The Broncos are 2-0, fresh off another comeback win orchestrated by quarterback Case Keenum, who is winning over teammates with his confidence, preparation, experience and calm demeanor – even at critical, high-tension times.
“That’s our guy, ‘the Case Keenman.’ I love that guy,” joked Von Miller in the postgame press conference after the Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders 20-19. Keenum orchestrated the game-winning, 10-play, 62-yard drive in 1:52 with no time outs on the clock. The drive was made even more challenging by an early holding penalty, pushing Denver back to their own 10, facing 2nd and 20.
And yet, Keenum came through.
“Calm… just business as usual,” Broncos tight end Jake Butt said, of the final huddle against Oakland. “Let’s just find a way to win. That’s what we did.”
Keenum has engineered two come-from-behind victories as the Broncos’ starting quarterback — both at home — and says the Broncos just wanted it more, crediting his teammates for fighting until the end.
“Any time you have a game where you drive in the fourth quarter, it feels pretty awesome. Last week was fun. This week was a lot of fun,” Keenum said.
“They’re all special. This is incredible, starting my first two games at Mile High. Wins like that… We just kept fighting. They’re all fighters in that locker room. We just want it bad. We want it for each other. We want it for the fans. We want it for the team.”
It’s that ability to engineer faith out of thin air when it appears all is lost that has teammates trusting Keenum when everything is on the line.
“He didn’t flinch. He’s been through many situations like this. He’s not new to it. To have a quarterback like him is definitely comforting for a last drive like that,” running back Royce Freeman said.
Keenum finished 19-for-35 for 222 yards, throwing one interception and no touchdowns, but made plays when it mattered to bring Denver back — with his arm and feet — and complete the comeback win over the Raiders.
Keenum’s win against Oakland showed his resiliency after hitting a low that eerily resembled last year’s quarterback play for the Broncos. After throwing an interception in the second quarter against the Raiders. Keenum would finish the first half 5-for-11 for 38 yards. The Broncos’ offense notched only three first downs in the half.
Denver then outscored Oakland 20-7 in the final two quarters on the shoulders of Keenum — including that fateful, final drive.
“We trusted him,” Phillip Lindsay said of Keenum in the final drive of the game. “Case was going to do what he had to do. He is a veteran… He has been in a lot of situations like this. For us, it was about getting out of bounds, making our plays, picking up all of the blitzes we could.”
Many felt the Broncos needed the lead to consistently find success in 2018. To lean on the defense after jumping out to a quick start, and doing just enough on offense to get the win. However, Keenum is beginning to prove that not only is he doing enough to win, but that he can also be relied upon to win football games. That’s something Denver hasn’t had since Peyton Manning.