Denver Moves To 3-0, and Yet, They're Still Not Respected

For the Denver Broncos and their respective fans, this season has started in a way that most thought it wouldn't.  They're 3-0 and looking ahead to Dallas, who'll be coming off a short week, to get to 4-0. The elation is tangible, and the excitement very real. 

The last time the Denver Broncos were 4-0 was 2003, and they ended up finishing the season 10-6 and lost in the Wild Card game of the playoffs to Indianapolis and Peyton Manning's high flying Colts 41-10.  Bad memories, I know.  If only someone had simply touched Marvin Harrison....

This week is of pivotal importance for the Broncos, as Dallas comes strolling into town looking to get a W and get out.  The last time Dallas came into Denver for a regular season game was 9/13/1998 and it was a good day for the Broncos as they bested the Silver and Blue by a score of 42-23, en route to their first of 2 consecutive Super Bowl Titles.

On that day, the great Terrell Davis carried the ball 23 times for 191 yards and had TD runs of 63, 59 and 3 yards respectively.  John Elway was 16 of 22 for 268 yards with 2 passing TD's and 1 rushing TD.  Ahhh, what a day it was!  I can still actually remember it quite well, as I have a friend that's a die hard Cowboys fan and I take great joy in seeing his team lose, still do as a matter of fact.

This week however, may be a different story than what it was the last time Dallas came into the Mile High City.  Dallas is going to be the first real challenge that this Broncos team has faced. And, how they respond in this game could very well set the tone for what's going to happen the rest of the season, particularly over the next 8 weeks, when the schedule is incredibly tough.

I'll be the first to admit, I didn't and to some degree still don't, believe that the Broncos are much more than a middle of the road team.  However, there's an undeniable defensive improvement that is very real. 

Elvis Dumervil is becoming the type of player that Dwight Freeney was several years ago, which was a relatively "low hype" guy throughout the league that's maturing and developing into a Pro-Bowl caliber player before our eyes.  And to think that they drafted him in the 4th round of the 2006 NFL draft.  One word: Steal.

The defense under Mike Nolan has been a much tougher, more schemed and solidly coached unit.  The Linebackers and Defensive Backs in particular have been great, and have shown development and a solid understanding of Nolan's complex version of the 3-4.  Mike Nolan has changed this team from perennial defensive underachievers to legitimate in less than a year.  That's no small feat, especially here, considering how bad they've been for years and what he had to work with coming in.

But, could this all be too good to be true?  Honestly think about it, could it? 

Offensively, they haven't been stellar by any means.  I haven't seen one thing from them that took me aback and surprised me.  Sure, there have been singular performances that have been good, Buckhalter in Week 2 and Moreno in Week 3, but outside of them, I haven't seen a lot yet.  I mean, it's not like I'm watching the Colts or Saints and am flat out amazed at their scoring ability.

In all fairness, Kyle orton has been exactly what the Broncos have needed him to be for the first 3 weeks.  Accurate.  He's needed to take care of the football and not force passes and cause costly turnovers, and to this point, he's 49-for-88, 663 yards, 3TD's and 0INT's with a passer rating of 91.2. All solid numbers. 

But then that's where the arguement that "they haven't played anyone that posed a serious threat" comes in.  And, when you look at it objectively, it's an arguement that warrants debate and that cannot be denied.

The Broncos in Week 1 at Cincinnati needed the most unlikely play of this year, and maybe the last several seasons to come out of there with a win.  Couple that with the fact that the Cincy offense, which has clearly shown it's back this season ask Green Bay and Pittsburgh, was so badly out of sync that they couldn't sustain a drive and that the Defense that day was merely ok, it makes you wonder. 

What if Palmer had been the Carson Palmer of Week 2 or 3?  What if Benson had been the Cedric Benson of Week 2 or 3?  What if Cincy's D had been the same group we saw yesterday against the Steelers?  Could the Bronco's have won?  I'm not sure, but I tend to lean towards no.

In Week 2, they played the team that's now taken the torch and supreme dishonor of being the worst team in the NFL from the Lions, and now firmly own it.  That would be the Cleveland Browns. 

Simply put, the Broncos destroyed the Browns. They sacked Brady Quinn so many times that I think even Josh Mcdaniels was feeling bad about it, and offensively pretty much had their way with that pourous Browns defense.  And, yeah, they shut down Cleveland offensively, but that's a team that's scored only 1 offensive TD in 9 games dating back to last season, and that one came in garbage time in a blowout.

Defensively for the Broncos, it's not like they did anything too special, rather, did what basically everyone else before them that played that same Browns team did.  Not allow a TD.

Yesterday, they played the Raiders, who haven't been a legit team in a long time.  7 years as a matter of fact or 2002 for you non math loving types.  That was the last time the Raiders had a winning record, and in 2002, they went to the Super Bowl and lost to the John Gruden led Buccaneers.  How sweet that must have been for Chucky eh?

The Raiders, are a joke of a franchise right now, and they've got the biggest joke in the league at QB in Jamarcus Russell.  Hell, J-Russ hasn't forced anyone to game plan around him, not even a little bit.  My point is this: the Raiders weren't a threat to Denver.

Quick statistical rundown here:  The Bronco's in the first 3 weeks, faced defenses that ranked 17 (Cincy), 23rd (Oakland) and 29th (Cleveland).  Meaning it wasn't too entirely tough to score.  Conversely, they've faced offenses that ranked 25th (Cincy), 31st (Oakland) and 32nd (Cleveland), meaning that it wasn't difficult at all to stop their attack.  I still give Cincy an asterisk, because they're much better than they showed in Week 1.

All of that changes this week.  On Sunday morning, when the Cowboys come in with a fresh Marion Barber a re-focused Tony Romo and the #3 ranked Offense in the league, the Broncos could be in for a rude awakening, and from there it only gets harder.

• Week 5: New England - #5 Offense, #6 Defense
• Week 6: @ San Diego - #8 Offense, #15 Defense
• Week 7: BYE
• Week 8: @ Baltimore - #2 Offense, #7 Defense
• Week 9: Pittsburgh - #12 Offense, #8 Defense
• Week 10: @ Washington - #13 Offense, #16 Defense
• Week 11: San Diego - #8 Offense, #15 Defense
• Week 12: New York Giants - #6 Offense, #2 Defense
• Week 13: @ K.C. - #30 Offense, #22 Defense
• Week 14: @ Indinapolis - #4 Offense, #12 Defense
• Week 15: Oakland - #31 Offense, #23 Defense
• Week 16: @ Philadelphia - #7 Offense, #5 Defense
• Week 17: K.C. - #30 Offense, #22 Defense

That's a scary schedule. Period, point blank.  8 of the Broncos' remaining games are against top 10 offenses and 5 are against top 10 Defenses.  We're going to find out real quick what this team is actually all about, both defensively and offensively. 

We're going to see if Kyle Orton and the Offense are really as good as they look, but based on their previous opponents, it makes me wonder.

We're going to find out what the Broncos defensive unit is all about too, but based on who they've faced thus far, it makes me wonder.

I for one hope they can sneak out a couple of W's and maybe end up a respectable 8-8. But because of the the realist in me and my objective side, it makes me wonder.