If there are any grumblings about Jason Elam’s reliability, they are coming from outside the Broncos’ organization.
A day after the longtime Denver star missed a field-goal attempt of 49 yards in the fourth quarter of an eventual 24-23 loss to the New York Giants at the Meadowlands, his coach was wondering more about a strange turn by the football than Elam’s performance.
With the Broncos leading the Giants 23-17, Elam – who made field goals of 49, 42 and 27 yards earlier in the game – attempted the 49-yarder with 5:24 remaining. The ball appeared to be headed through the uprights to give Denver a two-score edge, but it suddenly hooked to the right. Elam’s kicks often hook to the left.
“It looked like it was going right through the uprights. It just took a right-hand turn,” Mike Shanahan said. “That’s a little unusual, because usually his ball goes a little to the left. Not sure what happened there.”
Elam is 11-of-17 on field-goal attempts in the Broncos’ 5-2 season. He has made 5-of-9 from 40 to 49 yards, 1-of-3 from 50 yards and beyond.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in Jason Elam,” Shanahan said. “I’ll take him any day of the week.”
Plummer playing well
The Broncos lost their opportunity to set an NFL record for consecutive games without a turnover. They had a fumble of a desperation lateral on a kickoff return to end Sunday’s game. Still, they haven’t committed an offensive turnover in 324 minutes, 31 seconds.
Veteran quarterback Jake Plummer has thrown 136 passes since being intercepted in the third quarter against San Diego on Sept. 18. Plummer’s career high is 139 attempts without an interception, set with the Broncos in 2003. That was the longest team streak since John Elway went 190 attempts without an interception in 1997.
“Jake is doing well,” Shanahan said. “He’s making good decisions.”
On pace for 1,000 each
After combining for 180 yards on 32 carries Sunday, Denver’s Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell are on pace to become the NFL’s fourth tandem to gain 1,000 yards apiece. Anderson gained 120 against the Giants, and Bell ran for 60.
Anderson is on pace for 1,093 yards, while Bell is on pace for 1,040. Anderson has 478 yards on 112 carries (an average of 4.3 yards a carry), and Bell has 455 yards on 66 attempts (6.9).
Devoe ahead of Watts
Shanahan said Monday he deactivated second-year wide receiver Darius Watts on Sunday because Todd Devoe earned an opportunity with great special-teams play. Devoe was Denver’s fourth receiver at Giants Stadium, with Watts and David Terrell inactive.
“We thought we’d help ourselves in the special-teams area,” Shanahan said. “Todd’s also done a good job as a wide receiver.”
Asked about Watts’ reaction to being inactive, Shanahan said: “I’m sure he’s a little upset. I would be, too, but what we’ve got to do is play the top 45 guys, and sometimes it comes down to special teams, especially when everybody else is healthy.”
Watts, who was unavailable for comment Monday, was the team’s No. 3 receiver last year and began training camp in that position. He was replaced by Charlie Adams as the No. 3 receiver in September.
Footnotes
Shanahan said cornerback Lenny Walls’ groin injury will be monitored this week. … The Broncos were in a three-tight end set for 24 plays Sunday. Because the Broncos planned to use third tight end Nate Jackson, running back Ron Dayne was inactive for the game.
EYE ON THE EAGLES
Philadelphia at Broncos, 2:15 p.m. Sunday
For the record: The Eagles are 4-2, in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East with the New York Giants and Washington.
Last game: Won 20-17 over visiting San Diego on Sunday. The Eagles won in the fourth quarter on a blocked field-goal attempt that was returned 65 yards for a touchdown by Matt Ware with 2:25 remaining.
Streaking: From 1989-95, the Eagles beat the Broncos three consecutive times before losing 41-16 in the teams’ most recent meeting, in Denver in 1998.
Who’s hot: Philadelphia’s run defense. It held San Diego star LaDainian Tomlinson to 7 yards on 17 carries.
Who’s not: The Eagles’ running game. Brian Westbrook had 25 yards on 10 carries Sunday.
Key stat: Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb leads the NFL in pass attempts (254). He threw 54 times against the Chargers.
FYI: The Eagles finish their AFC West tour with the Broncos. They are looking for a sweep, having beaten Oakland, Kansas City and San Diego.
Injury update: Kicker David Akers may return in a week or two from a hamstring injury. Star receiver Terrell Owens has a sore shoulder that was aggravated Sunday. He is expected to play against the Broncos.
Coach speak: “It was an interesting game. I think our defense came out and played a heck of a football game. The special teams did a nice job. Offensively, I have to do a better job on my side of getting this thing a bit more balanced up with the run/pass ratio and get that thing going. I will go back to the drawing board and work on that and see if we can’t do a better job.” – Philadelphia coach Andy Reid on Monday, talking about the win over San Diego
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-820-5450 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
