| Travis Heath. 13th September, 2005 - 2:25 pm
 This was not the way the season was supposed to start for the Denver Broncos. Perhaps it would not be quite as disconcerting had the Broncos lost to a good team. But, they lost to the Miami Dolphins, a team that won’t win more than four games the rest of the season.
Yes, I know the Dolphins have a great defense -- but they have had a great defense the past few seasons, and where has it gotten them? Most NFL experts expected this game to be a defensive struggle, so that was not a surprise. But, most NFL experts also expected this game to be a Denver victory.
Things went downhill early for Denver, when starting tailback Mike Anderson left the game after just a handful of carries in the first quarter with a rib injury. He did not return to the game, and neither did the teams offense. Of course, it would have been hard for the Broncos offense to return to the game, when the unit apparently never got off the plane.
The Denver offense was simply abysmal from start to finish. Quarterback Jake Plummer didn’t complete his first pass of the game until the 9:38 mark of the second quarter, finishing the game completing just 22 of 48 passes for 251 yards and two interceptions.
And that vaunted Broncos running attack? Well, it was nowhere to be found all game, either. The offense looked progressively more discombobulated and sluggish as the game progressed.
In the second quarter, when the game was still very much undecided, the Broncos had five chances (instead of just four, as a result of a penalty) to score from just three yards out. They failed all five times. The Broncos faced the same situation from just two yards out in the fourth quarter, and if not for a gimmick play action throw to the fullback, they would have failed to score again.
In contrast to the anemic offense, the Broncos defense looked strong in the first half. Cornerback Champ Bailey looked dominant after missing the entire preseason, causing a fumble and intercepting a pass. Unfortunately, the injury bug bit Bailey in the second half, causing him to miss the remainder of the contest with a sprained shoulder.
And speaking of the injury bug, a swarm of them seemed to migrate from the Everglades to the Denver bench. At one point in the third quarter, Denver’s top three cornerbacks were all on the sideline with various injuries. Sam Brandon, a backup safety who had to fight just to make the squad, spent the better part of the second half playing corner for the Broncos. Let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty.
The Dolphins, and the South Florida climate, eventually beat the Broncos defense into submission late in the game. Overall though, the defense looked pretty darn good.
The team now has to hope that Bailey’s injury is not serious, and that he will be able to return to action next week against the San Diego Chargers at Invesco Field at Mile High. Same goes for Anderson, who’s between the hashes running style was sorely missed against the Dolphins.
One game does not a season make. The Broncos are not done for, and most every team lay’s at least one egg in every campaign. But this one sure stings, and one has to wonder whether or not this loss will have some lingering affects on the psyche of the Broncos for quite some time.
It will be interesting to see how the Broncos respond next week in their home opener. It will be hard for them to perform much worse -- at least I hope so.
Travis can be reached at: travismheath@msn.com |
