Fewer are falling for the con anymore, so there’s no sense getting carried away.
Beating the world champs, as they currently exist in their battered state, is no reason to dream about the odd pleasure of Detroit in early February.
These New England Patriots are not the team that has won three of the past four Super Bowls. At least not until Tedy Bruschi and Corey Dillon return.
Anybody who saw the USC-Notre Dame game Saturday knows losing coach Charlie Weis was no minor inconvenience to the Patriots’ offense.
Anybody who saw the Broncos defeat the Patriots 28-20 on a brilliant Sunday afternoon at Invesco Field at Mile High knows New England has been rendered almost unrecognizable, particularly on defense, by a devastating series of injuries.
No, these aren’t the same Patriots.
“Who told you that?” said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, who made a surprising return from his strained hamstring, only to aggravate the injury in the second half. “They might have different personnel, but they’re still the defending champs.”
The Broncos aren’t about to condemn their latest opponent, not when they’re trying to convince their own guarded following they’re not the same team, either. While beating New England thanks to the newfound long- strike attack by quarterback Jake Plummer, the gradual emergence of Tatum Bell as the No. 1 running back and an ever-dependable, rarely predictable effort by their defense, the Broncos improved to 5-1.
But as Peyton Manning knows, the Broncos were 5-1 last year and 5-1 the year before that. Those previous Broncos teams finished 10-6 and 10-6, Indy and out, Indy and out.
So why should Broncos fans believe this 5-1 is better than the 5-1 and 5-1 of the past?
“I don’t know how to put a finger on it, but we’re closing games that maybe we were losing in the past,” said Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce. “Last year, we might have lost the Redskins game that we won last week. The biggest difference is we’re learning how to finish.”
Where it’s really sinking in with the Broncos is how much easier a satisfying finish is attained when there’s a fast start. After hanging on against the Washington Redskins last week and through tough field position in the first quarter against the Patriots, the Broncos exploded in the second quarter, one of their most prolific big-play quarters in team history.
Entering this game, Plummer’s longest pass of the season was 31 yards. In the second quarter, he connected with Rod Smith for 72 yards to set up the Broncos’ first touchdown and Ashley Lelie for 55 yards to set up their second touchdown. Plummer then handed off and watched a 68-yard cut-and-sprint by Bell to set up a third touchdown.
“We knew we would get a couple of shots, but we didn’t know that it would pan out just like that,” Plummer said.
When Mike Anderson, who has become both the “starting” and the “other” tailback, capped an impressive, second- half opening drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, the Broncos had a 28-3 lead. At that point, many eyes were not on the Patriots’ Tom Brady but on Broncos backup quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt.
It turned out to be too much forward thinking. After the teams exchanged three-and-outs, Brady’s next two drives resulted in Adam Vinatieri’s second field goal and a touchdown run by Patrick Pass, who replaced the injured Dillon at running back. Van Pelt had to wait another day for his first NFL snap.
When Brady made it 28-20 by hitting David Givens for an 8-yard touchdown pass with more than eight minutes to go, the sellout crowd turned from quietly content to rambunctiously nervous.
As they did the previous week against the Redskins, however, the Broncos’ defense stiffened. They were able to finish. Indeed, a mistake-free offense – the Broncos extended their team-record, no-turnover streak to four games – and high-energy defense may provide hope these 5-1 Broncos won’t be like those past 5-1 Broncos.
“I think you can see it in this locker room,” said Denver middle linebacker Al Wilson. “The last two games we won and guys aren’t in here jumping around, acting all happy and being ready to go out and party. Guys are focused on what we have to do.”
Next up for the Broncos are the New York Giants on the road, Philadelphia Eagles at home, then a bye week. The Patriots start their bye week a mediocre 3-3.
“No. 1, this isn’t the same team,” Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin said when asked about this team compared with the past two Super Bowl champs. “No. 2, if you keep doing things that are not characteristic of your team, they become characteristic.”
Well said. No, these are not the same Patriots. And the Broncos hope they’re not the same 5-1 Broncos.
