The Broncos lost to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night, dropping the reigning champs to third place in the division. The defense had a very tough time with the Raiders run game, and the offense couldn’t stay on the field long enough to give the defense time to rest. With the loss behind them, Denver still sits with an impressive 6-3 record and wants to look toward the second half of the season.
The Raiders rushed for 218 yards and had three rushing touchdowns in the win over the Broncos, and the defense was left flummoxed.
“It was very difficult, especially when you see the run that much as a safety,” Darian Stewart told Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro of Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7.
Denver travels to New Orleans to take on a mediocre Saints team this weekend, and they know that they need to continue looking forward, not back.
“There is nothing great about losing,” Stewart said. “But we’re definitely in a good place at 6-3. It’s not a bad record. It could easily be 3-6. We look at it like that, and we just keep moving forward.”
After a few frustrating losses in the first half of the season, the Broncos are not losing any confidence in what they know they can do.
“If you’re in this league, confidence has to stay at a high level,” Stewart said. “It’s part of the league: You’re going to take some bad losses. It’s how you come back from it that defines you.”
During the Sunday night game there were tweets from Broncos fans mentioning the injuries to the defense. Fans felt that if Aqib Talib, Derek Wolfe, Brandon Marshall and Kayvon Webster were all healthy, the game would be a much different story. Stewart doesn’t completely agree with those ideas.
“You could say that, but at the same time, the guys that were out there can make the plays to get the job done,” Stewart said. “They are more than capable, and they can do it.”
To listen to the whole interview with Darian Stewart, including his thoughts on the defense and the importance of getting off the field, click the podcast below…
https://soundcloud.com/milehighsports/11-8-16-eric-les-chat-with-darian-stewart-where-is-the-confidence-level-of-the-broncos-defense
Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro Monday-Friday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.