It is safe to say the Broncos have walked a fine line to get to 6-0 this season. Sunday they continued to live on the edge and took their unbeaten record into overtime at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday. The Broncos and Browns combined for six turnovers, which added to the wild 26-23 Denver overtime win.
While Peyton Manning and the offense again drove up and down the field, they could not get in the end zone often enough to put the Browns away. Josh McCown found his new favorite target twice in the second half to race and catch the Broncos for a 16 point fourth quarter. In the end, the game was a microcosm of Denver’s season thus far; the defense made big time plays at the biggest moments and a Brandon McManus field goal gave the team just enough points to stay perfect.
The first quarter ended with a underwhelming score of 3-0. The Broncos overcame a Manning interception on the opening drive and held the Browns on a failed fourth down but could not punch the ball in for a touchdown. They settled for a McManus 29-yard field goal and the early lead.
Just 41 seconds into the second quarter the Broncos defense made a game-changing play that has become almost expected each week. Aqib Talib read McCown’s eyes and intercepted a short pass intended for Travis Benjamin. He took off the other way and was untouched for a 63-yard touchdown and a 10-0 lead. The half ended with both teams trading several punts and McManus’ first missed field goal of the season, a 51-yard attempt.
The second half began with the Browns taking a seven point chunk out of the Broncos lead. McCown led them on their opening possession, an eight-play, 74-yard drive, that was capped off by Gary Barnidge going up and over Danny Trevathan in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown. A spectacular sack and forced fumble by Shaquil Barrett later in the quarter lead to the Broncos tacking on three more points, via a 25-yard McManus field goal.
The Broncos quickly increased their lead to 16-7 in the fourth quarter but the Browns would not quit. McCown led a long drive, built on a deep pass to Benjamin and then found Barnidge again, this time wide open in the middle of the end zone. The 16-14 Broncos lead would not stand long. Three plays into the ensuing drive Manning threw a pass just behind Hillman that was tipped into the waiting arms of Karlos Dansby. The veteran linebacker took the interception back for a touchdown and the Browns first lead of the day, 20-16.
The Broncos answered quickly. The first play from scrimmage on the next possession went to Emmanuel Sanders. The streaking wide receiver hauled in a perfectly placed pass by Manning for a 75-yard touchdown and the 23-20 lead.
The Browns tied it up with a 26-yard Travis Coons field goal and then had a chance to win the game with less than a minute left on their next possession. Several Broncos pressured McCown on the critical play and he threw the ball up for Barnidge on the left sideline. Unfortunately for him, David Bruton Jr. was waiting and he hauled in the interception.
A deep pass down the sideline to Sanders, initially called a completed pass but later overturned, was the Broncos last chance at the win in regulation.
The Broncos began overtime with the ball, but after two failed passes to Sanders and Thomas, Manning, again made a poor decision. He tried to float a pass to Thomas but the 6-foot-4 Barkevious Mingo leaped into the air and brought down the pass.
Luckily for Manning he had the defense to fall back on. Barrett and then Jackson sacked McCown, forcing another punt.
The offense saved its best drive for last. They traveled 72 yards in 13 plays for the final score. They rushed eight times for 33 yards and had one big completion to Owen Daniels on a critical third down. After Browns head coach Mike Pettine tried to “ice” McManus with a time out, the second-year kicker nailed the 34-yard field goal for the win.
Best quote of the game
Head coach Gary Kubiak on another big win: “We’ve been out six times this year, four times on the road. It’s hard to win in this league so I’m proud of where we’re at as a football team. Also, as a coach, I’m concerned about a lot of the things we have to improve upon. I think we’re a good football team that can be a great football team if we could correct a lot of our faults and mistakes. We continue to battle and find a way to win, and I believe today was no different.”
Worst quote of the game
Kubiak on the offense’s struggles: “We’re very humble in our situation right now and I know we have to improve a great deal. I think it’s a lot to do with me getting comfortable with putting him in the things that he’s real comfortable with and what he’s doing. That’s what I’m looking at. He knows that we have to get rid of some of these things, and I think he’s trying to do too much at times.”
MVP
Shaquil Barrett, in the first start of his young career, was filling big shoes this week. With DeMarcus Ware unable to play, Kubiak decided to start the second-year outside linebacker Sunday afternoon. He played beyond expectations.
In spot play through five weeks he has already made an impact, but Sunday he helped change the game. In the third quarter and the Broncos lead sitting at only three points, he came off the edge untouched and hit McCown from his blind side, knocked the ball loose and recovered it. The Broncos quickly turned the turnover into three points.
