green Bay (9-3). No one quite believes how fast Jordy Nelson is until he buzzes
past a very fast corner like Darrelle Revis. That’s one takeaway
from Sunday’s deserved 26-21 nail-biter. Another one: Never thought when I
walked out of CenturyLink Field on opening night, after the Pack’s 36-16 loss to
Seattle, that I’d have Green Bay No. 1 in the Fine Fifteen in Week 13, or in any
week this year.
2. New England (9-3). Not a deadly loss, but the Packers were better on their
home tundra. And now the Patriots have to play the suddenly dangerous Chargers
in San Diego on Sunday. The Patriots flew straight from Green Bay to San Diego on
Sunday night instead of flying back to Providence post-game, then making the
coast-to-coast trip late in the week. Comparative practice weather for the five
practice days for the two places on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday and Saturday’s walk-through: San Diego—69 degrees, 69 (rain ending
by noon), 69, 68 and 66. Foxboro—53, 53 (rainy day), 40, 40 and 43 (rainy day).
3. Denver (9-3). What I find so interesting about the new and improved Broncos
is that C.J. Anderson (out of the blue, in the best tradition of the Shanahan running
backs), in rushing for 167 and 168 yards the past two weeks, has really changed
who the Broncos are on offense. In the 1-2 stretch pre-Anderson, Peyton Manning
averaged 51.7 passes per game. In this 2-0 stretch, Manning is averaging 34.5.
Guess which one John Fox likes better?
4. Philadelphia (9-3). Best thing about Mark Sanchez’s game on Thursday: one
negative play. Zero lost fumbles, zero interceptions, one sack taken. Also liked his
28 rushing yards. Just okay throwing the ball, though.
5. Seattle (8-4). Seahawks are on the kind of run-of-schedule that reminds me
when I used to cover the Giants for Newsday,and Bill Parcells would say the reason
the NFC East teams were always so well-prepared for the playoffs would be the
gauntlet they’d have to survive in the regular season. “Because in the NFC East, it’s
like you play a playoff game so many weeks in the regular season,” he’d say. Start
in Week 11 for Seattle: at Kansas City (24-20 loss), Arizona (19-3 win), at San
Francisco (19-3 win), at Philadelphia next Sunday, San Francisco (Week 15), at
Arizona (Week 16). They close with the Rams at home on the final Sunday. Point is,
if Seattle comes out of that seven-game death march 5-2 and even if the Seahawks
have to play at the Falcons or Saints in the idiotic-ruled Wild Card opener (11-5 or
12-4 at 7-9 or 6-10?), I think they have a good chance to make the kind of noise
the Giants made as a 2007 roadie through the playoffs.
6. Indianapolis (8-4). Andrew Luck kibitzes with Robert Griffin III on the floor of
Lucas Oil Stadium. That’s what I’d call hashtag awkward.
7. Miami (6-5). After tonight at the mortally wounded Jets, Dolphins have three of
the last four at home. The one road game’s a doozy: at New England on Dec. 14.
8. San Diego (8-4). Remember the 37-0 loss in Miami, making the Chargers a
feeble 5-4 entering their bye? Remember how we all wrote them off? Remember
how they survived the Raiders 13-6 in the first game out of the bye? Remember the
27-24 nail-biter job over the Rams last week? Well, they continued the tightrope
walk back into goodness. They’re in the playoffs if the season was 12 games long.
9. Cincinnati (8-3-1).I know it doesn’t resonate as the Greatest Road Trip in
Bengals History, beating three teams with a combined 11-22 record, but winning
consecutive road games by 17, 9 and 1 against anybody in the NFL is an
accomplishment. Bengals have the Steelers twice in the last 22 days, the first
one Sunday at home.
10. Arizona (9-3).Not saying the sky is falling or anything, but Drew Stanton is
struggling mightily, and they’ve lost two straight with him playing. Plus, there’s not
a gimme left on the schedule. FYI: Arizona and Seattle control their proverbial
destiny (which, of course, is impossible to do); if either team wins out, that team
wins the division.
11. Dallas (8-4).Dispiriting performance by the defense Thursday, and you’ve got
to wonder if the D is just running out of impact players to make impact plays. Last
two weeks: 61 points and 891 yards allowed.
12. Detroit (8-4).Are the Lions awakening from a long offensive nap, or
was Thursday just Thursday? Lions had their season high in yards (by 53) against
Chicago and broke a nine-quarter touchdown-less drought. I need to see it more
than once.
13. San Francisco (7-5). I don’t think they’re done. But I also don’t think a trip to
Oakland next week is a gimme, not with the way Colin Kaepernick is playing. That’s
worrisome.
14. Kansas City (7-5). Can’t get behind Peyton Manning 14-0 anywhere, not even
at Arrowhead.
T-15. Buffalo (7-5). That defensive front is downright scary. Ask Hoyer and
Manziel.
T-15. Baltimore (7-5).Yes, John Harbaugh, that was pass interference,
absolutely, on Anthony Levine that led to the crushing winning TD.
THE AWARD SECTION
Offensive Players of the Week
(With apologies to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who deserves better after throwing six
touchdown passes off the bench against Tennessee—but I chose two players here
who were huge in big wins for their teams in Week 13.)
Aaron Rodgers, quarterback, Green Bay. He’s had better statistical days. But
Rodgers, against a team that won seven straight and allowed less than 20 points
per game in the process, had eight significant possessions—possessions when they
were trying to score in the 26-21 win over New England at Lambeau Field, in what
Mike Florio called Super Bowl 48.5. Of the eight possessions, they punted once.
They missed one field goal. Rodgers threw two touchdown passes, and Mason
Crosby kicked four field goals. Rodgers, against a good defense, put the Packers in
position to score on seven of eight scoring-effort possessions. For the record, he
was 24 of 38 for 368 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. His last interception at
Lambeau Field? Two years ago tomorrow.
