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Tuesday morning QB: In 'clown car' that is AFC West, Broncos at wheel

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 1, 2008 at 11:37 p.m.

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Tight end Tony Scheffler led the Broncos with seven catches against the Jets.

Photo by Julie Jacobson / Associated Press

Tight end Tony Scheffler led the Broncos with seven catches against the Jets.

Numbers Game

The Broncos' up-and-down nature truly began with the Sept. 28 loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

Oct. 5: Broncos 16, Bucs 13

Oct. 12: Jaguars 24, Broncos 17

Nov. 16: Broncos 24, Falcons 20

Nov. 23: Raiders 31, Broncos 10

Nov. 30: Broncos 34, Jets 17

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The Broncos might not always know where they're going, might not always understand where they've been.

But, at least for the moment, they seem to know where they are.

"Right now, we're in the driver's seat, that's where we are," defensive end Elvis Dumervil said. "We have a few games left, and we're in the driver's seat."

And while the AFC West does resemble a clown car at times - more people climbing out than getting in - the Broncos do, without reservation, have the wheel. They are leading the way by so much, in fact, they could even be the first team in the NFL to clinch a division title.

The Giants and Titans are each 11-1, but they're no further ahead in their divisions than Denver.

The Broncos are 7-5 and with a home win against Kansas City on Sunday and another Chargers loss - San Diego plays Oakland on Thursday night - the Broncos officially will be AFC West champions.

They would have a playoff spot.

And they officially will have been the quirkiest team in the league.

"I know this, this time of year, we have to get it done," wide receiver Brandon Stokley said. "It's pretty simple, really: We play great, we execute, we don't turn the ball over. When we play bad, we don't execute, we turn the ball over, we look, we act, like a bad football team.

"It would be nice to be consistent."

To this point, and those of you who have tried to connect the dots know this, the Broncos have been consistently inconsistent, consistently maddening to those who buy the tickets to see them and consistently unpredictable to those who would like to know what might be ahead.

"Sometimes, we don't know what's coming," Dumervil said.

It's a young team that plays as if it feels little or no pressure on the road. Sunday's win was just another in which the Broncos were relaxed, opportunistic, lucky and good - all in one afternoon.

They've done it in Oakland, Cleveland, Atlanta and New York. Not since 1998 have they won more than five games on the road in the same season. That might be the first time this year's edition has had a chance to park itself next to the '98 team in any fashion.

But how tenuous it all has been could be seen even through the steady rain Sunday. When Spencer Larsen, Ebenezer Ekuban and Dre Bly left the game on consecutive plays because of injuries, it could have been another chapter in the painful story of this season's injury list.

Yes, sometimes rules and replays give the Broncos a little shove toward the way they hope things would be.

And sometimes, players such as Vernon Fox and Josh Bell, who weren't even Broncos when the season began, are starting and holding up their end of a defense that has almost needed name tags this season.

Hello, my name is . . . and on they have gone.

"There's no doubt this was a great win," Dumervil said. "And we've had some great wins this year. But we have to forget about it, let it go, because we've had some bad losses, too."

And looking at four games remaining - and only one of those against a team with a winning record - Dumervil was asked how the Broncos could make a little more good out of what's been bad so far.

He took a look from that driver's seat and said, "Do what we just did."

Ah, that's been far easier said than done.

GET IT DONE

Sunday was the first time this season the Broncos surrendered a 100-yard game to an opposing running back and still won.

The Broncos had a quality day all around, but Thomas Jones finished with 138 yards on 16 carries. That's 8.6 yards per pop and included touchdown runs of 59 and 29 yards.

This is all relevant since the last time the Broncos faced the Chiefs, Larry Johnson went for 198 yards on 28 carries - good for 7.1 per pop - and two touchdowns.

The result was a "what-just-happened?" loss that rattled the Broncos. Most of the damage that day came against a three-man defensive front the Broncos no longer are playing on run downs.

But Johnson still will be the fuel that would make any Chiefs upset hopes go.

Tyler Thigpen and his mobility are foreign to the Broncos.

Photo by © AP

Tyler Thigpen and his mobility are foreign to the Broncos.

MATCH GAME: Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe vs. Broncos CB Dre' Bly

Tight end Tony Gonzalez continues to be the Chiefs' first option in the passing game, and opposing tight ends have been a trouble spot at times for the Broncos defense.

But with cornerback Champ Bailey saying he will be back in the lineup Sunday "one way or the other," Tyler Thigpen likely will toss the ball the other way.

Bowe traditionally lines up on the offensive left, which would put him across from Bly's right cornerback spot. Bly has played some of his best football with the Broncos since Bailey has been out of the lineup, including his two interceptions of the season (which have come during the past three games).

Bowe is big at 6-foot-2, 221 pounds and works well along the sideline. He's also decisive when the ball's in the air and goes to get it in traffic.

Thigpen's 6.14 yards per attempt is among the lowest for the league's starters, so the Chiefs aren't pushing the ball down the field, but Bowe can swing a game in one or two plays.

BREAK IT DOWN

Jets coach Eric Mangini once was Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator in New England.

And Belichick is considered by many offensive coaches in the league to be the best at taking away what an offense most wants to do and keeping the ball away from the people it most wants to get it to.

So it's no accident Mangini often does the same.

"They do a great job taking away what you want to do," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.

And it was clear Sunday that Mangini didn't want Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler to push the ball to his wide receivers.

