Emotions must have eyes. Everything just looks so different today. The 2005 football schedule, for instance.
Only in fickle and fanatical Broncoland can the dispiriting season-opening defeat in Miami suddenly seem so far away, while the playoffs in January seemingly move to right around the corner.
There is nothing quite like a dominant performance against a division leader to swing the faith in the local football team.
Needing to convince a national television audience and – more important – their demanding local fan base that fears of a Denver demise were grossly premature, the Broncos didn’t just beat the Kansas City Chiefs, they thoroughly trounced them 30-10 on Monday night before a sellout crowd of 76,381 at Invesco Field at Mile High.
“We’re football players, the gloom and doom is what’s out around us,” said Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer, who threw one touchdown pass and bootlegged for another. “When we get in that facility and get on that practice field, it’s us and only us, and that’s all that matters.”
Nary a boo was heard Monday night. Then again, ABC and the Broncos never gave the fans much chance to complain.
Just before kickoff, the crowd waved orange pompoms and helped wrestler and motion-picture celebrity “The Rock” shout the “Monday Night Football” theme line, “Are you ready for some football?”
Has Invesco Field, in its fifth season, ever been louder?
The exhilarating environment was in stark contrast to the previous week when the Broncos were mercilessly booed while falling behind 14-3 at halftime to the San Diego Chargers.
“I’m not taking anything away from anybody, but this is what the NFL is – you’ll get your behinds kicked in a minute if you’re not ready,” said Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce, who drew at least three holding penalties from the injury-riddled Chiefs line. “But then you can also dominate a game like this. It all depends on the swing on how do we feel, how do they feel. It all factors in.”
Last week the Broncos rallied to beat the Chargers thanks to their hyperaggressive and opportunistic defense. Monday night they were up 17-0 against the Chiefs before “The Rock” could find his seat.
A short field goal by Jason Elam, a long touchdown run by Mike Anderson and a medium-range touchdown pass from Plummer to Rod Smith put the Broncos up 17-0 before the Chiefs could say AFC West. It’s a division that now has Denver and the Chiefs at the top with 2-1 records.
“They beat us in every way you can beat us,” Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. “The only thing we outscored them on was on penalties, 13-4.”
The Broncos are hardly a perfect team and injuries to two of their best players on defense and offense – Champ Bailey (hamstring) and Smith (concussion) – may raise concerns for their immediate future, which comes Sunday at Jacksonville. But give the Broncos this: They have responded and then some to that embarrassing 34-10, season-opening loss in Miami.
“This organization wants to win, and even after last week we weren’t real happy,” Plummer said. “We want to win and win big. Today was a dominating performance on both sides of the ball.”
The defense in particular raises hopes this team is considerably better than the one that finished 10-6 and was drilled in the first week of the playoffs the past two seasons. The speed and athleticism of Ian Gold has complemented the otherwise bruising linebacker corps of Al Wilson and D.J. Williams. Strong safety Nick Ferguson has been magnificent in holding down the likes of tight ends Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez in consecutive weeks.
And to all those pundits who laughed at the Broncos for restructuring their defensive line with a bunch of Cleveland Browns castoffs? They need to meet Courtney Brown.
After the Broncos sacked Chargers quarterback Drew Brees four times in the second half last week, Brown, Trevor Pryce and Ebenezer Ekuban, among other Denver defensive linemen, consistently harried the Chiefs’ Trent Green into missing open receivers or settling for short completions.
“For the most part they were bringing one linebacker with four down linemen,” said Green, who was 23-for-44 for only 221 yards. “They were getting good penetration, so they didn’t lean on the blitz.”
As for Green’s Monday night counterpart, never mind what the national audience thinks of Plummer. Broncos quarterbacks always have answered first to the local crowd. The way he played Monday, Plummer should no longer be referred to as Jake the Snake.
How about No-Mistake Jake? Plummer was 13-for-18 for only 152 yards, but he had the 12-yard touchdown throw to Smith, ran a bootleg from the 1-yard line for another score and threw no interceptions.
“I think Jake played one of the best games I’ve seen a quarterback play around here,” Pryce said.
And heard no boos. Now the next question Broncos fans have for their team:
Are they ready for some Jacksonville Jaguars?
Extra points
CRAZY PLAY OF THE DAY – Who’s got it?
The fumble by Chiefs running back Larry Johnson created confusion for the officials. Courtney Brown picked up the ball at about the Kansas City 12-yard line and ran in for what looked like a touchdown. It took several minutes for officials to realize Denver had the ball. Officials finally ruled the Broncos had possession at the 12.
BESTS – Invesco Field rocks
Noise: Some observers thought Invesco Field at Mile High was at its noisiest Monday night. Beginning with a hokey “Monday Night Football” promo, featuring wrestling star “The Rock” on the field, the house was rocking hard. The press box even shook – old Mile High-style – at times.
Break: On third down, on their first series of the game, the Broncos survived yet another red-zone folly when No. 3 receiver Charlie Adams fumbled out of bounds on third-and-11 from the Chiefs’ 14-yard line. The ball bounced out of bounds before a Kansas City player had a chance to jump on it.
Defender: Courtney Brown was terrific. He has been healthy for two games and dominant in two games.
TURNING POINT– Forcing the fumble
The Broncos’ recent penchant for creating turnovers was evident in the first quarter when linebacker Ian Gold clubbed Kansas City running back Larry Johnson, causing him to fumble. The ball was recovered by defensive end Courtney Brown at the Chiefs’ 12-yard line. On the next play, Denver quarterback Jake Plummer hit receiver Rod Smith for a touchdown to make the score 17-0.
HIT OF THE DAY – Big hits on one play
The Broncos made a double hit in the second quarter. Safety John Lynch clobbered Kansas City quarterback Trent Green, who completed a pass to tight end Kris Wilson. Wilson then was rammed out of bounds by safety Sam Brandon, who was playing in nickel situations. The Broncos got the most out of their shoulder pads on that play.
WORSTS – A drop in the bucket
Drop: On Kansas City’s first series, a wide-open Samie Parker, above, dropped a pass from Trent Green in Denver territory.
Start: Kansas City’s offense was flustered by the noise and the Broncos’ aggressive attack. Green often used the shotgun to try to kick-start the offense. It didn’t work.
Welcome: Chiefs receiver Eddie Kennison still is not a popular guy in Denver. Every time he touched the ball, he was booed. Kennison quit the Broncos in 2001, saying he was retired – only to resurface with the Chiefs a short time later.
Report card
Offense: A
The running game performed well Monday, and that meant the whole offense was clicking in the Broncos’ best offensive performance of the short season. After stalling for two games, Denver was nearly flawless. Mike Anderson led the attack with 98 yards on 20 carries and quarterback Jake Plummer was effective, completing 13-of-18 passes for 152 yards.
Defense: A
This unit is becoming special. For the past six quarters, it has absolutely shut down both San Diego and Kansas City, two high-powered offenses. The defense is applying pressure and getting turnovers. The front seven has been brilliant. When it mattered, Kansas City couldn’t do anything offensively.
Special teams: A
After being maligned last season and in the preseason, the special teams were outstanding. Superstar return man Dante Hall was never a threat.
Coaching: A
Offensively, the game plan was for the running game set up the passing game and to use some unusual formations. Kansas City, which was supposed to have improved on defense, was confused all night. Denver continued to be aggressive on defense.
Overall: A
This was a huge win. Even though it’s early, the Broncos lead the division by virtue of beating the Chiefs head-to-head. After a poor showing in Miami, Denver beat its two top competitors in the AFC West and appears headed in the right direction.
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