Extra points
CRAZY PLAY OF THE DAY
Mankins gets punchy
New England rookie left guard Logan Mankins must have lost his mind. As the Patriots were attempting a 53-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri, which Vinatieri missed, Mankins punched Broncos defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban in the groin. Mankins was ejected from the game. It continued a tough stretch for Ekuban, who was kicked in the leg by Washington running back Clinton Portis last week. Officials did not catch that transgression.
BESTS
Charitable change
Fundraiser: Mike Anderson’s loss was a gain for the Pat Tillman Foundation. In the second quarter, Anderson appeared to move into sixth place in Broncos history for rushing touchdowns. However, New England reviewed the spot of the ball and Anderson’s touchdown was taken away. On the next play, Jake Plummer hit Kyle Johnson for the TD. For every touchdown pass he throws, Plummer donates $1,000 to the Pat Tillman Foundation. Anderson scored and moved up the charts in the third quarter.
Animation: Broncos safety John Lynch immediately went into coach mode on a pass from Tom Brady to David Givens. As soon as the play on the New England sideline ended, Lynch ran toward Denver’s bench and motioned to coach Mike Shanahan that the play should be ruled incomplete. Shanahan challenged the play, and it was ruled incomplete.
Animation II: Broncos special teams ace Patrick Chukwurah has created some fun tradition prior to kickoffs. Chukwurah dances around with his arms moving wildly, trying to get the fans into the moment. And it seems to work.
Team unity: Taking a page out of New England’s playbook a few years ago, the Broncos are being announced as a unit instead of individuals. They did it in Week 3 against Kansas City when the entire team trotted onto the field together. Since then, the units have alternated. Sunday, it was the offense’s turn.
Defensive stand: Denver opponents have started three series in Broncos territory. Denver has given up a total of six points on those series.
TURNING POINT
Big play for big drive
Denver zipped down the field, 80 yards in four plays, to take a 21-3 lead on a 1-yard pass from Jake Plummer to Kyle Johnson with 54 seconds remaining in the first half. The touchdown was set up by a 68-yard run by Tatum Bell and showed Denver could bust big plays at will.
HIT OF THE DAY
Just passing by, Jeb
In the first quarter, Broncos tight end Jeb Putzier went for a pass and was clubbed hard by New England cornerback Asante Samuel. Putzier eventually was helped off the field as he tried to regain his senses.
WORSTS
Flags a-flying
Penalties: Denver committed 11 penalties for 82 yards, the most it has been penalized all season. The Broncos were penalized eight times for 62 yards in the first half.
Bounce: Denver, which dealt with horrible field position early in the game, started its first drive at its own 2 after a Josh Miller punt bounced back toward the field at the goal line.
Timeliness: The game lasted 3 hours, 37 minutes.
Report card
Offense: B
The big play lives in Denver, the final element the team needed to find in 2005. Big pass and run plays set up the Broncos’ scores and helped them take a 28-3 lead Sunday. Quarterback Jake Plummer continued his efficiency, running back Tatum Bell continued to break the big run and Mike Anderson continued to grind out the difficult yards.
Defense: B
Another outstanding performance by this unit. Get used to it. This defense is going to continue to get great pressure (Tom Brady had an onrushing lineman or linebacker in his face a number of times), make the key stop and force mistakes. The defense is that good. The unit gave up a couple of long drives, but Brady will do that to a team.
Special teams: B
The Broncos need to get more out of their return game (Darrent Williams had a 30-yard kickoff return and averaged just 1 yard on two punt returns), but everything else is working at a high level. The coverage unit has been good. Punter Todd Sauerbrun still has the hot foot. He averaged 52.3 yards a punt on Sunday, with a long kick of 66.
Coaching: A
This team hasn’t won five consecutive games, putting itself among the AFC’s elite in the early season, without brilliant coaching. The staff is on a roll. Offensively, Denver was able to take advantage of New England’s weaknesses in the secondary and continued its success on the ground. Defensively, the Broncos pressured Brady and remained the aggressor.
Overall: B
Skeptics will say the Broncos had to hold on late to avoid losing a big lead for the second consecutive week at home. The optimists will say the Broncos jumped out to a 28-3 lead against the Super Bowl champions. Which perspective is the best for this 5-1 team? Somewhere in the middle. The Broncos still have work to do, but they are playing well.
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
