Should that third consecutive January trip to Indianapolis happen, the Broncos will be able to throw something tangible at the reminders of defensive nightmares past.
They have cornerback Champ Bailey, perhaps the best playmaking defender in the NFL. They also have a couple of kid cornerbacks to help their cause.
With a possible third straight trip to Peyton Manning’s house on the horizon, Denver appears as prepared as possible for the onslaught of passes that will be whizzing toward its secondary. If Indianapolis beats Pittsburgh in a second-round playoff game today, Denver will travel to Indianapolis for the AFC championship game. If Pittsburgh wins, the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will come to Invesco Field at Mile High.
“I’ve heard all about Indianapolis since I’ve gotten here,” Bailey said Saturday after helping Denver to a 27-13 victory over the Patriots. “They are supposedly the reason why I’m here. If we play them, let’s go do it.”
Denver’s secondary, led by Bailey’s 100-yard interception return, came up huge in the victory, and that was against quarterback Tom Brady, who is every bit as dangerous as Manning.
In the past two wild-card rounds of the AFC playoffs, Indianapolis outscored Denver 90-34. Last January, Manning threw for 360 yards – in the first half. Denver has had to live with the Manning memory for the past two offseasons. The first loss was a factor in Denver trading for Bailey in the spring of 2004. The second loss was a factor in Denver using its first three picks of the 2005 draft on cornerbacks, snaring Darrent Williams and Domonique Foxworth.
The addition of Bailey didn’t help in Indianapolis last year because Manning rarely threw his way. But the added depth at the position could change the equation if the teams meet this time around.
“We have the best cornerbacks in the league,” Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce said. “The young guys have been terrific, and Champ Bailey is the best there is in the league. You have to avoid Champ. Tonight he was challenged, and you saw what happened.”
The evolving corner combination has worked well in the 2005 season, and never better than Saturday night,when Denver won its first playoff game since 1999.
Except for a couple of breakdowns, including a 73-yard pass from Brady to Deion Branch that set up a touchdown to make it 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Denver’s defense and secondary shackled Brady.
Obviously, Bailey came up with the play of the game.
Late in the third quarter, New England was poised to take the lead. On third-and-goal from the Denver 5, Brady was trying to hit Troy Brown for a touchdown pass. Bailey stepped in front of Brown and zipped down Denver’s sideline. New England tight end Ben Watson came from the other side of the field at full speed and hammered Bailey out of bounds at the 1-yard line. Denver took a 17-6 lead on the next play when Mike Anderson ran in for a touchdown. It was Bailey’s ninth interception of the season. He returned two for touchdowns during the regular season.
“I gave out a game ball and he got it,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “That should tell you what I thought of the play.”
Safety John Lynch, who signed with the team before the 2004 season, also intercepted a Brady pass late in the fourth quarter to help seal the game.
While Bailey was his omnipresent self, Foxworth and Williams also made their presence felt. Both have been big factors in Denver’s success this season.
“I want to be (Bailey) when I grow up,” Foxworth said. “He comes up with every huge play.”
The Denver secondary slew Brady. Now it may get another shot at Manning. If they meet again, it seems Denver’s chances will be better the third time around.
“We’ve seemed to come up with huge plays all season,” Bailey said. “Let’s hope it continues.”
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-820-5450 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
Stop picking on us
The Broncos’ secondary finally broke its string of playoff struggles Saturday night, beating up on the Patriots’ Tom Brady. Next week the Broncos get either a rematch against Peyton Manning or a shot at second-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
2006 DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS VS. NEW ENGLAND
| Quarterback | Comp. | Att. | Yds. | TD | Int. | Rating |
| Tom Brady | 20 | 36 | 341 | 1 | 2 | 74.0 |
With anywhere from three to eight Broncos crowding the line, blitzes were coming at Brady all night. But the biggest blitz was the one by Nick Ferguson, who came up the middle clean late in the third quarter. His pressure on Brady led to Champ Bailey’s 100-yard interception return. The Broncos didn’t record a sack, but Brady spent much of the night either hurrying passes or looking up at the stars.
2005 WILD CARD AT INDIANAPOLIS
| Quarterback | Comp. | Att. | Yds. | TD | Int. | Rating |
| Peyton Manning | 27 | 33 | 457 | 4 | 1 | 145.7 |
Rookie Roc Alexander, who started at nickel back because of injuries to cornerbacks Lenny Walls and Willie Middlebrooks, had a rough day. With Champ Bailey on Marvin Harrison, Alexander was left to go one-on-one against Reggie Wayne, who set a franchise playoff record with 221 yards on 10 catches. Alexander was called for pass interference twice on Wayne and defensive holding once before halftime. Said Manning: “I don’t have to throw away from one particular (defender), I just throw to the guy who’s open.”
2004 WILD CARD AT INDIANAPOLIS
| Quarterback | Comp. | Att. | Yds. | TD | Int. | Rating |
| Peyton Manning | 22 | 26 | 377 | 5 | 0 | 158.3 |
Two weeks after holding Manning to a regular season-low 146 yards with blitzes and disguised coverages, the Broncos tried to play zone. Not a good idea. Example: On an 87-yard TD throw to Brandon Stokley, Manning found the soft spot behind middle linebacker Al Wilson and between safeties Kenoy Kennedy and Sam Brandon. And don’t forget the Marvin Harrison play when he was on the turf and none of the four Broncos around touched him, so he got up and scored for a 14-3 lead.
– David Krause