LeSean McCoy, running back, Philadelphia. Eight days ago, McCoy, in the midst
of a pedestrian season (averaging just 3.7 yards per rush through 10 games) was
inundated with all versions of What’s wrong with McCoy? On Sunday of Week 12,
he steamrolled Tennessee for 130 yards on 21 carries; on Thanksgiving Day in
Dallas, he was the Eagles’ best player: 25 rushes, 159 yards, apparently none the
worse for wear playing on the road on a short week. Two games, 289 yards, 6.3
per carry. “I had so many opportunities to make guys miss one-on-one,” McCoy
said. “So much space.” The offensive line, getting more whole by the week, had its
best game of the season in the 33-10 win over Dallas.
Defensive Players of the Week
J.J. Watt, defensive end, Houston. He could—should—win this every week.
(Except, maybe, when Houston has a bye.) Against Tennessee, he had his typical
game of greatness: two sacks, six quarterback hits, four quarterback pressures, a
forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a one-yard touchdown reception leaking out
of the formation as a tight end. We are watching an amazing career unfold, and we
should appreciate it every week.
Ziggy Ansah, defensive end, Detroit. It’s hard to have a more impactful 43
snaps in a game, unless your name is J.J. Watt. In the 34-17 win over Chicago,
Ansah abused left tackle Jermon Bushrod, showing why the Saints weren’t too
concerned when they moved on from him last year. Ansah had one sack of Jay
Cutler, another tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, and, according to Pro Football
Focus, 10 significant pressures of the besieged Cutler. True, Ansah benefits from
the pressure the Lions create inside every week, but the rest of the line is helped
by Ansah’s impact too.
Special Teams Players of the Week
Adam Thielen, wide receiver; Jasper Brinkley, linebacker, Minnesota. They
blocked two Brad Nortman punts in the first 21 minutes, and both were returned for
touchdowns—the first by Thielen himself and the next by Everson Griffen. How
amazing is this: Minnesota hadn’t blocked a punt and scored a touchdown on it in
28 years … and the Vikings did it twice in the first quarter and a half Sunday.
Thielen is a great story. He didn’t have to go far to make it to the Vikes—Thielen
went to college where the Vikings have training camp: Minnesota State in Mankato.
He was on the practice squad last year, and made the roster as the fifth wideout
and special-teamer this year. That paid off Sunday, when Thielen broke through the
left guard-tackle hole and blocked the punt, recovering it and running it back 30
yards.
Coach of the Week
Marvin Lewis, head coach, Cincinnati. See my note earlier in the column. It is
officially the only time I have ever awarded Coach of the Week to a coach who says
to me, “I just lost my mind.”
Goats of the Week
The offensive Bucs. Garrett Gilkey, goat. Has a good ring to it. I almost gave it to
him, seeing as how he got called for four penalties. The Bucs had 13 accepted
penalties (two of Gilkey’s were declined, but a vital 10-yard holding penalty on
Tampa Bay’s last ill-fated drive of the 14-13 loss to Cincinnati was not), and the
biggest one cost Tampa Bay dearly. On second-and-15 from the Cincinnati 41 with
32 seconds left, the Bucs had 12 men on the field and ran a play. Lewis went crazy
trying to get the attention of the crew before the next play—a play where the Bucs
AGAIN had 12 men on the field—and finally the officials looked at the previous play
and saw 12 men, penalizing the Bucs. Now it was second-and-20 from the
Cincinnati 46, and the Bucs couldn’t move into field-goal range. Awful field
management by Tampa, in all ways. Lovie Smith called the penalties “stupid” and
said of the 12 men on the field TWICE: “Bad move on my part. We should have
caught that. A lot of us should have caught that.”
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
I
“It is what it is. Whatever hasn’t happened hasn’t happened.”
—New England coach Bill Belichick, in what might be the Belichickian quote of the
decade, on the fact that, before Sunday, Aaron Rodgers had never started a game
versus the Patriots.
II
“Days like today are what I live for. Literally. This is my life.”
—J.J. Watt, after another performance we just shake our heads at: two sacks, a
touchdown catch, and a bunch of other flora and fauna you already read about in
Defensive Players of the Week.
III
“Based on what I’ve seen, he would not be my quarterback next year.”
—Ron Jaworski, video-aholic, on the Mike & Mike show on ESPN Radio, on Robert
Griffin III.
IV
“I’m disappointed for our fans. Our stage was set. Gosh, we had one of the greatest
crowds we’ve ever had in that stadium. They were ready to do their part, and we
just didn’t do it on the field. We really stunk it up all the way around.”
—Dallas owner Jerry Jones, on the Cowboys’ performance in their loss to
Philadelphia on Thanksgiving.
STAT OF THE WEEK
For much of this season, the answer to the question of which team is having the
best defensive season was easy: Detroit. But in the span of five days ending
Thursday night, the answer turned. Now it’s Seattle.
In twin 19-3 wins over division rivals Arizona and San Francisco, the Seahawks got
back in the thick of the NFC West race, but also reclaimed their place as the best
defense in the league, at least for now. Notes from Seattle’s ascension:
The Seahawks became the first team this season to play consecutive games
without allowing a touchdown. No team has allowed so few points, six, in two
straight games.
Seattle took over the lead, from Detroit, in the NFL defense rankings. Against
New England and Chicago, Detroit allowed 708 yards. Against Arizona and
San Francisco, Seattle allowed a microscopic 368 yards: 204 against the
Cards, 164 against the Niners.
NFL leaders, yards allowed per game: Seattle 285.8, Detroit 300.9, San
Francisco 306.7. That’s a 15.1-yard lead with four games to play.
