DENVER — The Broncos are 1-0 after edging out the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.
With the first win in the bag, the talk of the town has been surrounding Von Miller’s three-sack game, Phillip Lindsay’s coming out party and Case Keenum’s rollercoaster ride, but lost in the headline talk is three players who deserve their own proverbial helmet stickers for their performances.
Here are three underrated performances from the contest.
Royce Freeman
Folks, we’ve got ourselves a true thunder and lightning combo in Denver, and on Sunday it worked exactly the way it’s supposed to.
After Phillip Lindsay did his work with his speed, getting the defense on their heels, Freeman came in and delivered the knockout punches, using his power to expose a tired defense.
With that being said, what Freeman did on the Broncos’ final drive was big time. In all, it was four carries for 37 yards, and it was just about the final nail in a Seahawks coffin that just didn’t want to stay shut.
“He fought well. He had some big runs late in the game,” said head coach Vance Joseph. “We got back to running the football after the turnovers. We got back to running the football and really took the game back on the ground, and it made their pass defense soft. I was proud of Royce for how he ran downhill. It’s a single-high, it’s a loaded-box defense every play, so it wasn’t going to be easy running the football against these guys. But, we stayed with it, and it worked out for us.”
Winning teams find ways to run the ball when the whole stadium knows that’s what they’re doing. The Broncos were a winning team on Sunday.
Brandon McManus
Everybody loves touchdowns and sacks, but can we get some love for the kicker?
Lost in the fact that everybody expects every field goal to go in is the fact that McManus hit two from 50+ on the day, and the Broncos needed both of them.
In the midst of a Murphy’s Law season for the Broncos last year, McManus missed eight field goals, the most of his career. It was just one of the many things that plagued Denver on their way to 5-11.
On Sunday, Case Keenum’s interceptions were the difference between an easy Broncos victory and a close one, add in a missed field goal—or any other big mistake—and we might be talking about a loss here.
Hat tip to McManus.
Side note: Both of his bombs would have been good from 60+.
Adam Jones
After Vance Joseph played it coy all week about how much his new veteran corner would play, especially given how brief his time in Denver had been leading up to the game, the 34-year-old corner was in there early and often.
What’s more? Jones looked really solid in his time.
On top of the “game-sealing” interception to put away Seattle once and for all, Jones had a pass breakup, a tackle for a loss and drew a flag in the end zone on Brandon Marshall with a little bit of veteran savviness. Jones’ receiver was targeted three times in the game, and he allowed one reception for three yards in those opportunities.
He also would have had a big punt return early in the game, but it was eventually called back for holding.
All in all, Adam Jones looked like a good pickup for the Broncos.
0 Comments (1 conversation)
3 and Outstanding
I was really happy with our running game in week one. I feel like it was bolstered by Musgraves excellent use of the clock in the 4th quarter. Time of possession is a stat that has been sorely missed in Denver the last couple of seasons. It was awesome to watch the team drain the clock on that final drive. Even though the game was still a little too close, (I feel) there was definitely a palpable feeling of, “We’ve got this!” going into the last 2 minutes of the game.
The one back I was hoping would show better was Booker. He is quickly becoming irrelevant on the team. Coming out of Utah as a rookie he had a ton of promise after his college career, but so far that hasn’t manifested itself in the NFL. That’s a shame.
To steal a term from a personal favorite Broncos media personality of mine Brandon Perna, The Goochmaster McManus is having somewhat of a renaissance to his career so far in the early goings of 2018. Kickers tend to get largely ignored, or undervalued in the NFL. After all, it’s not as if players like a Jason Elam or an Adam Vinatieri come along very often. Mcmanus is one of those kickers. Despite his off season last year he has more than proven his worth as a clutch kicker for this team. What I hope for him this season is to see him kicking more often for 1 point instead of 3.
I loved the Pacman signing. I know there are a ton of people up in arms about his past transgretions. Understandably so. I believe the culture in Denver’s locker room is special. It has been proven time and time again that players can and have turned their careers around after coming to Denver. That leadership, brotherhood, and comradere starts in the locker room and is most impressively maintaned by the players themselves more than the coaching staff. Not to say the coaches don’t contribute to it. It takes a tribe. Just look at the brilliant move Vance Joseph did splitting up the lockers amongst offense and defense. There is a reason that players like Demarcus Ware, Peyton Manning, and Brian Dawkins have glowing praise of Denver after coming here. Pat Bowlen built an amazing thing here and his trust hs done an amazing job of sustaining it.
I know I’m long winded and for that I apologize. I could go on and on all day about the Broncos. I have bled Orange and Blue since #7 was QBing the team. (By #7 I mean Craig Morton.) I have been a die hard fan for over 40 years. I hope to be a fan for at least another 40+.
You have my genuine thanks for putting out such great content. Keep up the great work.