NFL history was sauntering along, whistling its way back to 1940, when WHAM!
Along came the Broncos’ defense. Suddenly, achievements of yore were stopped cold.
On several fronts, against the winless, and possibly hopeless, Oakland Raiders before a prime-time television audience Sunday night hardly satisfied those beholden to beauty.
But not to the Broncos’ defense. To the Broncos’ defensive line, linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties, nickel backs and presumably most of the 76,691 witnesses at Invesco Field at Mile High, the performance was historically significant.
The 4-1 Broncos might not have whipped the 0-5 Raiders as the oddsmakers, or most of the Rocky Mountain region, projected. But no one was shocked the Raiders never reached the end zone. Through five games and 20 quarters, the Broncos have allowed only one touchdown this season. One.
The Broncos’ defense is so good, it has made a mockery of NFL documentation that only can authenticate certain records to 1940. Good thing Babe Ruth didn’t play football.
Not since 1940 has an NFL defense been so stingy with touchdowns.
This statistic would suggest the 2006 Broncos have the best defense ever through five games.
The question is, can they eventually join the 1985 Chicago Bears and 2000 Baltimore Ravens among the best defenses over a full season?
“When it comes to becoming the best of all time, the whole thing is we know we can get better,” Broncos defensive end Kenard Lang said. “That’s why we’re confident as a defense.”
On offense, the Broncos misfired most of the night, save for a two-play touchdown drive in the first quarter. A conservative approach led to only 102 yards passing – 54 coming on one wonderfully executed bootleg throw from quarterback Jake Plummer to receiver Javon Walker that set up that first-quarter score and the game’s only touchdown. They had only 235 yards in total offense.
“There’s some concern, but we put a focus on starting fast and we started fast this game,” Plummer said. “We got down there and scored in the first quarter finally, but we want to keep going through the whole game. And when we put one together, no one will remember these first few games.”
This game was like so many others for the Broncos this season. Great on defense. Unimpressive on offense. That’s been enough for the Broncos to maintain a share of the AFC West lead heading into their game Sunday at 1-4 Cleveland.
On second thought, this wasn’t so much a game between the Broncos and Raiders as it was a match between discipline and ineptness.
The Broncos weren’t flagged for their second penalty until Quincy Morgan nearly broke a kickoff return midway through the third quarter. The Raiders had five offsides penalties in the first half alone, eight in all.
“All the false starts is directly attributed to the fans,” Broncos defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban said. “That crowd was tremendous. I had never heard it that loud in my two years here.”
Entering the intermission, it became clear to anyone following the eyes of quarterback Andrew Walter that the Raiders had confidence in only one play – the equivalent of the jump ball pass to Randy Moss.
“Even Randy told us in the huddle, ‘Everyone else get involved, and look for the ball,”‘ Walter said. “Expect it because they are double- and triple-covering (me).”
The Raiders nearly had an easy touchdown on their first possession as Moss burned cornerback Champ Bailey on a post pattern. But by the time Walter spotted Moss breaking free and his high-arching pass landed, Broncos safety John Lynch ran back to knock the ball away.
That incompletion was followed by Sebastian Janikowski’s 54-yard field-goal attempt. Make it and the Raiders are up.
Instead, Janikowski’s kick, which had enough distance for a 64-yarder, missed wide and the Broncos got the ball at the spot of his kick.
On the next play, the Broncos called for the long-lost bootleg. Plummer faked to running back Tatum Bell, who seemingly drew nine Raider defenders. Plummer rolled left into open territory and connected with Walker, who beat the Raiders on a post pattern.
Walker caught the ball for a 54-yard gain to the Raiders 2, from where there was no sense faking the handoff to Bell. Plummer gave it to him instead. Bell and the Broncos’ first-quarter offense had their first touchdown of the season.
Other than a first-quarter score, this game played out like so many others for the Broncos. Their offense were able to run the ball at times, but struggled to convert third downs.
Jason Elam nailed field goals from 51 and 22 yards out to make it 13-0.
