NFL Nation: Broncos-Chargers 101909
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| AP Photo/Denis Poroy | |
| Elvis Dumervil had two of Denver's five sacks of Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. |
Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson
SAN DIEGO -- Kyle Orton walked into the small but satisfied visitor’s locker room at Qualcomm Stadium following his press conference to talk about Denver’s 34-23 statement game against the San Diego Chargers and said “6-0, baby, 6-0,” to no one in particular.
The Broncos are unbeaten and unabashed. They’ve taken the NFL by storm and they are making sure everyone knows about it.
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The Broncos gave the Chargers the Muhammad Ali treatment. They punched the Chargers out and then they told them about it. Again in true Ali form, the talking started before the beatdowns.
“There’s a new persona about this team,” said four-year Denver veteran tight end Tony Scheffler, who had to be held back from San Diego linebacker Shaun Phillips in the waning seconds of the game. “We feel good about ourselves and we’re going to have fun out there. We aren’t going to be pushed around.”
Denver let that be known when nearly the entire team huddled near the Chargers during pregame warm-ups. A large scrum formed with some pushing and shoving. Officials had to break it up.
Think Miami-Florida State in the golden era of that rivalry.
After the game, the victorious Broncos, who pulled a similar stunt at Oakland in Week 3, were laughing about the dust-up. The Chargers were not.
“That was disrespectful,” said San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman, who was pushing back players from both teams in the middle of the melee. “But we get to see them again. They didn’t have a cakewalk here … We’ll see them again.”
When the Chargers visit Denver in November, they must do a better job in the second half. Denver is undefeated on the strength of its incredible play after halftime.
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| Donald Miralle/Getty Images | |
| Denver quarterback Kyle Orton was 11-for-15 for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. |
The Chargers led 20-17 after a wild first half. But Denver outscored San Diego 17-3 the rest of the way and sealed the victory with its usual array of timely plays on both sides of the ball.
Denver has outscored opponents 76-10 in the second half this season.
“The coaches see what we don’t do right in the first half and we fix it in the second half,” Denver defensive tackle Ronald Fields said. “If that continues, we are going to be very hard to beat.”
Nearly every win by Denver this season has been spawned by a huge play in the second half. Monday night, it was a sack by linebacker Elvis Dumervil, who leads the NFL with 10 sacks. The Broncos recovered a Philip Rivers' fumble on the play and turned it into a field goal and a four-point lead. Denver added a touchdown later in the quarter after another huge defensive stop. One of four unbeaten teams, Denver has allowed an NFL-low 66 points. According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, Rivers was sacked four times on blitzes.
“We pride ourselves in making the big play when it counts,” Denver receiver Brandon Stokley said. “Good teams know how to do that.”
Some other keys to the game:
Chargers get the Royal treatment: Although Denver turned the game around in the second half, the team benefited greatly by two first-half returns for touchdowns by receiver Eddie Royal.
He had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score in the first quarter and a 71-yard punt return for a score in the second quarter. He is the sixth player since the merger in 1970 to have a kickoff and punt return for a score in the same game. He was the first Denver player to do it. For good measure, San Diego return ace Darren Sproles added a 77-yard punt return for a score. It was the first time since 1998 that there were three returns for touchdowns in a game.
“I’m just glad I could help,” Royal said. “The plays just opened up for us.”
Merriman said the two Royal returns were devastating for San Diego.
“We can’t have that,” Merriman said. “You can’t have two returns for scores. It would have been a totally different game if that didn’t happen.”
Orton keeps on keeping on: Like the Denver defense, folks are waiting for Orton to crack. But like his defense, Orton is playing near-perfect football, especially when the game counts.
Orton was 11-of-15 for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the second half Monday night. According to ESPN’s Stats & Information, his passer’s rating in the half was 143.3. He was brilliant in the second half and in overtime against New England in Week 5. Orton was 8-0f-12 on third down, compared to 3-of-7 for Rivers.
Orton, acquired in the Jay Cutler trade, is clearly thriving in Josh McDaniels’ system. He is both managing the game well and making clutch plays. So, the Orton-for-MVP talk is going to continue, at least for another week.
The Chargers aren’t dead yet, but they may be close: Although the focus is on Denver’s huge start, the Chargers’ third straight lousy start cannot be overlooked.
San Diego started 5-5 in 2007 and 4-8 last season before rallying to win the division both years. The Chargers aren’t panicking, but they are not pleased that they must try to come back from behind again.
