Denver Broncos Orange Sunday Crushed by Controversy and the New York Jets

Question:  How long does it take to get a new stadium to start shaking like its predecessor in its heyday?

Answer:  Ten years, 1 ¾ home games… as evident of a near Orange Crush like stand and the very loud Denver Broncos fan base heard on Sundays broadcast VS. the New York Jets.

It was a throwback to the days of old Mile High Stadium on Sunday when the Denver Broncos found a way to take a late lead at home among 76,000 orange clad cheering fans.  It was Orange Sunday in Denver after all, and the crowd was into the game and into the theme, looking every bit the part of Orange Crush Sunday’s gone bye.  The only piece that was missing was a late turnover or missed field goal by the visiting team.  The Broncos and their avid fans actually got INVESCO Field rocking and visibly shaking the cameras for the first time in a very long time.

For fans of the NFL, this game was probably the best kept secret and the best game to finish in regulation.  It was only rivaled in quality by the Ravens and Patriots overtime game. 

It’s a game in which both quarterbacks were taken out of their comfort zones for the first time all-season, and the stats backed it up.  Kyle Orton went 14 for 34 and 209 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions with one painful fumble to end the game.  Mark Sanchez was rattled much of the day and went 17 for 30 for 198 yards, one touchdown, and a surprising two interceptions on the day, surprising to most of the nation and Jets fans, given last weekend’s debacle in Baltimore by the Broncos.

This past week Josh McDaniels along with writers and fans questioned the toughness and heart of the football team, especially given the fact that they were minus four starters in this game.  The Broncos defense was active, creative, disciplined, and hard hitting all day long creating opportunities for the offense.  Give the New York Jets credit they are one tough football team and again fans saw the Broncos go toe to toe with one of the best teams in the business.

Message Sent

The Denver Broncos responded to Josh McDaniels charge to his team this week.  That is important moving forward, and that is a key to keep in mind as this team continues down its journey back to playoff contention.  Despite their 2-4 record, the Broncos are very much alive in the playoff picture and could still win their division.  The Broncos however did blow a chance to gain a game on the rest of the division, the second worst in professional football, as the Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders also lost.

The Broncos played like a desperate football team, but they did not play altogether sharp, in the end that is what cost them the game.  Denver however showed some of the fire of their head coach who has wrestled with his own identity crisis much like his team.

Sunday’s game is another key defining moment in the development of this football team from the following stand point.  As mentioned in other articles and blog responses, the run game is about what is valued most by an organization.  This week the Broncos organization emphasized the run game at any cost.  Some fans might say it destroyed the passing game, in some regards that is true; however this was a Jets defense that is every bit as talented as the Baltimore Ravens so it was essential for the Broncos to go toe to toe physically.  In the end the Broncos executed their game plan fairly well.  There were a number of miscues in the passing game, however the offense showed it could run the ball, even against a tenacious front seven.

So the message is valid, and the message was sent.  The Denver Broncos are a good football team, don’t let the 2-4 record fool you.  They are one very controversial pass interference play call away from being a .500 football team.  More on that specific play later but there was offensive interference initiated on the play and it was never called.

The Broncos may not be ready for the upper echelon yet, but they will be ready for divisional foes and will pick up other games down the stretch.

So keep the faith, message sent!

A Well Fought Game

This game wound up being a dog fight, a chess match, and in the end a well fought contest between a team that believes it belongs (the Jets) and one that is finding it’s identity (the Broncos).

Early in the game the Broncos nickel package was productive and caused early three and outs by Mark Sanchez and the Jets and an eventual early interception by Denver linebacker Jason Hunter.  It set up an early opportunity for the orange and blue however on the Broncos second offensive play Knowshon Moreno fumble the ball near the end of a good run. 

Josh McDaniels finally re-implemented the Wild Horses utilizing Tim Tebow to force their will on the running game.  That move set up an eventual field goal try by Matt Prater that went awry with a bad snap that skipped on the turf and never was put in place for the field goal try. 

Mark Sanchez later hit Santonio Holmes near the five minute mark of the first quarter for the Jets first advancement of the chains.  At that point New York countered the Broncos Wild Horses with an unbalanced line out of the Wild Cat to keep the Denver defense off balance and open up the run game.  It was on that drive the Jets made more adjustments utilizing the short pass game to keep things going, a key call was a running pass from Mark Sanchez to Jericho Cotchery.

The Jets offense was clearly working on their regular plan of wearing out the opposing defensive line with boot passes back across the field to stretch the defense.  The Jets continued to utilize the unbalanced line in running the ball in spot situations.

The biggest key to the game was that the Denver Broncos offense did not capitalize on the early Jet miscues and never got the offense rolling.  Josh McDaniels team was fortunate to keep the score at zeroes after the first period.

In the second quarter Sanchez hit Braylon Edwards early for a Jets TD and the first points of the game.

On the Broncos end Brandon Lloyd and Kyle Orton had poor chemistry early on in the game and it continued into the second period.  With the Broncos desperately seeking the passing game chemistry of previous weeks Jabar Gaffney made a huge catch over Darrelle Revis inside the ten yard line setting up Tim Tebow on his first scoring run in the NFL.  The Broncos then rolled the dice and recovered an onside kick however they could not run or pass on the ensuing drive and had to punt, giving the Jets a touchback and the ball on their own 20 yard line.  The two teams played out the battle of field position and just before the half Bronco kicker Matt Prater hit a 59 yard field goal to end the half on a positive note and the lead as Denver went up 10 – 7 on the Jets.

A possible note of more surprise the Broncos had 60 rushing yards in the first half and were15 yards better on the ground than the Jets in the first half.

