Bucc-ing a Trend

There are many things I thought Sunday's Broncos-Bucs game would be: the Return of the King (ok, Brian Griese), a final funeral for our frustrating defense, a re-awakening of our powerful offense, 72 and sunny, many things..........but a defensive struggle was probably last on my list of options for the Broncos 16-13 victory on a bit of a chilly Sunday in Denver.

1) Ohhhh, THAT'S what those 11 guys on the other side of the ball were for....
Defense! What a concept! It was like 11 light bulbs clicked on in 11 different guys' heads and they all of a sudden realized "Shit, my contract isn't guaranteed, I better start tackling guys." And tackle they did. 3 sacks, 168 passing yards against, only 1 touchdown, an interception, and a season low 13 points allowed. The D dealt crushing blows to Brian Griese among others and left the Tampa O in a state of tropical depression. After allowing 38, 32, and 33 points in the previous three games, only giving up 13 points was like a gift from the big Elway up in the sky. This game could have definitely been much more of a blowout too if Marcus Thomas hadn't tried to channel his inner Terrell Davis after his impressive interception in the 4th quarter. If Thomas just falls over, which I'm sure he's better at that than he is at running, we get the ball with a 16-6 lead, 5 minutes left, and the ball on the Tampa 20. We score a touchdown and it's 23-6 and there are no anxious fans, no Jeff Garcia-led scoring drive, and no reasons to speak ill of the Broncos, even if you're Bernie Lincicome (seriously, somebody go hug this guy and maybe he'll stop being so damn negative and gloomy.) On the other hand, if my aunt had two nuts she'd be my uncle, so these hypothetical scenarios aren't conducive to cutting-edge analysis. Um......don't tell anyone.

2) The O did.....stuff?
The Broncos offense was efficient if unspectacular against the Bucs. The Tampa defense was probably the best we're going to see all season. They're agile, hostile, and they don't take no crap from nobody, like Yul Brynner. Yet, the Broncos were able to move the ball down the field occasionally when they needed to, though they mostly failed when the team hit the red zone for the second consecutive week. It's tough to explain what's going on with the O when they get close to the end zone, but I'm a bit worried since it's one of the main reasons our offense failed to score points last season. The key to the Cut-man's offensive skill set is his ability to throw the ball down the field, throw it hard, and throw it well. With the Tampa Two D, they have their two safeties backpedal and stay true to their respective sides of the field. That leaves the downfield option a much more difficult endeavor. Cutler had a very professional performance. He didn't try to force the ball into coverage the way he did against the Chiefs and he took the short checkdown receptions to his running backs as long as the Bucs D was going to give them to him. 23-34 for 227 yards isn't going to make the national media stand up and take notice, but it got the Broncos their 4th win of the season and showed his ability to bounce back after that abysmal start against the Chiefs.

3) Jason.....who?
Ok, I know Jason Elam is one of the most prolific Broncos of all time and will surely wear the orange and blue into the Hall of Fame one day, but this undrafted kid we got to replace him sure can kick it. The Praternator was 3-3 on field goals on the day including a 55 yarder that probably would've been good from 70. He was also 4-5 in kicking touchbacks which helped the defense in their quest to not suck for at least one game this season. He's 12-13 in field goals on the year including 4-4 from 50+ yards. Tampa coach John Gruden couldn't say enough about how awesome Prater was, and I'm pretty much in total agreement with him. Once he gets that clutch 4th quarter kick that made Elam famous here in Broncos Country, he's going to make a lot of people forget our franchise's leading scorer.

Entering arguably the toughest stretch of our season with Tampa, Jacksonville, and the Patriots on Monday night, we started off with, well, not really a flourish but at least we finished a game again with more points than the other team. At the end of the day, that really is the most important stat. Jacksonville next week won't be an easy task with their two headed beast of a running attack of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew-Stamos, but if the Broncos D can remember what it felt like to get praised for their play, they might want to get hooked on a feeling.