There was a different pep at the Broncos complex and in their practices last week because the New England Patriots were due.
Little things became big things.
The eyes of the owner were peering more closely. The message from the head coach to his players was that these are the defending Super Bowl champions and they remain the measuring stick in the NFL.
But once the Patriots were on the field Sunday afternoon, the crust was evident but the filling was missing.
No Rodney Harrison, Corey Dillon, Richard Seymour – and the injury list rolled onward. This team was a wounded duck that flapped around Invesco Field at Mile High before finally creating a late jolt that proved way too late in the Broncos’ 28-20 victory.
“That team was down 28-3 and came back like that?” asked linebacker Ian Gold, well aware of what had happened but nonetheless impressed with the Patriots’ spirit. “They don’t know quit.”
Apparently, neither do the Broncos.
If this game measures where they are, count them at 5-1, a different 5-1, linebacker Al Wilson believes.
A wiser, more hungry 5-1, Wilson insists.
We have seen enough to know the Broncos are at a familiar juncture. They possess, however, a different set of tools that should prevent a cruel breakdown.
They have enough in all the areas that matter – toughness, smarts, ability, camaraderie, character and execution – to prevent a repeat of their recent fast starts and slow finishes.
We know this more clearly now because the Broncos put the screws to the Patriots and left exclusive marks.
Bill Belichick after the game looked like he might pull a pistol from his right sock instead of the red flag he keeps there for replay challenges. He was in a foul mood because Denver gained a variety of big offensive plays on New England. No team gains big plays with such ease on the Patriots.
“We never do that, let it go down like that,” Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel said.
Linebacker Willie McGinest said: “Denver has always had a good team. They’re going to be around for a while this season. They made us look like we’ll have to fight just to get into the playoffs.”
The Patriots are not used to this.
The Broncos, however, are getting used to a new stature, new attention, all of the chirping that comes with five consecutive victories.
They showed early and late in this game that they respond with determination and flair to challenges. To stark confrontation.
Tight end Jeb Putzier early in the game was absolutely creamed by Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel.
“He got a good shot,” Putzier said. “I was sore the rest of the game. My jaws and ears were especially sore. But my thinking was to get back in the game and keep fighting.”
Putzier did. He made a 13-yard catch on the last drive of the game that helped Denver earn this victory, in the end, in a ho-hum way: with a couple of quarterback kneels to run out the clock.
Putzier quickly dressed after the game in order to have his chin stitched.
Wilson returned the big hit, flattening Patriots receiver Deion Branch late in the game. Cornerback Darrent Williams went low at Branch and Wilson popped Branch as the receiver reached for a high pass.
“I was just trying to make a play,” Wilson said. “We were in desperate need for a play then to stop their comeback.”
Returning serve in the hit game is football at its roots. The Patriots noticed. So will the rest of the league.
They all now see that the Broncos have defeated San Diego, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Washington and New England in successive weeks. Few would be surprised if all five of those teams finish with winning records.
The great thing for the Broncos is that by beating New England, even a punctured New England team, they have answered some of their own questions. They have measured their own lot, their own season with this victory.
They can now make this the season’s juncture where they focus most on maximizing their talent, their story.
No more looking outside in.
The Broncos should now keep their view inside out.
Staff writer Thomas George can be reached at 303-820-1994 or tgeorge@denverpost.com.