The Broncos opened the 3rd quarter with a timely and methodical drive that had good elements of pass, run, and the Wild Horses with Tim Tebow.  Unfortunately for the horses, former Broncos standout defensive lineman Trevor Pryce had a key hit of Laurence Maroney deep in the Denver backfield.  That key hit led to Matt Prater missing a FG wide-right from 49 yards out.

On the day the Denver defense did a very good job setting up contain on the edges to keep the Jets and former Charger LaDanian Tomlinson under some control in the run game.  However has he would prove later on in the game, a veteran running back like Tomlinson is smart enough to find the inside holes and exploit them as he did when it counted most.

The New York Jets best success in the run game came out of the Wild Cat formation with the exception of one late run by LT.  Again the Broncos maintained great discipline defensively against the Jets bootleg pass packages and kept Sanchez from feeling comfortable in the pocket.

Jet kicker Nick Folk hit a 56 yarder at 6:41 in the third quarter to tie the game at 10 - 10.

The Broncos weren't shy in utilizing Tim Tebow in the game, but they probably should have given him more consecutive snaps under center to create defensive shortfalls and create more opportunities in the run game.

During the game Dan Dierdorff’s analysis on the play involving Brandon Lloyd on the sideline was way off base because Brandon Lloyd hit the ground prior to the ball ever moving.  Essentially the ground cannot cause a fumble and this is an area the NFL rule gets things a little bit wrong, especially if the ball comes loose out of bounds.  Nonetheless Lloyd was credited with another spectacular grab and Dierdorff was wrong as he would be later on in the game as well.

On Damarius Thomas' TD grab from Kyle Orton both Dan Dierdorff and Greg Gumble discounted the fact that Thomas did have his right foot down at the exact moment they said possession was established during the replay.  It was ruled a TD but the debate was exhausting to listen despite the fractions of time broadcast teams have to comment on challenging plays.  At the end of the day the referees got both calls right without the advent of replay.

The Jets then started to gain momentum offensively but all of that was squandered when Santonio Holmes fumbled after Jet tight end Justin Keeler had just rambled for big yards on the heels of a huge grab.

Credit the Broncos defense for causing turnovers on the day, it gave them a fighting chance at winning the game, and if not for the offenses early blunders they very well should have.  At the end of the third quarter the score read Denver 17 Jets 10.

Denver's defense remained fast, tenacious, and delivered vicious hits all day long.  The Broncos offense started a key late drive at their seven yard line.  Unfortunately the Broncos O-line rolled over and allowed deep edge penetration to stuff their run game.

Once the Jets got the ball back they set themselves up in prime real estate for LaDanian Tomlinson to score on a 20 yard stretch play at the 8:36 mark of the 4th quarter.  His fourth TD of the season was a stunner and his fifth would eventually be the game winner.  The touchdown run capped off a series of downs that saw quarterback Mark Sanchez show some resiliency as he was tested and was able to deliver on some key pass plays that set up the drive capping score.

Both of the Broncos QB's, contributed with good runs on the late fourth quarter drive that set up Matt Prater who was good from 48 yards out with 3:55 left in regulation.

It was at that moment in time the Orange Sunday crowd rose to the occasion and nearly edged the Broncos on to victory.  INVESCO field was literally shaking and the cameras were bouncing live on air just like the good old days in old Mile High.

The Jets had the ball near midfield at the two minute warning following a key

Sanchez to Santonio Holmes grab for a first down with Denver nursing their narrow lead.

Then after a great stand for three downs by the Denver defense the referees blew a call on a controversial pass interference play on fourth and long pass play to Santonio Holmes.  There was clearly offensive and defensive pass interference on the play and there should have been PI called on both teams that would have been offsetting and the down should have been replayed.  The Broncos Renaldo Hill clearly caught his right hand in Santonio Holmes facemask; however the piece ignored by the refs was the push off by Holmes on the play.  It wound up costing the Broncos the game as it put the ball on the two and LaDanian Tomlinson scored a touchdown on the ensuing play with only a minute and spare change on the clock.  LT scored his fifth TD on the season and continues to build on his all-time touchdown number versus the Broncos.  The Jets had the lead at that point 24 – 20. 

Following some deep penetration by the Broncos and a near grab near the goal line by Damarius Thomas, Kyle Orton could not reach a bad snap by center J.D. Walton and that was the ball game as the Jets recovered the ball and ran out the clock.

So What Should Broncos Country Take Out of Sunday?

There are positive to pull out of this game, the Broncos played another top opponent very tough but wound up short only because they could not capitalize earlier in the ball game with the opportunities they had.  Young football teams go through those things; the Broncos however have good veteran leadership and should continue to bounce back.  Certainly a great motivator this coming week will come in having the chance to beat the Raiders in Denver before they shove off to the UK to play a struggling 49er franchise.

So if the Broncos can find away to beat Oakland, they could possibly dominate in England and come home with momentum to face Kansas City.  Suddenly the season and every game could have a great deal of meaning.  This team showed that it could potentially be close to contending for the division title, albeit the second worst in football.

So the Broncos realistically have to retain the focus they had this week and know that while their hard work did not pay off this week it should against the Raiders, 49ers, and the Chiefs and then anything is possible.

The Orange Sunday Crowd

The Broncos franchise has done a great job of bringing back Orange Sunday to the fans and it was a great day for the stands to be re-filled with the once predominately orange clad fans.  What was even more special was seeing the fans into the game and the stands actually shaking as they used to in old Mile High Stadium.

What’s it all means is that the franchise may not be there yet, but there are clear signs of heading in a good direction but these next few games are going to be very crucial in where the franchise goes from here.

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