The Broncos gave up two touchdowns to the Packers on essentially the same play Monday night – Go long and let Brett Favre chuck it. The first was a 79-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter from Favre to James Jones, who beat Broncos left cornerback Champ Bailey. The second was an 82-yard, game-winning strike in overtime from Favre to Greg Jennings, who beat right cornerback Dré Bly. Broncos reporter Mike Klis takes a closer look at how those plays developed:
The play: Bailey was positioned his customary 5 yards off the receiver and was watching Favre as Jones snuck behind him. Bly played bump-and-run against Jennings and had good coverage until he looked up for the ball. As Bly searched, Jennings separated. The pass hit Jennings in stride, right in his hands.
Point/counterpoint: Both passes were designed to take advantage of the Broncos’ single-safety coverage. On the overtime pass, the Broncos moved one safety, Nick Ferguson, to the box, which left the other safety, Curome Cox, back to pick up tight end Donald Lee, who was running a seam route. Mix in a play-action fake by Favre, and Bly had no help against Jennings.
Future prospects: The two, long TDs support the belief it doesn’t matter if the cornerbacks are all-world – if an NFL quarterback has time, he’s going to have his way. Bailey and Bly are two of the league’s best, but the Broncos didn’t get a pass rush on either play.