“I’m sick of it,” Merriman said.
Still, the Chargers don’t have a brutal remaining schedule. Their next two games are at Kansas City and at home against Oakland.
The Chargers know they can turn their season around, but they have to play better, especially on defense. The Chargers couldn’t get off the field Monday night and they had very little pass rush.
“We've got to get better on defense,” Merriman said. “We have to get off the field. It starts there.”
If the Chargers don’t improve, don’t expect the boisterous Broncos to stop yapping.
Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson
SAN DIEGO -- For the third straight week, the question will be asked. Are the Broncos legit?
Let’s just stop it.
The Broncos are for real, OK?
Denver continued the most remarkable story in the NFL by punching the host San Diego Chargers in the mouth when it had to Monday night, winning 34-23. The Broncos took control in the second half and showed the Chargers, heavy preseason favorites to win the AFC West for the fourth straight season, that 33-year-old coach Josh McDaniels and his crew mean business.
The Broncos are 6-0 and the Chargers are 2-3. Denver leads the AFC West by 3.5 games. No team has ever lead a division by 3.5 games and not advanced to the playoffs.
The Broncos won this game the way they have won their last two games against Dallas and New England: They dominated in the second half. The Broncos came back from a halftime deficit and outscored San Diego 17-3 in the third and fourth quarters. Denver has outscored its opponents 76-10 in the second half of games this season.
If that’s not for real, what is?
SAN DIEGO -- For the third straight week, the question will be asked. Are the Broncos legit?
Let’s just stop it.
The Broncos are for real, OK?
Denver continued the most remarkable story in the NFL by punching the host San Diego Chargers in the mouth when it had to Monday night, winning 34-23. The Broncos took control in the second half and showed the Chargers, heavy preseason favorites to win the AFC West for the fourth straight season, that 33-year-old coach Josh McDaniels and his crew mean business.
The Broncos are 6-0 and the Chargers are 2-3. Denver leads the AFC West by 3.5 games. No team has ever lead a division by 3.5 games and not advanced to the playoffs.
The Broncos won this game the way they have won their last two games against Dallas and New England: They dominated in the second half. The Broncos came back from a halftime deficit and outscored San Diego 17-3 in the third and fourth quarters. Denver has outscored its opponents 76-10 in the second half of games this season.
If that’s not for real, what is?
Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson
SAN DIEGO -- Denver coach Josh McDaniels has shown before that he is an excellent second-half adjuster. He’ll need to do so again as San Diego leads 20-17 in what has been a fantastic game.
Denver has outscored opponents 59-7 in the second half this season. The 20 points are the most Denver has allowed all season. Denver allowed 10 points in the first quarter for the third straight game.
Denver left tackle Ryan Clady gave up a sack to San Diego rookie Larry English. Clady has allowed sacks in the past two games. He went his first 20 games without allowing a sack.
Denver’s defense is getting beat up. Linebacker Mario Haggan is out with a knee injury and he is questionable to return. Safety Brian Dawkins (hamstring) and defensive tackle Ronald Fields (hamstring) are also out and questionable to return.
If Dawkins remain out, expect San Diego to try to go to tight end Antonio Gates often. He was featured late in the second quarter.
Expect English to get fined for a horse-collar tackle late in the first half.
ESPN’s John Clayton is reporting that Kansas City traded defensive lineman Tank Tyler to Carolina for a fifth-round pick.
SAN DIEGO -- Denver coach Josh McDaniels has shown before that he is an excellent second-half adjuster. He’ll need to do so again as San Diego leads 20-17 in what has been a fantastic game.
Denver has outscored opponents 59-7 in the second half this season. The 20 points are the most Denver has allowed all season. Denver allowed 10 points in the first quarter for the third straight game.
Denver left tackle Ryan Clady gave up a sack to San Diego rookie Larry English. Clady has allowed sacks in the past two games. He went his first 20 games without allowing a sack.
Denver’s defense is getting beat up. Linebacker Mario Haggan is out with a knee injury and he is questionable to return. Safety Brian Dawkins (hamstring) and defensive tackle Ronald Fields (hamstring) are also out and questionable to return.
If Dawkins remain out, expect San Diego to try to go to tight end Antonio Gates often. He was featured late in the second quarter.
Expect English to get fined for a horse-collar tackle late in the first half.
ESPN’s John Clayton is reporting that Kansas City traded defensive lineman Tank Tyler to Carolina for a fifth-round pick.
Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson
SAN DIEGO -- What’s the best way for a road team to quiet the home crowd in a big game? Yep, a special teams touchdown.
Denver second-year receiver Eddie Royal shut up the San Diego crowd with a 93-yard touchdown on a kickoff. The Chargers had just scored a field goal.
Royal ripped right through San Diego’s coverage unit and bolted for the score. After Denver’s defense was beat up on the previous drive, this was a big play for Denver.
SAN DIEGO -- What’s the best way for a road team to quiet the home crowd in a big game? Yep, a special teams touchdown.
Denver second-year receiver Eddie Royal shut up the San Diego crowd with a 93-yard touchdown on a kickoff. The Chargers had just scored a field goal.
Royal ripped right through San Diego’s coverage unit and bolted for the score. After Denver’s defense was beat up on the previous drive, this was a big play for Denver.
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| Kyle Terada/US Presswire | |
| The Denver Broncos are buying what coach Josh McDaniels is selling. |
Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson
The Denver Broncos can’t wait to show up to work each Wednesday to see what’s in store. Under first-year coach Josh McDaniels, every work week in the Rocky Mountains is different.
“We show up for work on Wednesday and McDaniels has something new for us,” defensive tackle Ronald Fields said. “We focus on the opponents more than any other team I’ve been involved in. The details of the opponent are magnified. In the meeting room, we hit the tendencies hard and then on the practice field, we get right after game situations and every Sunday, we feel like we’re going to know what is going to happen. When Sundays show up, we feel like we’re in pretty good shape.”
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The culmination of Denver’s work week this time around is "Monday Night Football." The 5-0 Broncos, the surprise of the NFL this season, visit San Diego. The Chargers, 2-2, are in danger of falling 3.5 games behind the Broncos in the AFC West.
The Chargers’ challenge will be to outfox Denver and its 33-year-old wonder boy, who is the early favorite for the NFL Coach of the Year award.
McDaniels has not only received praise from outside of the organization; his players are raving about the way he has taken charge. Future Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey recently said he has never been so prepared by a coach as he has by McDaniels.
Added Fields: “McDaniels brings it to a new level.”
McDaniels’ plan usually focuses on his opponent’s weaknesses with their style changing to exploit the problems of the opponent. The work week is focused on what can beat that individual opponent.
Against New England, McDaniels revealed the Wildcat offense because the Patriots had trouble with it in the past. Against Dallas, Denver exploited holes in the Cowboys' offensive line with constant blitzing. Against Oakland, the Broncos concentrated on having a strong second half because the Raiders came back late in their first two games.
As the situation goes, so goes McDaniels’ game plan.
“It’s different every week,” Denver linebacker Andra Davis said. “It changes as we go.”
On Monday night, watch for Denver to attack San Diego’s troubled pass defense and stack against the Chargers’ passing offense because their run offense is ranked last in the NFL.
Denver’s success cannot be argued. The Broncos have made the right calls and the big plays, both on offense and on defense, all season. Denver’s wins over Cincinnati, Dallas and New England all came in the final seconds of the game. Both sides of the ball are playing mistake-free football when it counts.
Denver hasn’t been perfect throughout games, but that is part of McDaniels’ preparation. Problems are corrected as the team goes.
“You have to fix your own problems in the game and Coach has made us all accountable for it,” Davis said. “Too many ‘my bads’ are going to cause you to end up [in] the ‘L’ column.”
In the past two games, Denver has fallen behind 10-0 in the first quarter. In both games, however, the Broncos completely controlled the game in the second half.
Denver is outscoring its opponents 59-7 in the second half. In the past four games, the Broncos have not allowed any points in the second half. In the past three games, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information, Denver did not allow a third-down conversion in the second half. Denver’s opponents are 2-of-31 on third down in the second half.
This team doesn’t look like a fluke, thanks to its timely play, excellent second-half adjustments and balanced performance on both sides of the ball. It gave the powerhouse Patriots everything they could handle before making one more key play than New England when it counted.
The Broncos aren’t going anywhere. But they aren’t celebrating yet. They are just showing up on Wednesdays, ready to execute McDaniels’ unique plan.
“This team, we are not taking things for granted,” safety Brian Dawkins said. “We are 5-0 and that is great, but the most important game for us is this next one. That is what we need to [do]: Approach every game the same way and put the same amount of detail into every game. If we continue to do that, continue to detail our work, continue to believe in what the coaches are telling us when we are in this position, then we have the potential to do what we need to do.”
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