Cleveland – Against a stiff wind, cold skies, recent history and all odds, the Broncos decided this would be the game to implement Air Jake into their offensive game plan.
Now for the scary part for future Denver opponents. For half the game, Jake Plummer executed the passing attack. Shudder to think how good this Broncos team could be should Plummer put it together for four quarters.
As it was, the Broncos delivered one of their most complete performances of the season while smacking the Cleveland Browns 17-7 on an inclement Sunday afternoon just off the banks of Lake Erie.
“In this system and this team and this offense, just getting a ‘W’ sometimes isn’t enough,” Plummer said. “If I sat here and was happy and said, ‘Oh, gosh, played great,’ you wouldn’t have the right guy here leading these guys.”
It was a funny choice of words. Before the game, there was an ESPN report, citing an unnamed source, that Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was getting ready to go with rookie quarterback Jay Cutler, possibly as soon as the Cleveland game.
Plummer threw 41 passes in the Cleveland game. Many were thrown with fine aim, particularly on the skinny post routes to the likes of Javon Walker, Rod Smith and rookie Brandon Marshall from late in the first quarter to late in the third quarter. He was not so accurate early, or late, in the game, when his passes tended to sail, including two that were intercepted.
But whether it was Good Jake or Bad Jake, it was only Jake. Cutler never stirred.
“If we were going to play him, we would have played him,” Shanahan said. “Obviously the expert’s wrong.”
The win, coupled with San Diego’s 30-27 loss Sunday to Kansas City, gave the Broncos sole possession of the AFC West lead with a 5-1 record and set up their conference showdown next weekend against the high-powered and undefeated Indianapolis Colts.
“That’s going to be the game of the week,” said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, who got an interception in his third consecutive game, all within a yard of his own end zone. “When you have a great offense like they have go up against a good defense like we have, it will be a good test for us. And a good test for them.”
Denver’s latest win was not without a potentially heavy cost, as the Broncos lost two of their best interior linemen, offensive tackle Matt Lepsis and defensive tackle Gerard Warren, to injury. Lepsis suffered a sprained right knee ligament in the second quarter. An MRI exam today was expected to reveal the full extent of the injury but it appears he will miss significant playing time. Warren might miss a week or two after suffering an injured right toe on Denver’s first defensive play of the game.
At least temporarily, the Broncos overcame their personnel losses. While their defense has been dominant from the season’s first series, the offense had mostly stumbled through the first five games. Of particular concern was the passing game, but perhaps because their schedule is about to call on the Colts and the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the next two weeks, Shanahan opened up the offense against the gritty but lowly Browns.
Despite wind that gusted to 30 mph, Plummer had 26 passes in the first half.
“I was ready for a downpour and maybe snow,” Plummer said. “So when it wasn’t raining, I was happy as could be.”
In the city where John Elway became famous for The Drive, Plummer led the Broncos on scoring drives – no capital letters necessary – of 85 and 86 yards in the first half. The first ended with a 32-yard field goal by Jason Elam and the second culminated in a 9-yard touchdown run by Tatum Bell.
Plummer mixed in three scrambles with 20 completions overall, including nine to Walker and a third-quarter touchdown pass to Marshall, who entered the game with zero lifetime catches. Bell, irked at the Browns’ scouting report that claimed his backup, rookie Mike Bell, was tougher, rushed for 115 yards.
“I didn’t say a word to them,” said Tatum Bell, who increased his season total to 585 yards. “I just played.”
Not surprisingly, deficits of 10-0 at halftime and 17-0 in the third quarter were insurmountable for an inept Cleveland offense against a dominant Denver defense. The Browns are 1-5 with an offense that ranked 31st in the NFL coming into this game, and was no match for a Denver defense that followed up its season-opening, touchdown-less streak of 11 quarters with another no-endzone run of 11 quarters.
Denver’s defense might not be the 1934 Detroit Lions. That team began the season with seven shutout victories. But these Broncos might have the NFL’s best defense since, at least in terms of touchdowns allowed. After six games, the Broncos have allowed only two touchdowns. Both were scored after they were up 17-0 in the fourth quarter.
Bring on Peyton Manning.
The Broncos have the NFL’s stingiest defense this season by allowing a mere 7.3 points a game. But the Colts have had the NFL’s most feared offense for several years.
“Particularly against us,” said Denver safety John Lynch, referring to the Colts’ back-to-back routs of the Broncos in the 2003 and 2004 playoffs. “But like Mike always says, ‘Respect everybody, but fear no one.’ A lot of this team has been built for this Colts team, to try and counteract their success. It will be a big challenge for us to see where we’re at as a team.”
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
