Two games into their season, the Broncos have one win and more issues than they can count.
In their opener, they lost to a rookie head coach whose team was swept by the sadsack 49ers in 2005. Today, they barely slipped past a team whose journeyman quarterback had thrown one pass in his previous five NFL seasons.
Their record says 1-1 after a 9-6 overtime victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Invesco Field. Question is, are the Broncos much better than a .500 team?
They certainly haven’t looked the part so far. Once again, Denver’s offense sputtered, accounting for zero points in the first half. The Broncos’ passing game has been particularly inept through two games, accounting for one play longer than 20 yards.
Quarterback Jake Plummer, who threw three interceptions in the opener, threw another vs. the Chiefs, prompting a cascade of boos in the third quarter from the near-capacity crowd. Plummer’s four interceptions are more than half of his 2005 total of seven.
Plummer finished with 16 completions in 30 attempts for 173 yards. Through two games, he’s 29-for-56 for 311 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Broncos managed to escape with a victory when Jason Elam converted a 40-yard field goal in overtime, but the task gets tougher next week when they return to the road to play the New England Patriots.
A loss at New England, and the Broncos would have a 1-2 record. Nothing significant there except that Denver has never opened a season 1-2 and gone on to make the playoffs.
The Broncos easily could have been 0-2 going into the New England game. Their offense spun its wheels throughout the game, generating five first downs and 103 total yards in the first half. The closest Denver came to scoring was when Elam’s 44-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left with 3 minutes remaining in the half.
How ugly was it? Kansas City tailback Larry Johnson personally outgained the Broncos 40 yards to 24 in the first quarter. The Chiefs’ running game accounted for 71 first-half yards to 28 for the Broncos on 11 carries. Johnson finished with 27 carries for 126 yards.
Tatum Bell, ordained the Broncos’ starting tailback hours before their season opener at St. Louis, gained 18 yards on five carries in the first half. Mike Bell, who again alternated with Tatum Bell, had one yard on three carries.
The Chiefs were forced to start Damon Huard at quarterback after starter Trent Green was wheeled off the field the previous week with a severe concussion. Huard, making his first start since 2000, finished with 17 completions in 23 attempts for 133 yards.