Last year, Seattle allowed 273.6 yards per game, winning the yardage crown
by 27.7 yards over Carolina.
Bobby Wagner is the biggest reason. After missing five games with a torn
foot tendon, Wagner returned against Arizona to play his sideline-to-sideline
middle linebacker role, and in the span of five days, had 18 tackles, two
tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures. It helped, too, that Kam
Chancellor and Kevin Williams (replacing stout defensive tackle Brandon
Mebane) have excelled in the same games. Williams caved in the San
Francisco line consistently Thursday night.
“These guys have really joined together and recaptured what it was that we played
with last year,” said coach Pete Carroll.
FACTOID OF THE WEEK THAT MAY INTEREST ONLY ME
I sense an offensive trend in San Francisco. Offensive yards per play for the 49ers
since 2012, along with quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s passer rating:
Year Period Ave. yards per play Kaepernick rating
2012 Regular season 6.0 98.3
Post-season 7.6 101.0
2013 Regular season 5.4 91.6
Post-season 5.5 74.0
2014 Regular season 5.1 87.8
Thursday night vs. Seattle 3.2 36.7
CHIP KELLY WISDOM OF THE WEEK
The Philadelphia coach, on either the difficulty of preparing for a Thursday game on
a short week, or the tradition of Thanksgiving Day football, which the Eagles
experienced against Dallas:
“Just tell us when we’re going to play. We don’t really read much into it or wax
nostalgic. It’s not like we’re going to have a cornucopia and a turkey on the
sideline. We’re just going to go play football.”
MR. STARWOOD PREFERRED MEMBER TRAVEL NOTE OF THE WEEK
I had the good fortune on the day after Thanksgiving, for the afternoon and
evening, to volunteer at Fare Share Friday, a fund-raising meal for 500 in New York
City that paired the affluent and the homeless at the same 10-seat round tables
under the ancient dome of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in midtown
Manhattan. The well-heeled paid $100 per plate for the privilege of eating a turkey
dinner cooked by chefs from the Waldorf Astoria and The Palace hotels. It was the
brainchild of the Rev. Edward Sunderland of St. Bart’s, with proceeds to benefit
Sunderland’s soup kitchen, shelter and food pantry at Crossroads Community in
midtown Manhattan.
There were two seatings. For the first, at 4 p.m., I served a table of diners turkey,
potatoes, stuffing, root vegetables, water and punch. We set up the tables
beforehand, then cleared them afterward and prepped for the second seating. For
that second seating, at 7 p.m., I was a table host for five homeless folks and three
other guests. Everyone met everyone, and discussion ensued. “There’s something
about sitting down to a meal,” said Sundlerland. “It’s hard to stay strangers when
you’re sitting next to someone, eating.” He was right. The conversation over 90
minutes was non-stop and interesting.
A man named Eddie, who hadn’t had a roof over his head for 10 years, sat next to
me. He was 36 and looked 60. He lives in Riverside Park, on the west side of
Manhattan, in a sleeping bag, except when it gets very cold. “Then I stay on the
subway at night,” he said. “I just ride it all night, unless the cops kick me off. Then
I have to go to another station and wait for the next train.” And you talk about
gratitude … Eddie was supremely grateful to be here. “This is the best meal I have
had in years,” he said, digging into his fourth piece of turkey.
Politely, he engaged everyone at the table. He asked if they might have a blanket
he could have, and two were found. He was almost at the end of his meal when he
looked up, blissfully, and said, “Tonight, I’m not homeless.”
We found him a clamshell to-go container, and he filled it with eight thick pieces of
turkey—good for the whole weekend, he said—and he packed up to leave. Eddie
had tears in his eyes as he left.
A few people had that same emotion at the end of the evening. Well done, Rev.
Sunderland. We’ll be back next year.
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
Given Brees’ struggles, #Saints are preparing for life after Brees. Expect them to
draft a QB high this draft. They wish they did last year – Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)
Seems like only yesterday that Brees, 35, was saying he wanted to play until he’s
45.
II
I looked at my calendar. I thought it was December in Dallas. – Plaxico Burress
(@plaxicoburress)
The ex-Giant, killing the Cowboys on Thursday for pulling a disappearing act on
Thanksgiving—and dredging up memories of very small late-season performances
by Dallas.
III
Words can't express my gratitude to @UCLA for special day at the Rose Bowl.
Thank u fans and thank u marching band!! – Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman)
The ex-Bruin had his number retired Friday at the UCLA football game at the Rose
Bowl.
IV
Fullback Bruce Miller played nine snaps vs Sea. #49ers are 7-0 when he plays at
least 40 percent of the snaps. They’re 0-5 when he doesn’t. – Chris Biderman
(@ChrisBiderman)
V
Today, a lot of people will be eating turkey and playing football. But not at the
same time. – Captain Obvious (@CaptainObvious)
VI
Bo Pellini is going to make $150k a month for the next 4 1/4 years to not coach
Nebraska Football. #FBSproblems. – Kevin Ozee (@CoachOzee)
Pelini was fired by Nebraska after going 9-3 this year. That makes sense, the same
way it made sense after Frank Solich went 58-19 at Nebraska and got fired.
TEN THINGS I THINK I THINK
1. I think this is what I liked about Week 13:
a. Who throws a wheel route better than Aaron Rodgers? Who throws almost any
pass better than Aaron Rodgers?
b. Very impressed with the maturation of the New England defense, and it showed
on the late-second-quarter Dont’a Hightower sack of Rodgers. Green Bay just didn’t
have an answer for all the Patriots rushers on the play.
c. Saints tight end Ben Watson’s essay on his Facebook page about the events in
Ferguson, Mo. Calm, reasoned, sensible, and very smart. How it began:
I’M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for
generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.
