Broncos Prove There Is No Need to Panic in Rebound Win Over Raiders

The Denver Broncos were sitting at 6-2 after a blowout loss to the Patriots last week in New England. Yet some fans were still concerned about the way the Broncos lost the game and their 1-2 record on the road with five of their final eight games in enemy territory.

There is nothing like a 41-17 thumping of the Raiders in Oakland to prove the loss to the Patriots was simply one bad game. The Broncos are still the team that went 6-1 to start the season and only lost to the Seahawks in Seattle in overtime.

The Broncos proved Sunday that there was and is no need to panic over one game. The good teams know how to rebound from a tough loss, and the great ones know how to keep it from happening again. Quarterback Peyton Manning emphasized the importance of this game, per the team's official Twitter account:

Fresh off a game in which he threw two interceptions, Manning threw for 340 yards and five touchdowns. He also threw two more interceptions that the Raiders turned into a brief 10-6 lead, but unlike in the game against the Patriots, Manning’s teammates picked him up.

Even though the struggles on offense continued just after the Raiders went ahead, the defense forced two key three-and-outs in the second quarter sandwiched around an interception by rookie cornerback Bradley Roby. The turnovers flipped the early script and got the Broncos back on track.

“There was not that panic I saw before,” head coach John Fox told his team after the game via DenverBroncos.com. “We hung in there; we kept battling until we overtook them. It’s going to be like that for sure as we move forward.”

Third-string running back C.J. Anderson turned a quick pass into a 51-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 13-10 lead they would not relinquish. The Broncos had gone six offensive drives without a touchdown to that point in the game.

Anderson was playing for the injured Ronnie Hillman, who had wrestled the job away from the injured Montee Ball. The running game, health and depth are often keys to success for contenders like the Broncos in the playoffs, so the performance of Anderson was a good sign of things to come.

Roby and Anderson provided the spark, the defense played well and the special teams returned a punt to the 38 to give the offense a chance with 1:40 left on the clock in the first half. Predictably, Manning dropped a beautiful pass into wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders’ arms for a 32-yard touchdown.

Year	Team	Result	Pass Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
2014	Arizona Cardinals	Win 41-20	479	4	2
2014	@ Oakland Raiders	Win 47-17	340	5	2
2013	Washington Redskins	Win 45-21	354	4	3
2013	@ Kansas City Chiefs	Win 35-28	403	5	2
2013	@ Houston Texans	Win 37-13	400	4	0
2012	Houston Texans	Loss 25-31	330	2	0
2012	Oakland Raiders	Win 37-6	338	3	0
2012	@ San Diego	Win 35-24	309	3	1

Just like that, the Broncos had a 10-point lead going into the half. We forgot about struggles the previous week and early in the game.

That’s what the good teams do: They make you forget about the bad plays by replacing them with good ones. They overcome adversity instead of letting it define them.  

Against a team like the Raiders, 10 points was all the cushion the Broncos would need. The game was pretty much over before the Raiders came onto the field for the second half, but the Broncos weren’t content letting the Raiders hang around, so they built a 41-10 lead before the end of the third quarter. Many of the backups played the entire fourth quarter.

Manning completed 70 percent of his passes, and his top receivers all produced. Demaryius Thomas had 11 receptions for 108 yards, Sanders had 67 yards and two touchdowns and tight end Julius Thomas had 63 yards and two touchdowns. The offense was back to normal and then some.

If you were worried about the offense, it proved it can still score in bunches. If you were worried about safety T.J. Ward’s coverage skills, he picked off a pass. If you were worried about linebacker Brandon Marshall continuing to play for the injured Danny Trevathan, you don’t need to because he had 11 tackles.

The Broncos covered just about every reason to doubt them in their drubbing of the worst team in the league.

The Broncos had big plays of 51, 21, 32 and 32 yards. They had a run of 17 yards that set up Sanders’ first touchdown at the end of the first half. The defense didn’t get a single sack, but the pressure led indirectly to all three turnovers.

On special teams, Andre Caldwell’s only kick return went for 30 yards. Isaiah Burse had a 21-yard punt return and averaged 13 yards on four returns. The kick and punt coverage was all generally good.

The Broncos lost as a team in New England, but they won as a team in Oakland. A blowout of the Raiders was expected, but the way the Broncos did it was at least reassuring.

Unless the Broncos sustain multiple injuries to key personnel between now and the postseason, there will be no need to panic. The Broncos might lose another game or two this season, but that’s not going to change what they are: a legitimate Super Bowl contender.