It was early in the game Sunday and John Lynch knew the day was going to be better for the Broncos’ secondary than it was a week ago.
Everyone was talking in the Denver secondary. And then they were pointing. And then they were talking again.
The lack of communication that dogged the secondary all week after a rare difficult day against the Chiefs was corrected Sunday, loud and clear.
Once again, it was the Denver defense, led by big plays by its secondary, that sponsored a win, this time a not-as-close-as-the-score-indicated 12-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens at Invesco Field at Mile High.
“Today was a clean day by us,” Lynch said. “We responded to our issues last week and we did well. It was a nice comeback game. It all starts with communication. We knew that and today we addressed it and corrected it.”
In the aftermath of the 31-27 loss at Kansas City – in which Chiefs quarterback Trent Green sliced the Denver defense – were issues in the secondary.
“That wasn’t us,” Broncos nickel back Sam Brandon said. “Everybody had a kind of a crabby attitude all week. We knew we didn’t communicate well all week and we had to fix it. We were looking forward to this day. And we fixed it well.”
A prime example last week was a touchdown pass from Green to Dante Hall in the first quarter. Veteran cornerback Champ Bailey was the nearest Denver defender to Hall, and Bailey was 15 yards away. There were some other less obvious communication breakdowns in the game. It was the first time Denver’s secondary had major mental breakdowns on the field. It didn’t go over well in the meeting room. Usually when there are secondary breakdowns or missed assignments, it simply is a lack of understanding between the players. The Broncos recognized that during the work week and set out to atone.
Denver’s secondary set the tone Sunday. Baltimore quarterback Kyle Boller looked confused all game and was off target most of the day. He threw two interceptions, bringing the Denver defense’s interception total to 18 this year. The defense had 30 the past three seasons combined.
Baltimore’s only offensive success came on its last possession, when Boller hit rookie Mark Clayton for a 39-yard touchdown pass to make it a 12-10 game with 1:52 to play.
“The guys really did well today and they came back, but I knew they would,” Denver secondary coach Bob Slowik said. “They’ve been good all season. They had some missed communications last week and that happens, but they’ve been so good before. The guys really got it together.”
Slowik’s players knew they had no choice. Denver depends on its defense this year. Such mental lapses as the plays against Kansas City could ruin the season. Thus, communication was a point of emphasis all week, in the meeting rooms and on the practice field.
All week, the Broncos spent time, whether it was watching film, or playing out situations on the practice field, talking about plays, one at a time. They looked at it as a refresher course after a harsh lesson.
“Overall, it was a good thing, but unfortunately it took a loss to figure it out,” rookie cornerback Domonique Foxworth said. “I think we’re better for it now because we know what happens if guys lapse or don’t talk.
“Today we were talking all game and using our hand signals really well. It’s stuff we’ve been doing all season, but after last week, we paid extra attention today.”
Lynch said that after every play Sunday, he was constantly communicating, whether it be with his fellow defensive backs or the linebackers.
“You can’t have too much communication,” Lynch said. “That was certainly the case today. We knew we had some shoring up to do and we did it. You just can’t talk too much to each other.”
Talking together
After last week’s loss at Kansas City in which communication was an issue, the Broncos’ secondary rebounded Sunday in a 12-10 win over Baltimore. The following is a look at some of the big plays by Denver’s defense against the Ravens:
First quarter: After an 87-yard kickoff return to open the game, the Ravens started their first possession with a first down at Denver’s 10. After a 1-yard run, a Baltimore false-start penalty, a 3-yard pass and an incompletion, the Ravens had fourth down at the 11. Result: The Ravens had to settle for a Matt Stover field goal.
Second quarter: On third-and-10 from the Denver 24, Kyle Boller was intercepted in the end zone by safety Nick Ferguson. Result: The Broncos drove down the field and got a 48-yard Jason Elam field goal as time expired to gain a 6-3 lead at halftime.
Third quarter: On second down from the Denver 15, Boller was intercepted by cornerback Champ Bailey at the 6. Result: The Broncos were able to take their 12-3 lead safely into the fourth quarter.
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-820-5450 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