I’M FRUSTRATED, because pop culture, music and movies glorify these types of
police citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get
young men killed in real life, away from safety movie sets and music studios.
It gets better.
d. Almost everything I see about Le’Veon Bell, who makes at least two yards more
than he should on almost every run.
e. Cameron Jordan, the Saints’ precocious defensive end, with a deflection and
interception of Ben Roethlisberger. Tremendous athletic play.
f. Jerrell Freeman’s shot-out-of-a-cannon sack of Colt McCoy for the Colts.
g. Tre Mason, the 75th pick in the draft, playing like the fifth, sprinting 89 yards for
a touchdown against Oakland.
h. Niners middle linebacker Chris Borland, with 15 more tackles Thursday night. It’s
an off-night for him if he doesn’t have double-digit tackles.
i. Adam Schefter reporting that Ray Rice has drawn interest from four teams about
playing this season, including Indianapolis and New Orleans.
j. Tremendous story by CBS’s NFL Today on Thanksgiving, about Chicago defensive
end Jared Allen building homes for Wounded Warriors. Very moving. What a
difference he is making in many lives.
k. On the first play of Thursday’s tripleheader, a crushing stop of returner Jeremy
Ross by Bears cornerback Sherrick McManis and defensive end Cornelius
Washington.
l. The section front of the Florida Times-Union on Sunday, with the “WELCOME
HOME TOM” headline, welcoming Tom Coughlin back to town.
m. Great stat from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, prior to Chargers at
Ravens: West Coast teams are 0-11 on trips to M&T Bank Stadium. Imagine that: It
took until the stadium’s 17th year in existence for a West Coast team to win a game
there.
n. The outpouring of good feeling for Chiefs safety Eric Berry, as he gets tested for
what is believed to be a cancerous growth.
o. Former Steeler Keenan Lewis sniffing out a Pittsburgh flea-flicker and preventing
Ben Roethlisberger from hitting an open Antonio Brown for a touchdown.
p. Torrey Smith’s one-handed, juggling touchdown catch for Baltimore.
q. The jet-sweep touchdown by Tavon Austin. When the Rams drafted him in 2013,
this kind of make-’em-miss sweep is exactly that GM Les Snead had in mind.
r. Beautiful interception by Cleveland’s Jim Leonhard (has he played on every team
in the league, or is it just me?) off Kyle Orton.
s. Loved the Steelers 1974 homecoming. Roy Gerela!
t. The physicality of the Jags’ Sen’Derrick Marks, stopping Giants running back
Andre Williams for a four-yard loss.
u. A superb forced fumble by corner Dwayne Gratz of the Jags.
v. Five touchdown passes by Houston’s Ryan Fitzpatrick, two to DeAndre Hopkins.
Whoa. Where’d that come from?
w. Great camera work by FOX, catching Ben Roethlisberger with a disgusted look
on his face late in the fourth quarter of the damaging loss to New Orleans.
x. This lead from our Greg Bedard of The MMQB, from his piece that we’ll have up
later today, about it being time to appreciate Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy: “As
far as the customary post-game handshake between coaches, New England’s Bill
Belichick usually goes with the less-is-more approach, especially after close losses
like Sunday’s 26-21 defeat at the hands of the Packers. That’s why it was so
significant that at Lambeau Field, Belichick and McCarthy embraced and then
Belichick spent several seconds talking to McCarthy, with a few headshakes mixed
it for emphasis. Translation: ‘That’s a damn fine football team you have that was
hell to prepare and play against. You guys do a great job.’ It certainly helps that
the two teams are in different conferences and only meet once every four years (if
McCarthy was in the AFC East, it wouldn’t happen regularly if at all), but that should
not diminish the symbolism of the moment. It certainly wasn’t lost on me, someone
who has covered both men up close in my career. Here was Belichick, certainly the
best coach in the NFL today if not ever, clueing us all on this fact: Michael John
McCarthy is one of the great coaches in the NFL. And it’s time for everyone to
regard him as such.”
2. I think this is what I didn’t like about Week 13:
a. The Cardinals, down 17-0 before Georgia Domians were all in their seats.
b. How in the world did Washington allow Coby Fleener to run through the defense
on that 73-yard catch-and-run? Ridiculous.
c. In his first game action in eight weeks—no, I mean, his first throw in eight
weeks—Jake Locker threw an interception.
d. Saints corner Corey White dropping an easy Ben Roethlisberger pick.
e. Speaking of dropped Saints picks: Patrick Robinson, that was a pick-six gift from
Roethlisberger you botched.
f. The continuation of Jadeveon Clowney’s disappointing rookie year.
g. Chicago’s offensive line. Seems like they’ve been trying to get it right,
unsuccessfully, since the Jimbo Covert Era.
h. The Dallas defense, which allowed 168 yards in the first 16 snaps on Thursday.
i. I simply do not understand Jason Garrett having Tony Romo, in his condition with
two broken bones in his back, being in a lost-cause game, down 23, midway
through the fourth quarter.
j. Almost everything about the Niners’ offense.
k. Why in the world did Andy Dalton, down 10-0, throw a vital ball into double
coverage at Tampa?
l. The Titans. Here we are in Week 13, and it seems like 13 years ago they whipped
the Chiefs 26-10 in Week 1. Since then, they’ve lost 10 of 11 … by margins of 16,
26, 24, 1, 2, 14, 14, 3, 19 and, on Sunday at Houston, by 24.
m. That two-year rebuilding project, Ken Whisenhunt? Might be more like four.
n. Pittsburgh corner Ike Taylor, letting Kenny Stills behind him on a double-move
for a touchdown.
o. Man, Larry Donnell: Get a handle on that ball.
p. Losing to a previously 1-10 team is not very good for the job prospects of one
Thomas Coughlin.
