Broncos open NFL season with dramatic comeback victory over Panthers

DENVER – It isn’t the Super Bowl, but a comeback 4th quarter win in the season opener at home will do just fine. Football is back, and this game was not lacking for entertainment throughout.

The Denver Broncos offense looked surprisingly good in racking up yards against the Carolina’s Panthers vaunted defense but struggled with turnovers in the last 20-30-yards.  It’s those turnovers that created an early Carolina lead 17-7 at halftime.

While the offense looked like the better unit in the first half, as the defense struggled to stop the Panthers runs and Cam Newton’s ability to improvise in the backfield. The Denver defense stepped it up in the second half, banging Newton up on a Demarcus Ware and Von Miller combined sack.

Denver’s newest quarterback has big shoes to fill but looked well equipped in the spotlight, if far from perfect. Trevor Siemian managed the game well, threw accurately in the short to intermediate and had a few untimely turnovers. Despite the turnovers, Siemian never looked out of place, with the play call often entrusting him on big third downs in empty backfield looks.

With 10:40 remaining in the 4th quarter and down by three, Gary Kubiak had the decision of the game in his hand; take the field goal for the tie, or put the ball in the offense’s hand at the one-yard line. Kubiak decided to go for the fourth-and-inches and his attack didn’t let him down, as C.J. Anderson muscled his way to get that crucial inch. Anderson would score three plays later and the defense would do the rest.

The Broncos defense might not have been the ruthless, pass rushing and asphyxiating unit we saw throughout the 2015-16 playoff run, but they did significantly turn things up in the second half and 4th quarter.

After a first-half in which the defense looked almost too amped up, missing tackles, taking bad angles and never seeming to dictate the game, instead trying to keep up, things changed as the game wore on. For starters, Newton’s runs added up, as did the hits he took in the pocket. With Newton’s running ability decreasing Carolina lost one of its biggest weapons.

As the running game for Carolina became limited, so did the Denver pass rush leading to a spectacular Chris Harris Jr. tipped interception.

The Broncos have become used to close games in the Kubiak era and this game was certainly no different being a nail-biter to the finish. Just as the game seemed over after a huge Von Miller, third-down sack, a Harris Jr. illegal hands-to-the-face penalty gave the Panthers the first down on fourth-and-21.

With only two minutes remaining, the Panthers kept their drive alive with the penalty call and almost got another on a dangerous play when Darian Stewart hit Newton right in the temple but an intentional grounding created offsetting penalties, getting the Broncos out of Stewart penalty. Undeterred, an inspired Newton drove his guys down the field, despite the injuries, despite the hits, despite the tough defense, and found a way to get his guys within field goal range.

But the field goal was not to be for Carolina, as Panthers kicker Graham Gano missed the decisive 50-yarder wide left in the final seconds, giving Denver the 21-20 victory.

The game was another experience of late game “Mile High Magic”, regardless of who the quarterback may be, this team isn’t going to win easily anytime soon, but they’re not going down easy either.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Andy Janovich might be  an unconventional choice here, but he went above and beyond the call of duty in his first ever NFL start. The Nebraska product, was crucial in the Broncos running success, leading to 148-yards, with an impressive average of 5.1 yards per carry.

The rookie full-back was crucial in getting in the hole and putting a “hat” on his man, opening up lanes for C.J. Anderson. He was also great in the Broncos first score, taking a third-and-one situation and turning it into a 28-yard touchdown.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Chris Harris’ tipped interception wasn’t just the most spectacular or hard to pull off play, but it was also a crucial turning point.

Cam's pass is TIPPED.
And PICKED by @ChrisHarrisJr.@Broncos ball DEEP in @Panthers territory. #Kickoff2016. https://t.co/sxdIlJKnje

— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2016

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“We got mind control over them. Report that.”

– Corner Aqib Talib

TURNING POINT

Aside from the play of the game, the Ware and Miller hit on Newton in which he rolled an ankle and took a big blow to the head, changed the Panthers quarterbacks impact.

BY THE NUMBERS

2- in the Broncos first drive of the game, they completed two 3rd downs, more than they had the entire Super Bowl, going 1-14.

157– while the Broncos found their running game, their run defense did not look as stout as it did in 2015, conceding 157 yards on the ground.

8– quarterback hits. The Broncos defense wore Cam Newton down as the game went on, with 11 runs and 8 hits delivered on him in the pocket, you can see why.

LASTING IMPACT

This was a huge test for Trevor Siemian and he passed the toughest test, coming from behind against  a great defense. While the stats look unimpressive, with a 1-2 TD-INT ratio and less than 200-yards, Siemian got the job done. The Broncos might not have a future hall of famer, but they do seem to have a quarterback they can count on to come back from a ten-point deficit. That’s more than you could say about the two guys on the roster last year.

WHAT’S NEXT

With ten days of preparation, the Broncos will get some extra rest mid-week moving forward for the home game against the Indianapolis Colts.