Rewrite all the speeches. Mute all the talking-head football analysts. Erase from memory one of football’s most cherished beliefs.
Defense wins championships? Bah!
Such a notion is rubbish in Broncoland. Twice this season, a high-powered offense visited Invesco Field at Mile High to play the Broncos, whose defense had allowed the fewest points in the league.
Offense won both games.
The Indianapolis Colts, led by quarterback Peyton Manning, scored on their final seven possessions in a 34-31 victory. The San Diego Chargers, whose offense is centered on running back LaDainian Tomlinson, finished with four consecutive touchdown drives to win 35-27.
“You hear defense wins championships, that’s a saying,” Broncos fullback Kyle Johnson said. “Another saying would be nothing makes a good defense like a good offense. Each of those has been applicable at different times.”
Remember when the Broncos won their only Super Bowls in back-to-back seasons? They were No. 1 in scoring offense in 1997 (and sixth in points allowed) and No. 2 in scoring offense in 1998 (eighth in points allowed).
What’s next, good hitting always beats good pitching?
“I know if I was a coach, I’d probably build defense first,” tight end Stephen Alexander said. “Because I think it sets the tone for the rest of the team. But you look at the Colts, they want to be an explosive offense. Look at the kind of money they spent on their offensive players. They’re basically telling people we’ll score more points than you do.”
For six games, the Broncos’ defense was considered great, allowing only two touchdowns. Name-that-defense surveys were launched. Then Manning came to town and the defense was considered unworthy of nickname status.
The Broncos rallied the next two weeks, forcing six turnovers against Pittsburgh and limiting Oakland to one 15-yard touchdown drive and two field goals. Through it all, the Broncos’ defense allowed the fewest points in the league.
Then Tomlinson came to town Sunday night. Now the Broncos’ defense is fourth in points allowed, passed by Chicago, New England and Jacksonville.
Maybe there’s another way to look at Denver’s D: It’s great, except when taking on the NFL’s two best offensive players.
“That’s a good point,” said Elvis Dumervil, the Broncos’ rookie defensive end.
“You’re talking about the two MVPs of the league,” Johnson said. “And basically, nobody stops them.”
In eight games against teams that didn’t have Manning or Tomlinson, the Broncos have allowed 9.6 points a game. In two games against Manning and Tomlinson, the Broncos have allowed 34.5 points per game.
The next challenge for the Broncos’ defense is Thanksgiving night at Kansas City, where running back Larry Johnson might be the league’s third-best offensive player.
Points are one way to measure a defense. Yards are another. This is where the Broncos get sifted from the pack. Chicago, New England and Jacksonville are ranked in the top four in total defense. The Broncos are 15th. Even when they were keeping teams out of the end zone, the Broncos were giving up yards.
There are times when the Broncos struggle to pressure the quarterback. There are other times when opponents expose holes in the defensive backfield – the team is ranked 24th against the pass.
If the season ended today, the Broncos would have the No. 5 playoff seed, which would put them at AFC East-leading New England in the first round. Most discussion in Broncoland focuses on whether quarterback Jake Plummer is good enough to win three playoff games and then the Super Bowl.
But given their defensive meltdowns against Indy and San Diego, shouldn’t the Broncos’ defense be held to similar critique?
“I’m just glad we scored some because I don’t know if we’ll get a chance to do that against them again,” Tomlinson said. “Their linebackers make all the plays for them because they’re aggressive. And then you’ve got John Lynch back in the secondary and then you have two good corners – one great corner in Champ Bailey, who is probably a Hall of Famer.”
The Broncos’ defense has all that, but at some point, either it must figure out how to stop the best, or its offense is going to have to outscore opponents that feature the likes of Manning and Tomlinson.
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