3. I think there will be much discussion and little action about playoff reseeding,
because owners are too in love with the guaranteed home playoff game for winning
a division. But—and this is a significant but—what could change that is a major
embarrassment. Such as, let’s say, 12-4 Seattle having to play at 6-10 Atlanta in a
Wild Card game. Even the owner most in love with the current system will have to
admit this shouldn’t happen.
4. I think Jemele Hill of ESPN wrote a great story in crafting Janay Rice’s words.
Janay Rice comes across as smart and strong. The two things from her piece that
were most interesting to me:
• On Ray Rice being cut the day the TMZ footage surfaced: “I was extremely
surprised and angry that the Ravens released him, because they know him. They
were our family, but I felt like the Ravens completely disregarded the past six years
with him. Anytime the Ravens needed someone for a community event, Ray was
their man. It seemed like a knee-jerk reaction for publicity reasons.”
• On the public perception of her: “I still find it hard to accept being called a
“victim.” I know there are so many different opinions out there about me—that I’m
weak, that I’m making excuses and covering up abuse—and that some people
question my motives for staying with Ray. However, I’m a strong woman and I
come from a strong family. Never in my life have I seen abuse, nor have I seen any
woman in my family physically abused. I have always been taught to respect
myself and to never allow myself to be disrespected, especially by a man. Growing
up, my father used to always tell my sister and I, ‘We don’t need a man to make
us, if anything it’s the man who needs us.'”
5. I think if there’s one sign that the Bears are going to have a rough off-season,
it’s this: They’re 5-7, will finish out of the playoffs for the fourth straight year,
they’re devoting the fifth-most cap space to offense of any team in football, their
quarterback leads the league in turnovers (with 20), and they’re 21st in the league
in points per game. Watch them any week, and you’ll see what an underperforming
team this is on offense. Oh, and since the morning of the 2010 NFC title game at
Soldier Field versus Green Bay, the Bears are 31-30.
6. I think I hope I’m wrong about this, because Robert Griffin III seems like a good
person. But I can’t help but conjure comparisons to Ryan Leaf. Griffin has already
had more success than Leaf had in his career, but there are a few things that are a
little too close for comfort:
Leaf was picked second overall in 1998 after the Chargers traded up to get
him. Griffin was picked second overall in 2012 after Washington traded up to
get him.
Leaf labored in the shadow of a perfect Colts quarterback picked one spot
before him, Peyton Manning. Griffin labors in the shadow of a perfect Colts
quarterback picked one spot before him, Andrew Luck.
Leaf helped get one coach (June Jones) fired, and was on his second (Mike
Riley) when San Diego yanked him from the lineup in year three in favor of
Moses Moreno, then released him after his third season. Griffin helped get
one coach (Mike Shanahan) fired and was on his second (Jay Gruden) when
Washington yanked him from the lineup in year three in favor of Colt McCoy.
After the season with Griffin, who knows?
Leaf didn’t work at his craft hard enough; those were the whispers late in his
Charger career. Ditto Griffin.
But I want to be fair about this: Griffin, if he never plays another snap, has had a
far superior career to Leaf. Griffin was Offensive Rookie of the Year and has won 13
games, with a 90.8 rating. Leaf won four NFL games, with a 50.0 rating.
7. I think, to answer the questions of many from the other day about three NFC-
only games on Thanksgiving, the NFL planned the holiday to be a rivalry day:
Bears-Lions, Eagles-Cowboys, Seahawks-49ers. To the many who criticized the
nightcap because it’s not a “natural” rivalry like the others (and I got a lot of that
on Twitter), I would say there’s a good chance the Niners and Seahawks are the
best current rivalry in football. I mean, today. There’s one other reason: This
season, the 49ers have a new stadium in Santa Clara, and city officials asked the
NFL to not schedule any Monday or Thursday night non-holiday games at the new
stadium, while the city figured out the best traffic patterns for the new venue. They
didn’t want football traffic interfering with regular business traffic in the busy Silicon
Valley area. “We could not play the 49ers on a Monday or Thursday at home, with
the exception of Thanksgiving,” NFL schedule-maker Howard Katz told me last
spring. So that’s why the Niners were likely to host a turkey day game all along—it
was the only weeknight the league could play them at home.
8. I think, regarding the Johnny Manziel incident with the fan nine mornings ago, I
would be concerned but not too much so about him being out on a Saturday
morning at 2:30 the day before a road game. But let’s be real. Of the 1,696 players
on NFL 53-man rosters this week, I would bet 100 of them were out that late on
either Thursday or Friday night. They’re young. They can exist on four or five hours
sleep one night a week, particularly because they can catch up either on Friday
afternoons (players are typically out of their buildings by 2 on Fridays) or on planes
or in road hotels or homes on Saturday afternoons. I don’t know what happened
with the fan, but I would say this about Manziel: He has been a church mouse,
relatively speaking, since the Browns broke camp in August. All internal reports on
him from Browns people have been positive. So being out at 2:30 on a Friday night
raises an eyebrow with me but nothing more.
9. I think if Rob Ryan annoyed Sean Payton on the sideline any more, Ryan would
be a case of jock itch.