The Jets doubled Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal in most situations. And while Cutler did have his two biggest completions of the day to receivers - a 59-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown by Royal and a 36-yard touchdown to Stokley - he moved the offense by getting the ball to the tight ends.

Tony Scheffler led the team in catches and yards receiving with seven and 90, and Daniel Graham was next with six catches. Marshall and Royal each finished with five receptions.

And while neither Graham nor Scheffler caught a scoring pass, they produced seven first downs between them. They also kept the Jets' four linebackers busy enough and spread across the field enough that the Broncos found some room to run the middle of the field in their two-tight end look.

Peyton Hillis had two 19-yard runs, an 8-yarder, a 7-yarder and two 6-yard runs out of the two-tight-end formation.

HOT SPOT

The last time the Broncos faced the Chiefs, Thigpen did not get in the game.

But he has had some significant impact, even as he has worked his way through his own struggles of late, in the Chiefs offense. And his kind of mobility is not something the Broncos have had to deal with much this season.

Thigpen, before Sunday's win in Oakland when he did not have a touchdown pass, had thrown eight touchdown passes in a three-game span.

He also has rushed for at least 29 yards in each of the past three games - and at least 45 yards in two of the three.

On Sunday, he carried the ball 11 times for 48 yards against Oakland.

The Broncos have faced pocket passers for the most part this season, with the exception of Jacksonville's David Garrard. They kept Garrard hemmed in - he had 7 yards on eight carries - but did not pressure him consistently when he did drop back to pass.

Comments

  • December 2, 2008

    12:46 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    MATTP1 writes:

    Please keep Larson in the middle even when Webster returns.When DJ returns we have to find a place for Woodyard on the field he is just to good to be riding the pines,maybe we could try him at SS ,he has the speed and he sure can hit.I believe he would be a good match against the tight end, he could make a great strong safety.DJ is great but we have to find a place for both of them on the same field.Lets not let up against the Chiefs,no turn overs and a smart game plan,keep the fire burning.Go Broncs

  • December 2, 2008

    9:24 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    baylinorcrush writes:

    By the way, it seems everybody has missed out on one of Sunday's best performance: Brett Kern. I know, he is just a kicker, but after the two incredible punts he got off in that game, he deserves a little love! Way to go ,Brett.

  • December 2, 2008

    10:25 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    LingLingfor_prez writes:

    Go Chargers! Mattp1, I think your concern is justified when it comes to players who are injured that come back and replace 'backups' that are playing much better football. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

  • December 2, 2008

    11:52 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    DRW writes:

    as much as I love larson, I think we need to get DJ back at mike, and let woodyard take over will. and let Larson back up and learn for a year or two. I know DJ is natural weakside, but he was a dang good middle last year.

  • December 2, 2008

    11:58 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    leeroy writes:

    Ling Ling, did you vote for both McCain and Obama?

  • December 2, 2008

    12:29 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    deezBroncs1127 writes:

    The Broncos need to just open the playbook like they did against the Jets. Cutler needs to just pick apart the defense with Scheffler & Graham and then the defense will focus on them more and then the home run balls to Marshall & Royal will be there.

    Ground & pound the ball with Hillis, get him outside of the tackles or even send him on some routes, dude can catch the ball and make plays.

    The defense needs to redeem themselves from the embarassing game earlier this year against the Chiefs.

    The Orange Jersey's are coming out, maybe they will play like the old Orange Crush and whoop some a$$ on sunday.

  • December 2, 2008

    1:09 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    LingLingfor_prez writes:

    leeroy,
    Just how exactly do you do that?

  • December 2, 2008

    2:29 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Kelly123 writes:

    test

  • December 2, 2008

    2:53 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dynamicdave writes:

    deezBroncs1127, where did you read that they will be dressed in the orange? I haven't seen any other articles? Would be cool, though. Maybe I'll wear my throwback Broncos sweatshirt. It has the old Denver Broncos helmet on it.

  • December 2, 2008

    4:33 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Soonerhorse writes:

    I wonder if Denver will ever get credit for just winning a football game. If they get the slightest break during a game, you can be sure 'lucky' or some other adjective designed to take credit away from the players will be applied liberally. The other very predictable trend is that if the Broncos lose, any bad breaks or bad officiating will be ignored (see Jacksonville). If Denver had lost that fumble early, the same people marveling at their luck today would poopoo any complaints that a play in the first quarter has any affect on the outcome of a game.

  • December 2, 2008

    6:32 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dynamicdave writes:

    Soonerhorse, so right. I've been watching Sportscenter and other programs and they talk about how the Jets just played poorly. They won't give any credit that Denver maybe played exceptionally well? I've seen it all year with the Sportswriters and sportscasters on TV. They will never give Denver any credit unless they win the big one. Even then, they will probably say how "fortunate" they were to even get there due to "bad calls" that went there way. Sheesh.

  • December 2, 2008

    8:22 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    deepwater805 writes:

    None of the Sports Center faces (that's all they are) will give Denver credit for stomping the Jets, because during the pre-game show they all picked the Jets to win, and win big. Now if they gave Denver it's proper due for the win then they would all look like idgits. Hmmmm....maybe they have a point......

  • December 2, 2008

    10:32 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    wjrudy writes:

    Kelly123 - "Test"?

  • December 3, 2008

    12:51 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dynamicdave writes:

    wjrudy, I know, Kelly123 isn't making a whole lot of sense?

  • December 7, 2008

    4:32 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Seawen writes:

    Clown car? Wow, that's cold.