When a football game is played in steady rain and chilly wind on a slick surface, it is often the perfect setting for a batch of folly.
In such elements, you often see games in which the ball is fumbled more than secured, where passes flutter and sail, and players slip when they should be standing tall.
It can be a wreck.
A nervous one for a player as much as for his coach.
So, what the Broncos were able to accomplish against Washington on Sunday in their 21-19 victory serves as a reminder of how focused and special this team can be in the areas of penalties and turnovers.
These Broncos are playing an enviable brand of clean football.
In winning four straight games, it is the characteristic that glows. It is the trait that every coach preaches and teaches but only a few are able to draw from their players.
The Broncos entered this game with only 21 penalties called against them in four games. The Baltimore Ravens committed 21 penalties Sunday in their loss at Detroit.
The Broncos committed six penalties for 43 yards against Washington, and two came on the Redskins’ final drive. Washington was whistled for 10 penalties worth 67 yards. The Broncos blocked a field-goal attempt, and the Redskins blocked a punt.
The Redskins lost a fumble, the game’s only turnover.
That gives Denver a plus-six edge in turnover margin this season. The Broncos have committed only five turnovers this season and none in their past 13 quarters.
That goes a long way in winning four consecutive games. It distinguishes this team from others in recent Broncos history and from most teams in the league this season.
The Broncos are doing it with a mix of veterans and rookies, a blend of players that are jelling in their responsibilities as much as in their play. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has said this team has a chance to exude deep character more than most.
Playing such clean football is an extension of that character.
After handling the Redskins, a few happy Broncos took a stab at explaining how this team is producing more mistake-free football than most teams:
Fullback Kyle Johnson: “You can find championship teams and a track record there of not making errors. The Patriots have emphasized it, and look what it got them. It’s precious. It’s about technique and specificity.”
Defensive end John Engelberger: “When we drop into pass coverage, our coaches always remind us not to even think about touching a guy outside of the 5-yard rule. Things like that are hammered into you.”
Cornerback Darrent Williams: “Early in camp, people got the message. You had to run a quarter of a mile every time you were whistled for offsides or false starts or other penalties. And you had to run it after practice, sometimes when there were two-a-day practices. That’s incentive.”
I loved defensive end Trevor Pryce’s answer.
“Luck,” he said. “There is no other explanation for us being that penalty- and mistake-free. Because, I tell you, if they caught some of the things I’m doing in there …”
Hey, whatever works.
The Broncos’ offensive linemen have worked together for a while. That tends to lessen penalties. Players know how to use footwork to be in place to make plays as opposed to illegally using their hands.
Pushing an opponent in the back or gaining competitive advantage through penalties is often simply laziness. It is the easy approach.
Shanahan and his staff are demanding players raise their level to clean play or they will be pulled and will not play. Thus far, it is working.
Washington coach Joe Gibbs noticed.
I asked him afterward what it means when a team is playing clean football, limiting its penalties and turnovers.
“It means a lot,” Gibbs said. “It means that team can go a long way.”
Staff writer Thomas George can be reached at 303-820-1994 or tgeorge@denverpost.com.
