Lions and Tigers and notes, oh my. …
Good thing for the Eagles the end zone was around to stop Tatum Bell on Sunday. If not, he might still be running.
Nothing unusual there. What has taken some getting used to is Bell and Mike Anderson having huge games on the same day. This time, Bell carried 14 times for 107 yards, Anderson 21 for 126. Don’t look now, but each is on pace to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. Anderson has 604 yards, putting him on pace for 1,208, and Bell has 562, halfway to 1,124. If they get there, it would be an NFL first since 1985, when Cleveland’s Kevin Mack (1,104 yards) and Earnest Byner (1,002) pulled it off for the third time in league history. So, are they thinking about it? “We can’t think that far away,” said Anderson. “We can’t do that right now. It’s one game at a time. You don’t speak about something before it happens.”
Said Bell: “We’re not looking at it like that. If it comes out like that, it’s all good, as long as we have a good season. But, yeah, that would be real nice. It’s in the back of my mind, Mike and I getting a thousand apiece.” …
Bell on the Broncos’ 1-2 punch in the backfield: “Mike is a hard-nosed runner. He loosens them up, and I come in there and find a crease and take it to the house.” …
By the numbers: The Broncos went 255 yards on 36 carries. Not bad considering the Eagles in their previous game held LaDainian Tomlinson to 7 on 17 attempts. …
If you’ve lost your scorecard, that’s six victories in a row in the pits for the Broncos’ offensive line. The Bronx in their first two games had 46 carries for 168 yards, 3.7 per. Since then, they’ve carried the rock 212 times for 1,198 yards – 5.7 per. …
“We were disappointed, mainly with Miami because it was a loss,” Broncos right tackle George Foster said. “The second game, we pulled out a win, but it wasn’t quite our brand of football. We kept persevering and that’s what this game is all about. You can’t shy away from the competition. You’ve got to keep working and things will work out.” …
Random thought du jour: Talk about a listless first-half performance by the Eagles. Terrell Owens was so disinterested, he didn’t scream at anybody. …
In case you didn’t know, history was made in Our Town on Sunday. The Eagles’ loss was their first when T.O. caught a touchdown pass. They’re 13-1 when he scores, 4-4 when he doesn’t. …
The Broncos have beaten both of last season’s Super Bowl contestants the past three weeks. Nothing out of the ordinary there. They’ve won seven straight against teams that played in the previous Super Bowl. …
Broncos tackle/touchdown machine Dwayne Carswell, resting in an Aurora hospital after last week’s car accident, received a standing ovation during the first quarter. Not that Carswell toils in anonymity, but he was identified on the scoreboard as a defensive lineman. …
So why aren’t the Broncos jazzed to be in first place going into their bye week? Two reasons. First, the road to the Super Bowl runs through Indianapolis, not Denver. Second, the last time the Broncos were 6-2, they finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs in 2002. …
Not that the Eagles are struggling, but the touchdown they scored in the final minute-plus of the first half was the offense’s second TD in 10 quarters. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, they’ve allowed 30-plus points in three out of four games. …
The Broncos, who haven’t run the table at home since 1998, figure to this season. They’re 5-0 at Invesco and their three remaining home opponents have a combined 7-13 record – the Jets (2-5), Ravens (2-4) and the Raiders (3-4). …
And finally, Stephen Alexander on his one-handed, “SportsCenter” touchdown catch in the second quarter: “I initially thought Jake was just trying to throw it away. I was lucky. I stuck my hand out and I brought it in. Everybody had been killing me. Friday at practice, I tried to jump for one, but I didn’t get off the ground. It looked kind of ugly. So the guys said I redeemed myself today.”
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