10. I think these are my non-NFL thoughts of the week:
a. Smart column by the great Bob Ryan about what to do on the baseball Hall of
Fame ballot with suspected PED users. Some lessons in here for football too.
b. Jose Bautista-Edwin Encarnacion-Josh Donaldson as the 3-4-5 in Toronto’s
lineup. Yikes. That’s a 110-homer trio.
c. Good for you, Western Kentucky coach Jeff Brohm, for going for two, down 66-65
after scoring on your first possession in overtime against No. 25 Marshall, at
Marshall, the other day. The offense was out of control, and his defense was
stopping no one, and Brohm determined on the first series of over time that he was
going for two if down a point. Western Kentucky converted, and won the biggest
game of Brohm’s 12-game coaching career.
d. I’ve got an Obscure NFL Quarterback Quiz for you: Jeff Brohm threw one
touchdown pass in his eight-game quarterback career for the San Francisco 49ers
in 1996 and ‘97. Who was the receiver?
e. Clue: Brohm threw it in the Astrodome. (Actually, that’s a dumb clue. But it’s the
only one you’re getting.) Answer lower in this section.
f. Notre Dame … I do not understand.
g. Florida State is either going to win the national title 29-27 over someone like
Alabama, or lose next week 27-24 to Georgia Tech.
h. Coffeenerdness: Personal record for espresso shots in one day: nine. I set it
Sunday. Hey, it’s a long season.
i. Beernerdness: My favorite three beers from the Thanksgiving holiday:
Mo, an American Pale Ale by Maine Beer Company (Freeport, Maine). A
fantastic beer. A little piney aroma, and a strong and distinctive ale taste. My
beer of the year so far.
Southern Tier IPA, by Southern Tier Brewing Company (Lakewood, N.Y.)
Classic IPA. I’ve come to appreciate the IPA style more and more, and this
one is rich and hearty.
Zoe, an American Amber Ale, by Maine Beer Company. So I’m a sucker for
their beer; it’s all so good. I liked the Pale Ale a little more because it’s not
as dark, but this Amber has a distinctive wintry taste.
j. Answer to the Obscure NFL Quarterback Quiz: Terrell Owens, on Oct. 27, 1996, in
the fifth game of Owens’ 15-year career. It was the second of 156 career
touchdowns for Owens.
WHO I LIKE TONIGHT
Miami 27, New York Jets 12. Athletes are funny people sometimes. You saw the
winless Raiders, in their primetime showcase 11 days ago, legitimately beat the
Chiefs, who were playing for something. So I guess there could be stranger things
than the Jets (even without their best defensive player, Muhammad Wilkerson, out
with a toe injury) giving the Dolphins a great game. But after watching New York
stink up the stadium last Monday in Detroit, I can’t imagine Geno Smith and the
offense making a dent in Miami’s D. And I can’t imagine Ryan Tannehill, a 71-
percent passer in is past eight games, being lousy with a lot on the line for Miami
tonight.
THE ADIEU HAIKU
You see Belichick?
Rodgers-whispering, postgame:
“See you in two months.”
Still Judge, Jury and Executioner
By Andrew Brandt
MMQB/SI.com
November 30, 2014
The decision by Judge Barbara Jones to lift the indefinite suspension of Ray Rice is
the latest setback for Commissioner Goodell and the NFL in a disciplinary matter
that appears to have missteps at every turn. Yet despite the result, and continued
questions regarding the league’s credibility in the area of discipline, I wonder about
the impact of this critique. It is fair to ask whether it will foster change regarding
Goodell’s power over player conduct, independent arbitration and inclusion—or
exclusion—of the NFLPA? Let’s examine.
The Decision
This was a clear rebuke of not only Goodell but also his associates and in-house
counsel, especially those in attendance at Rice’s June 16 disciplinary hearing.
Labor law requires considerable deference to the original hearing officer, in this
case Goodell, before overturning the prior decision. Judge Jones found those
extreme circumstances here, using the striking phrase “abuse of discretion.” Her
opinion parallels the arguments of Rice’s legal team: (1) Rice received upgraded
punishment for conduct of which Goodell was previously aware, (2) There was no
precedent here, as the largest domestic violence penalty given during Goodell’s
tenure was a two-game suspension, and (3) The penalty was a knee-jerk reaction
to public outrage over the video released by TMZ on the morning of the suspension.
With no transcript of the June 16 meeting—a curious fact in itself—much of the
appeal hearing was devoted to putting the pieces together of that meeting. In doing
so, Judge Jones valued the detailed note taking of Rice’s team—which included the
notation that Rice told Goodell “He hit her” —over the sparse notes on the NFL side.
Judge Jones also diminished the value of the testimony of Goodell and counsel
Adolpho Birch and their “vague recollection” of the hearing. In reading the opinion,
I got the sense that Judge Jones was saying to the league, You really didn’t take
this incident very seriously at all until that video came out, did you?
And then there is the word in the decision that rings the loudest: “arbitrary.”
As we know, Goodell has been accused of being overreaching with player discipline
as the “judge, jury and executioner,” yet with the initial two-game suspension of
Rice, he was excoriated for being too soft. The real problem is the lack of clarity
and consistency of punishment without adherence to precedent. Judge Jones’ words
feed into the “they’re making it up as they go along” mentality now in vogue about
NFL discipline. No arbiter wants to be called out as “arbitrary.”
Whither the NFLPA?
The NFLPA wants the exact process that just occurred with the Rice appeal: an
independent arbitrator skilled and experienced in judicial proceedings such as Judge
Jones. That is their requested model for all player conduct disciplinary hearings.
But, as they say, good luck with that.
At his press conference in September, Goodell spoke of being more inclusive of the
union and perhaps even abdicating his role as the arbiter of player conduct. And
since that presser, the two sides have met three times, the latest occurring
Tuesday in New York. So, progress? No. When I asked a top union official about
whether there was hope coming out of Tuesday’s meeting, he replied “Hope died.”
In talking to both sides, these meetings have had the same tone of distrust and
even dislike that has characterized the relationship since prior to the 2011 CBA
negotiations. While the NFLPA views these meetings as an opportunity to
collectively bargain a new personal conduct policy, the NFL does not.
