Stud No. 3 – Aqib Talib
After back-to-back weeks in which he struggled (by his Pro Bowl standards), Aqib Talib responded on Sunday against Cleveland with a huge interception return for a touchdown that put the Broncos up 10-0 at a time when it looked as though the Browns offense might be getting some rhythm.
Josh McCown had engineered a 51-yard drive to counter Denver’s first scoring drive, a field goal, and had been given the benefit of an untimely penalty by Malik Jackson (see Dud No. 3) to put Cleveland just a few plays away from being in scoring range themselves. But Talib read McCown like a children’s book and jumped a second-and-12 route, taking it 63 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.
The score was Talib’s second on the year on his third interception. He added two passes defended on the day and held wide receiver Travis Benjamin mostly in check; the bulk of Benjamin’s 117 yards came against coverage by linebackers. Against Benjamin and in coverage on Duke Johnson out of the backfield, Talib accounted for three tackles and allowed just 24 yards.
Our second “dud” is a guy whose job is becoming more important with each passing week…
