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From the last row in section 534 to the offensive side of the home sideline, a malaise was spreading around Invesco Field at Mile High.
An inept New York Jets performance more often seen on college Saturday than on NFL Sunday was the primary reason for the monotony. The Broncos’ tendency to get bored was another.
Yet, as eyelids drooped, heads nodded and postures slumped, the Broncos’ defense refused to yawn.
While thumping the Jets 27-0 on Sunday, a victory that was presumed a good seven days before kickoff, the Denver “D” relentlessly applied pressure, kept its eyes and hands on the ball, focused on the field and refused to feel sorry for a hopelessly outmanned opponent.
“You can’t feel sorry for nobody in the NFL,” Broncos defensive tackle Gerard Warren said. “That’s who they chose to go to battle with. You treat every opponent, every player in this league, with respect.”
Even Kliff Kingsbury? Yes, the Jets’ quarterback woes have become so absurd, they were forced to finish the game with a fifth-stringer. First they lost not one, but two quarterbacks, Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler, in the season’s third game. Neither has returned.
Then on the final series of the first quarter Sunday, Broncos linebacker Al Wilson sacked Brooks Bollinger so hard, the Jets’ third-string – though current starting – quarterback suffered a game-ending concussion. Finally, as the game’s final seconds mercifully ticked off, 42-year-old quarterback Vinny Testaverde went down for seemingly no other reason than he’s 42. It seemed that way because no one was around when Testaverde went down with an ankle injury.
That brought in Kingsbury, who was signed to Denver’s practice squad this year, only to be released shortly thereafter.
“It’s disheartening,” said Jets receiver Justin McCareins, who managed five receptions despite the quarterback roulette. “It’s hard to get a rhythm when you go through so many quarterbacks. It’s hard for everybody to get on the same page.”
Nevertheless, the Broncos say tough chinstraps. They’re not about to apologize for their 8-2 record that, coupled with Sunday losses by Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, gives the Broncos the second-best record in the AFC and ties them with Seattle for the second-best record in the NFL. Can anybody say first- round bye in the playoffs?
Only the 10-0 Colts are looking down on the Broncos.
Nor do the Broncos feel they must explain the validity of posting their first shutout in eight years, not when they forced five turnovers, not when they held Curtis Martin, the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history, to 7 yards on four carries, and not when they held the Jets to two – count ’em, two – offensive plays in the second quarter.
NFL statisticians could not determine if two offensive plays is a record low for a quarter, but at the very least it has to be close. No truth to the rumor some Broncos defensive linemen gained a pound or two while idly watching the offense run the second quarter away.
“We had some good conversations on the sidelines in the first half,” Broncos safety John Lynch said. “Tremendous job by our offense, obviously, controlling the clock.”
Control the clock? The Broncos nearly grabbed every min- ute. They had a 17-play, 95-yard drive that lasted 9 minutes, 34 seconds in their only first-quarter possession, which culminated in the first of three touchdown runs by Mike Anderson.
In the second quarter, the Broncos held the ball for an astounding 14 minutes, 5 seconds. Remember, the second quarter has only 15 minutes. Other than fumble, the Jets didn’t get much done in their 55 seconds.
About all that went wrong for the Broncos was going for a touchdown, instead of the sure field goal, on a third-and-goal play from 1 with three seconds left in the half and leading 17-0. Jake Plummer couldn’t find anybody open, and his pass fell incomplete as time expired.
“I told the guys to cover me,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.
Hey, had Shanahan not gone for it, the game would have been devoid of drama. His short speech was the motivational element to the halftime break. But there was another matter.
“I had to come in here and get stretched all over again,” said Lynch, who at 34 is in his 13th NFL season. “Some of these young guys don’t need to stretch, but I had to get the body going again.”
There was a period in the middle of the game when the Broncos’ offense sputtered away from the methodical efficiency, otherwise it was so systemically productive, it inadvertently contributed to the day’s tedium. Plummer again split the line between caution and precision, completing 18-of-26 passes for 225 yards and, for the eighth consecutive game, no interceptions.
It has been 219 passes since his last pick, the NFL’s fourth- longest streak of the past 10 seasons.
And Anderson had another workmanlike game running the ball, finishing with 113 yards and all three of the game’s touchdowns.
But those were similar numbers racked up by familiar players. The new number was zero, as in the Broncos’ first shutout since their first Super Bowl- championship season of 1997.
And so the game everybody just wanted to get over with is over with. Up next is the Thanksgiving game at Dallas against the 7-3 Cowboys.
