Despite winning on Sunday and advancing to the AFC title game, plenty of people in the Mile High City are skittish this morning. And their discontent is based on one thing: They don’t like the way in which the Broncos beat the Steelers.
This is highlighted by the fact that the best player on the field for Denver wasn’t Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Von Miller, Chris Harris or any of the other highly paid talent on their roster. Instead, it was a little-known, backup cornerback who spent most of the day leading up to the game feeling as though he had eaten too many mozzarella sticks at the movie theatre or a kicker who had struggled to find his groove late in the season.
Kayvon Webster and Brandon McManus were the unsung heroes against the Steelers. In a game that was about field position, ball control and avoiding mistakes, the reserve cornerback made some huge plays, pinning Pittsburgh deep in their own territory on punt after punt by preventing touchbacks and forcing fumbles. And on a day when the offense had trouble finishing drives, the young kicker was a perfect five-for-five on field goals, splitting the uprights in spite of a brisk crosswind.
For some, Webster and McManus being worthy of game balls is troubling; they are panicking because the Broncos stars weren’t the ones making the game-changing plays in Denver’s 23-16 win on Sunday. But that’s getting too concerned with style points; winning in the postseason is all about grinding it out and finding a way, no matter how unusual the path to victory might be.
Sure, it’d be great if Manning was throwing for 300 yards and four touchdowns, with a couple of those going to Thomas. Yes, it’d be fantastic if Miller was racking up three sacks and forcing a pair of fumbles, while also causing some errant throws that wound up in the hands of Harris. But that’s not the only formula for success in the playoffs; in fact, it’s rarely the way championships are won.
History shows that it’s not just the stars that have to shine in the biggest games. Last year, it was an unknown cornerback named Malcolm Butler making the game-clinching interception at the end of the Super Bowl. The year before, it was Malcolm Smith earning MVP honors when the Seahawks bested the Broncos, as the relatively anonymous linebacker outshined his more-heralded teammates in the Meadowlands.
That’s not to say that a team’s best players can be no-shows in the postseason; that can lead to disaster in the playoffs. But oftentimes, the stars need to simply play their role, just like everyone else on the roster. And that’s exactly what happened yesterday against the Steelers.
No one is going to make a highlight tape of Manning’s performance against Pittsburgh. On the day, he completed 21 of 37 passes for 222 yards; that’s a relatively pedestrian performance. But the quarterback also didn’t make any mistakes, which was the Broncos’ recipe for success heading into the game. He didn’t throw any interceptions and he only took one sack; that’s how a team built around its defense and/or a strong running attack wins games.
Want proof? Here are John Elway’s numbers during the Broncos first Super Bowl run:
Jacksonville: 16-24, 223 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions
Kansas City: 10-19, 170 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions
Pittsburgh: 18-31, 210 yards, two touchdowns and one interception
Green Bay: 12-22, 123 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception
Yet the Hall of Fame quarterback made a huge impact during those four wins. He provided a calming influence, even talking Mike Shanahan into playing ball-control football against Marty Schottenheimer and the Chiefs. He made big plays when he had to, including a game-clinching, first-down throw to Shannon Sharpe in Pittsburgh. That’s exactly what Manning did yesterday; he didn’t put his top-ranked defense in a bad position by making careless mistakes, but he also hit Bennie Fowler for a 31-yard completion on third-and-12 during the team’s go-ahead drive.
Like Manning, few are going to be talking about Miller’s performance against the Steelers in the coming years. For most of the day, the linebacker was neutralized by Pittsburgh’s game plan, as at least two blockers were used on every play to slow down Denver’s elite pass rusher.
As a result, No. 58’s stat sheet isn’t very impressive; on the day, he only posted two solo tackles. But when the game was on the line, Miller made the defense’s biggest play of the day, even if the numbers don’t reflect his shining moment.
With 1:56 to play in the game, the Steelers were down by seven points and facing a fourth-and-five at their own 43-yard line. Their efforts to convert and keep the game alive, however, were thwarted by Miller, who caused Ben Roethlisberger to spin in the pocket, right into the arms of DeMarcus Ware. He didn’t get the sack, but Miller made the play happen.
That’s how playoff football goes. Everyone has to step up and make plays, from the top guys on the roster to the ones teetering on being inactive.
Denver’s stars didn’t disappear against the Steelers; they simply were part of a larger cast that was doing what needed to be done to get the win. When they needed to, they stepped up. But during other parts of the game, they also set the stage for others to shine.
The Broncos upcoming opponent in the AFC Championship Game is living proof that title-worthy teams are built that way. New England has won four Super Bowls in the past 14 years by calling upon everyone on their 53-man roster to “do their job;” they don’t just ask Tom Brady to carry to load week after week.
The Patriots don’t worry about style points; they don’t panic about wins. That’s because they aren’t concerned with numbers, records and highlight reels. Instead, Bill Belichick’s team is only focused on one thing, the scoreboard.
That needs to be all anyone in Denver cares about, as well. The only thing that matters is getting the all-important W. And it took everyone, from the unfairly maligned stars to the unlikely heroes, to notch a victory over the Steelers.