The NFL is willing to “include” the NFLPA in discussions about a new policy, and
Commissioner Goodell has sought out present and former players on his own, but
they are not going to let the NFLPA achieve something they could not achieve in the
2011 CBA (which has six years remaining). Of course, if the NFLPA was willing to
give something up in return—it is hard to know what that would be—that might tell
a different tale.
What now?
So, after the continuing clumsiness of the Ray Rice disciplinary matter and the
plodding investigation by Robert Mueller, where are we? Really, in the same place
we were before the September 8 video release. Goodell has wanted the power over
player conduct, has the power and is using the power. He just wielded it over
Adrian Peterson, and named the hearing officer, his longtime associate Harold
Henderson, for this Tuesday’s appeal.
Sure, there will be some sort of change in process and standards as promised by
Goodell, but my sense is it will not be a drastic departure from where we have
been.
Perhaps there will be an independent panel and perhaps there will be defined
criteria. However, to think that Goodell will be outside the process looking in is,
well, naïve. As noted in this space constantly, he has been, is and will always be the
Conduct Commissioner. Even with a powerful rebuke from an independent
arbitrator critical of his conduct, his collectively bargained power has yet to be
diminished.
Stay tuned.
Anderson, Broncos top reeling Chiefs to
keep pace in AFC playoff race
By Doug Farrar
Sports Illustrated
November 30, 2014
For the sixth straight time, the Denver Broncos proved to have the Kansas City
Chiefs' number. And this time around, the number was 22, the jersey number of
second-year Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, an undrafted player out of Cal
who has helped the team change its spots in some necessary ways over the last
two games. The number was five, the number of field goals hit by new kicker
Connor Barth, matching a franchise record. The number was 151, Kansas City's
total offensive yardage through the game as a Denver defense that had seen its
ups and downs rose up to dominate.
The Broncos' 29-16 Sunday night win wasn't pretty, but that was the whole point.
This game proved that Peyton Manning's team didn't need Peyton Manning at his
best to eke out a crucial road win over a division opponent. And with New England's
loss to the Packers, the 9-3 Broncos still have a chance at the conference's top
seed.
The Chiefs, in the same week that safety Eric Berry was diagnosed with a mass
suspected to be lymphoma in his chest, were lost and looking for answers in this
less grave and important fight.
Three thoughts from Denver's important win:
1. Denver's new offensive DNA is a winner
Some may have wondered what exactly was going on when the Denver Broncos
shifted the focus of their offense against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. Denver's
first drive of the game consisted of four straight Peyton Manning handoffs to
Anderson, and eight runs to three passes overall. As the game went on, Anderson
kept toting the rock, and the Broncos mixed in more power zone blocking up front,
frequently bringing in an extra offensive lineman to reinforce their desire to bully
the opposing defense. Anderson, the team's third-string back who was in the
spotlight because injuries had decimated Denver's rotation at the position, finished
the day with 167 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, against a very stout
defense. Denver ran the ball 35 times to Manning's 35 passing attempts. It was a
balanced approach in every way, it was new for the Manning Broncos, and Denver
rode it to a 39-36 win.
It was more of the same against the Chiefs, as Anderson ran for 168 yards on 32
carries on Sunday night, and the Broncos ran the ball 45 times to Manning's 34
passing attempts. Denver didn't win this one with offensive explosion. This was a
thoroughly old-school approach, as the Broncos kept the ball nearly 39 minutes and
amassed 21 first downs to Kansas City's 11.
It's a sensible way to go, because outside of left tackle Ryan Clady, Denver's
current offensive linemen are more maulers than technicians, which works far
better in a power running scheme than a pass-heavy one.
"I've got to give it to the big fellas up front." Anderson said after the game. "They
take so much from the media, and they took it last week and made a statement .
They made another statement this week, and I'm just picking the right spots and
following them. I can't get any of those moved without getting to the line and
getting to the second level."
Anderson won the team's Player of the Week award after the Miami game, giving
him a prime parking space at the team's facility. He's certainly a front-runner for
this week's, as well.
"That's the plan -- it's just competition between all of us on offense," Anderson
concluded. "Whoever they give it to, at the end of the day, it's about the 'W,' and
I'm glad we got it."
2. Peyton Manning isn't the player we're used to right now
The story covered up in the rushing success is the clear fact that in the last month,
Manning hasn't quite been the quarterback we're used to of late. He completed just
half of his passes against Kansas City's defense, and finished with 179 passing
yards. On two separate occasions, receiver Emmanuel Sanders had to make
impressive defensive plays to prevent Chiefs defenders from intercepting Manning's
passes, which accentuated the high value of Sanders as a free-agent pickup.
Manning threw for four touchdowns after that slow start against the Dolphins, but
there was a lot of slow going after Manning hit Demaryius Thomas and Anderson for
touchdown passes in the first quarter. Manning found himself under quite a bit of
pressure throughout the contest, and that showed up in a reduced efficiency. And
that's good coaching on the part of John Fox and his staff, moving in a positive
direction when your franchise player is going through difficulties.
3. In this offense, Alex Smith's limitations are limitless
Denver's defense was the real winner in this game; Kansas City quarterback Alex
Smith was sacked six times and finished the game with just 153 passing yards.
Smith is in an offense where his tight ends and running backs have the ability to
get things done. Jamaal Charles is the real face of the offense and Anthony Fasano
made a really nice touchdown grab in the second quarter. But this is a team whose
receivers still don't have a touchdown reception 12 games into the season, and the
receiver corps as it stands now can't consistently beat coverage and gain separation
to turn that around.
Because of that, the Chiefs need a quarterback who can make exceptional plays
with the downfield throw, and Smith isn't that guy and he never has been. He's a
limited player with a decent arm and a lot of intelligence who needs things to be a
certain way around him, and he's not going to transcend an average group of
weapons.
"There's really not a phase I can point to that was a positive in this game," Chiefs
head coach Andy Reid said when all was said and done. "We all have to do better.
