The Denver Broncos played their first road game of the 2016 NFL season, traveling to Cincinnati on Sunday to face a Bengals team, that was playing their home opener. After a rough start, it was the visiting Broncos that took control of the game, and made the plays down the stretch.
Denver is 3-0 and alone in first place in the AFC West. Not bad for a team who was expected to take a giant fall after losing both starting quarterbacks from a season ago.
But the Broncos are winning with that same nasty defense and an offense with a few new wrinkles.
Here are five key takeaways from the Broncos 29-17 victory over the Bengals on Sunday:
But after throwing three interceptions in his first two NFL starts, Trevor Siemian finished the game on Sunday with a nice round zero in the INT column.
Yes, the Bengals helped out with a couple of drops, but sometimes the ball just bounces your way.
More importantly, the Denver defense and special teams forced two turnovers of their own, and the Denver offense turned a first quarter fumble by Bengals punt returner Adam Jones into a touchdown.
Advantage, Broncos.
4. Backup players are making important contributions
Offensive tackle Donald Stephenson and tight end Virgil Green were both out with calf injuries. Defensive end DeMarcus Ware was out for a few weeks with a broken forearm. Backup safety Justin Simmons was out with a hand injury.
But the NFL is a “next man up” league, and the Broncos have assembled some much needed depth.
We saw Ty Sambrailo and Michael Schofield step in on the offensive line and do their best to protect Siemian against a very potent Bengals pass rush. Shane Ray logged three very important sacks in place of Ware. Backup tight ends Jeff Heuerman and John Phillips caught three passes for 38 yards and a touchdown.
And rookie safety Will Parks came up with a late interception to preserve the victory.
The stars are great, but John Elway has done an amazing job of compiling depth all over this roster.
3. They won despite the run game
Right from the opening drive it seemed like Cincinnati was going to chew up the Denver defense with a potent ground game. But after that first drive, the Denver defense stiffened, and held Bengal runners to just 81 yards through the final 3.5 quarters.
And while Andy Dalton came into the game leading the NFL by averaging over 350 yards per game, the Denver defense held him to just 206 yard in the air.
When Denver runners struggled to get much going on the ground, head coach Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison used the short passing game to move the chains and set up a few deep balls later.
It might not be a formula they want to stick with, but the Broncos were still able to find a way to get the win despite losing the battle on the ground, and that’s a positive sign.
2. This defense is so dangerous
Cincinnati had been averaging nearly 400 yards and 23 points per game, but the Denver defense seemed to get stronger the longer the game went on, holding the Bengals to just five third down conversions all day.
They sacked Dalton four times, hurried him numerous more, and kept him from getting too comfortable all day.
As long as the defense continues to play at such a high level, this team will be a championship contender.
1. Trevor Siemian is getting better
Whether it was his 41-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders early in the second quarter, his 55-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in the fourth quarter, or his perfect precision pass on the 2 yarder to Sanders just prior to halftime, Siemian was impressive.
No moment seems too big for the seventh-round draft pick, and he may be proving to be the perfect fit for Gary Kubiak’s offense.
On a day when the defense wasn’t their sharpest, and the running game struggled to get on track, it was Siemian that came up with play after play down the stretch.
When the Bengals took the lead on a Mike Nugent field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Siemian led the offense on a 13 play 82-yard drive that chewed up nearly eight minutes and ended with a 1-yard touchdown pass to John Phillips.
That drive proved to be exactly what the Broncos needed to finish off the Bengals.
And Trevor Siemian may prove to be exactly what this team needed to contend for another Super Bowl.