Kansas City, Mo. –
The only problem with invincibility is the shock of discovering you’re not the meanest, baddest defense in the NFL.
At every chest-deflating turn of a bitter 31-27 loss to Kansas City, there was Broncos linebacker Al Wilson screaming at coaches on the Denver bench, when goal-line personnel was changed before a touchdown. There was cornerback Champ Bailey dressing down a teammate for a mess-up that cost a touchdown. There was safety John Lynch bad-mouthing a referee after a touchdown.
Notice the common thread of the Broncos’ discontent?
After a touchdown, no defense is ever intimidating. It’s moaning or whining or crying.
Kansas City talked smack behind the Broncos’ backs, then ran the ball down the throat of the Broncos.
“You should have heard our offensive linemen on the sideline. They were saying, ‘We can get ’em,”‘ Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez reported.
Kansas City became the first team since Miami in the season opener to outgain Denver on the ground. Guess what. The Broncos’ record in those two games is 0-2.
It has not been easy to beat – or beat up – the bruise brothers of Denver’s defense.
But feel that chill? On a frigid Sunday in December, the Chiefs drafted a blueprint of how to expose the Broncos’ vulnerability.
Instead of knocking people’s blocks off, the Denver defense lost its head. The Broncos blew coverages, missed tackles and eventually surrendered the lead in the fourth quarter.
“Coming close doesn’t matter. Coming close doesn’t get you a win. Coming close doesn’t mean anything except you lost,” Wilson said.
Without question, this Denver defense is solid enough to win a championship. But these Broncos are not so overpowering as to scare anyone who can successfully run on them.
“It was the key to winning the game for us, because we knew they took pride in trying to stop the run,” Kansas City offensive lineman Brian Waters said. “It’s just a matter of staying with it and attacking those guys.”
While those Cleveland escapees from the Dawg Pound have taken a bite out of running backs, the pass rush of these new defensive linemen is all bark. This flaw forces the Broncos to rely heavily on blitzes to pressure the quarterback, which in turn places heavy responsibility on Bailey, rookie Darrent Williams and the defensive backs.
With Kansas City’s Larry Johnson relentlessly pounding the football, eventually wearing down defenders and rushing for 90 of his game-high 140 yards in the fourth quarter, Denver linebackers were forced to commit quicker to the line of scrimmage, exposing larger holes in the secondary.
More than once, a peeved and embarrassed Denver cornerback was spied by everyone in the stadium chewing out a safety for not picking up a receiver, most noticeably when Kansas City’s Dante Hall sneaked behind Bailey in the first quarter for a 41-yard touchdown reception.
The real cracks in Denver’s invincibility, however, began to show in the second quarter, when Wilson uncharacteristically screamed at the sideline after Johnson smashed into the end zone from 1 yard. The veteran linebacker refused to say what ticked him off. But it appeared obvious. After stuffing Johnson twice in the red zone, the Broncos sent in lighter personnel on third down, and nothing can destroy a defense’s confidence quicker than getting smashed in the mouth.
As a 27-24 Denver lead disappeared in the fourth quarter, Lynch lost his composure. His reputation for head- hunting got him slapped with an unmerited penalty for a helmet-on-helmet hit on Kansas City’s Eddie Kennison. It was understandable why Lynch was mad, but what was unforgivable is a veteran who should know better argues the call with a ref until there was no choice except to slap him with 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanslike conduct.
Was this game an aberration for Denver’s defense, or the first telling sign of weakness?
“We made some mistakes we hadn’t made this season,” Wilson said.
I’ll leave it to you Monday morning lawyers to rush to the defense of the Broncos.
But there’s no arguing the truth.
In the NFL, whenever a defense rests, it won’t like the verdict.
Staff writer Mark Kiszla can be reached at 303-820-5438 or mkiszla@denverpost.com.