We're all in it together."
Yes, the Chiefs are all in it together, and they're barely in the postseason race as
the AFC's sixth seed with a 7-5 record. Things look a bit precarious at this point.
Broncos not interested in Ray Rice
By Mike Florio
NBC Sports/ProFootballTalk.com
November 30, 2014
Both NFL Media and ESPN reported on Sunday morning that multiple teams are
interested in free-agent running back Ray Rice. But neither company identified any
specific team that has interest in Rice.
That’s either because the interested teams have insisted on anonymity, or because
there currently are no interested teams and whoever is leaking the information
hopes that someone will become interested.
One team to count among the uninterested are the Broncos. Despite lingering
concerns with the team’s running game, a source with knowledge of the situation
tells PFT that the Broncos aren’t currently interested in Rice.
On the surface, it would make sense for the Broncos sniff around Rice. In the 2012
playoffs, he gained 131 yards on 30 carries against Denver in a double-overtime
classic.
But Rice hasn’t played all year, and he doesn’t know the Denver system. With the
potential benefits tenuous at best and the distractions and disruptions potentially
significant, it makes plenty of sense for the Broncos to stand pat with their current
stable of tailbacks.
That said, a single injury for any contending team could change everything. For
now, though, the Broncos aren’t interested in adding Rice.
Peyton's Take: Run game 'up a notch'
By David DeChant
DenverBroncos.com
December 1, 2014
KANSAS CITY – It sure seems like Peyton Manning is getting used to handing the
ball off.
“I like it,” he said after Sunday’s 29-16 win over the Chiefs. “I like it. I like winning
games. I think we kept their defense kind of on their heels tonight.
“We wanted to come out and establish the run. We thought it was important and
we definitely did that and ran it really well the entire night.”
Message received.
Facing windy and wintry conditions for the second week in a row, Denver’s offense
hammered away on the ground and made the running game the backbone of the
offense. After the Broncos’ season highs in rushing attempts (35) and yards (201)
against the Dolphins in Week 12, Adam Gase ramped it up to 45 carries and 214
yards in Arrowhead Stadium. The former total tied the second-highest rush
attempts in a game since Manning became a Bronco, exceeded only by last year’s
overtime game against the Patriots (48 attempts, 10 of which came in overtime).
The emphasis on the run game Sunday was apparent from the start, with C.J.
Anderson carrying the ball on eight of the first 10 plays. On the two plays Manning
threw, he was deadly: He hit Emmanuel Sanders for 20 yards on third-and-6, and
then capped the opening drive on a third-and-5 by dropping a deep ball perfectly in
Demaryius Thomas’ grasp down the left sideline for a touchdown.
The result was a 14-0 lead before the end of the first quarter, a powerful early
impression from a team that has started sluggish on the road several times this
season. That the hot start came against a division foe in primetime in one of the
tougher road venues in the league couldn’t have hurt.
“I thought it was critical to get off to that good start here in a hostile environment,
maybe take the crowd out of it a little bit,” Manning said.
Unlike last week, when Gase showed commitment to the run game despite an 11-
point deficit in the third quarter, the Broncos were able to let the run game to
dictate the pace throughout after firing out to the early lead. In the first three
quarters, Denver’s offense converted 10-of-18 third- and fourth-down attempts,
facing an average of 5.7 yards on those attempts thanks to positive runs on early
downs. The result was an extremely lopsided time of possession, with the Broncos
holding the ball for 31:49 of the first 45 minutes.
With swirling winds and Manning completing 50 percent of his throws – his lowest
rate in a game since his third game with the Broncos – the routine chunks that
came on the ground were vital in keeping the offense on the field. No. 18 was again
effusive with praise for those who cleared the way up front.
“The offensive line was awesome tonight,” Manning said of a unit that played its
fourth game in its current configuration, with Louis Vasquez at right tackle,Manny
Ramirez at right guard and Will Montgomery at center. “All of them: Will, Manny,
Orlando [Franklin], Lou, [Ryan] Clady, Paul [Cornick]’s playing the majority of the
time. Virgil [Green] once again blocked great and C.J. was just a workhorse
tonight.”
When asked if the running game is beginning to click better than it has in recent
years, Manning was quick to answer: “I mean C.J., what’d he have 160 yards two
weeks in a row? I’d say that’s up a notch.
“He’s been special, and the offensive line has really created some holes, Virgil, Paul,
Jacob [Tamme] at the tight end spots. And it’s been huge for us.”
If there was one piece missing, it was precision inside the Chiefs 20, where the
Broncos settled for five field goals in six ventures (excluding a kneeldown to end
the game after a KC turnover on downs).
“The red zone obviously was disappointing,” Manning said. “We had some chances
probably to put the game away earlier.”
But the 13-point victory despite a lack of touchdowns bodes well for the future,
especially for a team that had come away with seven points on 74.4 percent of trips
inside the opposing 20 for the season entering Sunday’s game. And it also gave the
newest Bronco plenty an opportunity to prove himself. Manning described Connor
Barth – who equaled the franchise record for field goals in a game with five – as
“rock solid.”
“How about that?” Manning said with a smile. “I just had a chance to visit with him
and he said he was laying out by the pool this time last week, and then he came in
here in zero degree weather and went 5-for-5 on field goals. So that was huge.”
Now with consecutive wins since a 22-7 loss in St. Louis and back to .500 on the
road for the season, the 9-3 Broncos head to the three-quarter pole in a rhythm
that reflects their recently emphasized rushing attack.
“We’ve certainly kind of answered the challenge the last two weeks against two
really good opponents,” Manning said. “…We haven’t played particularly well on the
road and so it was good to get this road victory tonight. Hopefully we can keep that
going the rest of the way.”