“He’s been that way all year. I don’t care what his name is or where he’s from, but I know that when it’s down to a play, he makes plays,” Kubiak said of Barrett after the game. “All I know is every time I looked up, he was making plays. What an opportunity he’s gotten and what good job he’s done taking advantage of it.”
Barrett finished the day with an incredible stat line. He had nine combined tackles, three for a loss, two quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Honorable mentions: Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward also had excellent games. Talib had the play of the game, interception McCown and returning it for the touchdown. Ward was great in coverage throughout the day and made seven tackles and had one pass defended.
Offensive MVP
Ronnie Hillman exploded for the rushing yards Kubiak and the Broncos have been searching for for weeks. The Broncos ultimately passed 48 times but they also tried to stay balanced, running the ball 33 times. Hillman accounted for 111 yards on 20 carries for a superb average of 5.6 per carry. When asked after the game what the offense did well he was clear.
“Run the ball. We had to help the defense, we can’t keep them on the field too long. They are really good but we need to keep them off the field as much as possible. I think us running the ball and being successful with it helped manage the game a little better.”
Hillman now owes a 4.89 average per carry on the season and appears to be the more suited back for Kubiak’s system. Anderson did add 41 yards on 13 carries Sunday but has not had the same effect on defenses through six games.
Honorable mention: Emmanuel Sanders had four receptions on 12 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown Sunday. He didn’t connect with Manning as much as he could have but his effort is unrivaled each week. Also, the offensive line did not allow a sack Sunday.
LVP
Peyton Manning was once again the weakest link Sunday. In between some excellent passes with great velocity were poor decisions and inaccurate throws. Not only are they not coming as a surprise this season but they are a regular occurrence. Through six games he has seven touchdown throws to 10 interceptions. His 10 interceptions are the second most he has thrown in the first six games of a season in his entire career (had 14 in 1998). After the game he discussed his play and how lucky they are to come away with a win.
“Obviously, we’ve had a ton of breaks. I won’t be going to Vegas for my bye weekend. I’m not feeling lucky now. Tipped balls seem to be going to them. There were a couple of plays that I couldn’t quite connect. There are some times when obviously things aren’t going so well. The challenge you have is trying to avoid the pressure to do too much, which is certainly the case when you go into overtime.”
Manning will have a bye week to study the film and come back against the Green Bay Packers, who are also undefeated.
Runner-up: Demaryius Thomas dropped several big passes Sunday and continues to play with the same inconsistency that Manning is struggling with. Two drops came in the fourth quarter and overtime that could have won the game but left the door open for the Browns. He did finish the day with 10 receptions for 111 receiving yards.
Defensive LVP
The defense played well once again but they were also highly penalized. The defense were flagged for five of the team’s eight penalties of the day. One penalty in particular stands out.
With 3:35 left in the game the Broncos defense had to make potentially one last stand. On 1-and-10 McCown dropped back, rolled right and couldn’t find an open target. After releasing the ball out of bounds Derek Wolfe hit the quarterback late and in the head and neck area. The referee made the easy roughing the passer call and gave the Browns a first down and 15 yards. The penalty moved the Browns into Broncos’ territory and the drive ended in a Coons field goal that tied the game at 23-23.
The stupidity of the play alone gets Wolfe the “least valuable player” of the game. He finished the game with two tackles.
Best statistic of the game
The Broncos defense added three takeaways for a total of 17 on the year. Entering week six they were leading the NFL. Sunday afternoon they needed all three as the offense gave away three of their own. The defense also added four sacks to increase their season total to 26.
Worst statistic of the game
The offense entered the game with terrible numbers on red zone and third down conversion percentages. They ranked 28th and 27th respectively. Sunday they did even worse. They went 0-for-3 in the red zone and an anemic 4-for-18 (22%) on third downs. Manning understands as much as anyone where their problems lie and said as much after the game.
“We’re struggling. We’re not playing as well as we’d like, but we’re playing enough to win. We’re doing some things right at critical times, whether it’s the last drive of the game or in overtime. We have to continue to work and try to improve in the red zone on third down.”
The Broncos next opponent, the Green Bay Packers, can put up a lot of points and press a defense as much as anyone in the NFL. If the offense cannot hold their own the team’s luck may just run out.
Up next
The Broncos will enjoy a much needed and deserved bye week. They have several players who will need to get healthy. Daniels, Sanders and Shane Ray left the game with varying degrees of injuries. Ray’s looked the worst, as his knee appeared to be twisted at the bottom of a pile early in the contest and will reportedly be out several weeks. Ware and Ty Sambrailo will also hopefully benefit from a week’s rest. After the bye week the Broncos will host the 6-0 Packers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m..
*All stats and quotes provided by the Denver Broncos Media Relations unless otherwise noted
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