That was it for the Broncos’ offense. Then again, with a defense that’s off to the best five-game start in the 66-year history of accurate NFL documentation, the offense had plenty.
“With our defense, I was sitting there at halftime and thinking, 13-0, the game’s over,” Elam said. “Never at any level I’ve played at have I ever been able to say that, where the defense was that good.”
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
Extra points
TURNING POINT: Kickoff, game over
It began when Denver’s defense took the field against the Raiders. The Broncos went on to become the first NFL team since 1940 to allow only one touchdown in its first five games.
CRAZY PLAY OF THE DAY: Jake gets even
Call it payback. On a beautifully executed double reverse, wide receiver Javon Walker picked up 29 yards as quarterback Jake Plummer put a big-time block on Oakland safety Stuart Schweigert. Schweigert had been critical of Plummer last week, saying Plummer’s luck might have run out after his career year last season. On this play, Plummer got the better of Schweigert, enabling Walker to gain more yardage.
HIT OF THE DAY: Hammer time
In the first quarter, Oakland running back LaMont Jordan tried to go up the middle, but Broncos defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban was there to greet him. Ekuban, with some help from linebacker D.J. Williams, hammered Jordan to the ground for no gain.
BESTS: Scoring binge, sort of
Trend-breaker: The Broncos ended their first-quarter scoring drought – barely. The long pass from Jake Plummer to Javon Walker, above, enabled Denver to get into scoring position. A 2-yard touchdown run by Tatum Bell with 39 seconds remaining gave the Broncos a 7-0 lead and their first points in the first quarter all season.
Bootlegger: After struggling to establish the bootleg most of the season, Plummer was able to put it to use Sunday night. In the first quarter, he hit Walker for a 54-yard reception after executing the bootleg to perfection.
Pass rusher: Elvis lives. Rookie Elvis Dumervil registered two sacks in the first half, the first two of his NFL career.
Trash talk: After LaMont Jordan went out of bounds instead of opting to get a few more yards, Denver cornerback Darrent Williams got in Jordan’s face, letting him know what he thought of that decision.
WORSTS: Big-play reversal
Play: Randy Moss had a first down in the second quarter, but he went back 3 yards and was tackled, losing the first down.
Drop: Broncos fullback Cecil Sapp was wide open for a touchdown on third-and-goal from the Raiders’ 4-yard line in the second quarter. Sapp dropped a perfect pass from Plummer at the 1. Denver had to settle for a field goal by Jason Elam to make the score 13-0. Showing confidence in Sapp, Plummer hit him for a third-down conversion in the third quarter.
– Bill Williamson
Report card
Offense
C: The Broncos are winning, so things aren’t so bad. But something has to start clicking with this offense. Averaging 12.4 points a game isn’t enough – even with a record-setting defense. The offense scored 13 points in the first half and looked decent, but it couldn’t finish drives in the second half. The team believes the offense is close to clicking. It needs to click soon.
Defense
A: The fun keeps on keeping on. This defense is brilliant. It has allowed only one touchdown in its first five games, the best performance since the 1934 Lions, who shut out their first seven opponents. Denver will allow a couple of plays here and there, but it shuts down opponents when it’s required. Another standout performance.
Special teams
C: The special teams are improving, but they made two big mistakes. Punt returner Darrent Williams fumbled after a 21-yard return. Oakland turned that miscue into its only points. Also, special-teams captain Keith Burns was called for holding, nullifying a big return by Quincy Morgan. Jason Elam had two field goals and the return game improved.
Coaching
A: Coach Mike Shanahan had his team ready for this game. He flooded the team with statistics, showing the dangers of facing an 0-4 team. All week, players were talking about how Oakland has talented players on the roster. There was a focus on this game Shanahan set early in the week, and it paid off.
Overall
B: Chalk up another win. On a day AFC power player Cincinnati fell on its face against winless Tampa Bay, the Broncos took care of business. Yes, there are flaws on offense, but the team is making enough plays to win. It’s not bad when improvements are needed on a 4-1 team.
– Bill Williamson