“We don’t have much time to celebrate,” Denver cornerback Champ Bailey said.
No, but had they thought about it, the Broncos’ defense could have spent the second quarter Sunday going over the Dallas scouting report.
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
Extra points
TURNING POINT – Fortunate fumble
Denver’s Roc Alexander recovered a fumble by New York’s Justin Miller on a kickoff. Cecil Sapp hit Miller, knocking the ball loose just after Jason Elam had kicked a field goal to give Denver a 10-0 lead. Two plays later, Mike Anderson ran 1 yard for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead with 4:26 remaining in the second quarter, putting the game on cruise control early.
“I really wasn’t looking for the ball,” Sapp said. “I was just looking to make the hit and the ball popped out, so it worked out great.”
HIT OF THE DAY – One tough Lynch job
Late in the third quarter, Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde hit receiver Laveranues Coles in the middle of the field for a reception. Coles was clobbered by Denver safety John Lynch, and Coles needed a few moments to regain his wits before getting up.
CRAZY PLAY OF THE DAY – Big risk, no reward
Denver appeared to be satisfied with going for chip-shot field-goal attempt on the final play of the first half to take a 20-0 lead into the locker room. Jason Elam and the kicking team came onto the field, but after a television timeout, Denver coach Mike Shanahan sent the offense back in for third-and-goal from the 1-yard line with three seconds remaining. A pass by Jake Plummer fell incomplete to end the half.
“I just went for it,” Shanahan said. “I guarantee you, most of the time, if it’s third and a half-yard or fourth and a half-yard, the odds are we are going to go for it.”
BESTS – Big-time efforts
Bounce: Jets punter Ben Graham, a 32-year-old rookie from Australia, got a great bounce on his first effort of the game. The ball bounced 15 yards, pinning Denver at its 5. He also got a good bounce late in the third quarter, dropping one at the Denver 1.
Razzle dazzle: On the first play from scrimmage, Jets quarterback Brooks Bollinger handed the ball to receiver Justin McCareins, who ran 8 yards to set up a first down. It was a spunky move with a team that ultimately didn’t have much spunk.
Drive: Denver went 95 yards on 17 plays on its first possession, culminating with a 1-yard touchdown run by Mike Anderson. The drive took 9 minutes, 34 seconds.
Run: Plummer scrambled and weaved his way 17 yards to the Jets’ 1-yard line in the second quarter. Plummer made several New York defenders miss on the play.
Pace: The first quarter expired in a crisp 25 minutes. In a season of long games and long quarters, this was a treat. Two weeks ago at Invesco Field at Mile High, the first quarter against Philadelphia took 63 minutes to play.
WORSTS – Gaffes and goofs
Penalty: On the Broncos’ first drive of the game, New York cornerback Ty Law was called for defensive holding on third down, extending the march to a touchdown.
Trip: Jets quarterback Brooks Bollinger tripped over his feet in the first quarter and was pounced on by Denver’s Michael Myers for a sack.
Fake: In the second quarter, Plummer faked a handoff near the Jets’ end zone. But the Jets snuffed out the bootleg, and Law dropped him for a 5-yard loss.
Report card
Offense: A
The Broncos’ offense did what it had to much of the game. It took advantage of five turnovers by the Jets and kept the Jets’ defense on its heels much of the day. Quarterback Jake Plummer extended his interception-less streak to 219 passes. Mike Anderson rushed for 113 yards. Denver totaled 404 yards.
Defense: A
What can you say about a shutout? Goose eggs are rare in the NFL and this was the Broncos’ first since 1997 and first at Invesco Field at Mile High. It was a dominant performance. The defense caused two fumbles and two interceptions against a beleaguered Jets offense, which came in injured and left banged up as it used three quarterbacks. The Jets totaled just 195 yards.
Special teams: A
The Broncos put the game away when Roc Alexander recovered Justin Miller’s fumble on a second-quarter kickoff at the Jets’ 18 after Cecil Sapp knocked it loose. Denver made it 17-0 two plays later. Jason Elam was 2-for-2 on field goals, including a 47-yarder, after straining a calf in warm-ups.
Coaching: A
Mike Shanahan preached to his team for a week about not falling into the trap of playing a 2-7 team after a big road win at Oakland and before a Thanksgiving game at Dallas. Shanahan and his staff did a masterful job of preparation.
Overall: A
This game will do as much good as beating a 2-7 team can. After playing a nearly mistake-free game and earning the team’s first shutout in eight years, the Broncos will roar into the Dallas game, not caring about the short week.
