Playoff football, don’t you love it?!
For the first time in three years, the Broncos were in the playoffs today. OK, not really, but with Denver’s actual playoff lives on the line, the orange crush came through time and time again to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17.
The Broncos played their best game of the year two weeks in a row, against two straight 7-win teams and won both of them.
How’d they do it?
By creating turnovers and protecting the ball at all costs.
On Sunday afternoon at Mile High Stadium, the Broncos created four turnovers while having none of their own. It was the second time in a row, and only the second time all season, in which Case Keenum and the offense didn’t turn the ball over.
And those turnovers were massive when it came to the outcome of the game.
The first was Will Parks’ massive hit on Xavier Grimble just short of the goal line, saving a Steelers touchdown while giving Denver the ball at the 20-yard line. Grimble was wide open and was galloping into the end zone when Parks decided to not give up on the play and lowered his shoulder on a crazy collision.
The second forced turnover was an interception by Chris Harris. And the third, a fumble by James Conner when Bradley Roby hit him in the gut on a run.
But the final, Shelby Harris’ interception, was clutch. From the 2-yard line, Ben Roethlisberger dropped back and threw the ball into coverage, where the nose tackle had dropped back for the pick.
Denver’s defense, which led them to two Super Bowls in the last six seasons, was as good as they used to be during those runs.
Not only that, but Justin Simmons blocked his second field goal of the year, stopping the Steelers from scoring their first points of the day.
In all, Denver was a +4 in the turnover differential, and scored 14 points off turnovers. They made the big plays when it mattered most and made sure to capitalize on those huge plays.
“It’s easy to lose the team concept when you’re not winning,” Vance Joseph said after the win. “For our team to stick together and keep the culture strong, that’s special.
“I’m just thankful to have a team that’s still fighting.”
That’s exactly what the Broncos did. They just kept fighting, and grinding, and finally found a way to win.
In the last two weeks, as Denver defeated the Chargers and AFC North leading Steelers, by winning the turnover differential by a +6.
Yes, it may be too little, too late. Or, these last two wins may be the beginning of a six, or even seven-game win streak to end the season.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but he Broncos face the Bengals, 49ers, Browns and Raiders — four straight games against teams under .500 after beating two very good, contending teams.
The Broncos, after a season and a half under Vance Joseph, seemed to finally have found out how to compete as a complete team.
And that’s with a cobbled together offensive line which has been riddled with injuries. That’s with Keenum, who’s thrown way too many interceptions for most of the season. And that’s with a defense which has been killed by tight ends and passing in general all year long.
These Broncos, if nothing else, are resilient.
They’re battling, and if they can somehow put together a run of wins, they’ll be firmly in playoff contention. For now, they won their first “playoff” game of the year and now face another five straight — finished with a rematch against the Chargers — before the regular season officially ends.
A run would likely mean a Week 17 must-win game against Los Angeles and Philip Rivers.
But, for now, just enjoy these Broncos. For the first time in three years, they’re playing very good, quite competitive football.