Smackle football.
That’s what this was, not that regular, run-of-the-mill tackle football we’re accustomed to watching. This was a throwback to ’77 or, perhaps, No. 77, the wrecking Karl Mecklenburg. Last year’s Broncos tackled. This year’s Broncos assault.
Denver’s defense made enough big plays for a 31-24 victory over Indianapolis on Sunday night. The Broncos won the dang AFC last season with a defense that, at times, held on for dear life. Against Indianapolis, Denver’s defense looked like a defense that could carry a pretty good offense to February, let alone one featuring Peyton Williams Manning.
The caveat, of course, was the sloppy slippage seen late in the fourth quarter, when the Colts came roaring back, Denver’s offense stalled, and the defense appeared gassed. But rookie cornerback Bradley Roby deflected a fourth-down pass by Andrew Luck to save the game with less than two minutes left.
“What we did today, we’ve been doing that since Day 1 of camp, as far as our competitiveness with the offense, fighting and competing,” said safety Rahim Moore, who had two interceptions. “Today, man, was a time to just let it all out.”
Asked about the defense tiring late, he said: “Those guys back from injury, they haven’t played as much, so they’ll be a little gassed. But the guys who have been playing, there are no excuses.”
And to think the defense produced on a night when Von Miller’s name was rarely called. Yes, it’s possible some fancy advanced stats will surface this week detailing Miller’s quiet accountability, but his expected impact never materialized.
“The defense came up with some big stops when we needed them,” Manning said. “When our offense was a little bit of a rut, the defense picked it up for us. … I thought defensively we had some letdowns at times, as well, but there were some critical stops when they had to make them.”
And how much fun was that?
Back-to-back first-and-goals for the Colts? Three total points. That’s what won the game.
By halftime, the Colts had only 137 yards, less than half of what Denver had. They were in Luck’s pocket like lint. DeMarcus Ware looked like he was five years younger. And the fans chanted “Deeeee-fense!” like they meant it, not with a tinge of reluctance.
Last season, the Broncos had 26 takeaways and 26 giveaways, a net zero turnover margin, which was 16th in the NFL. That’s extremely low for a conference champion. The Seattle Seahawks? They forced 39 turnovers, including 28 interceptions.
Well, Moore had his two picks, both on tipped passes, a fitting bookend to a return to action after an injury last fall that could have left him legless.
The new addition to the secondary is safety Terrell Ray Ward Jr., and he is mean.
“I’ve seen him knock somebody’s helmet off,” Colts running back Trent Richardson, Ward’s former Cleveland Browns teammate, said last week. “I’ve seen him knock people out of the game. He just takes his whole body and throws it into you. He doesn’t care.”
Denver fans got their first real helping of Terrell Sr.’s namesake, as did the Indianapolis Colts.
We keep hearing that middle linebacker is like a Darwin-y trait that won’t survive in the future. These guys aren’t on the field as much in this pass-happy sport, sure. But Nate Irving looked Nitschke-y, or a different No. 56 running around out there, Al Wilson.
PHOTOS: Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos in 2014 season opener
And how about that goal-line stand in the third quarter, with Denver up 24-7? On third and fourth downs, seemingly all 11 Broncos got in the swarm, including Quinton Carter. During camp, Carter teased a free-agent running back named Brennan Clay, a hothead who chirped back, “You haven’t done (expletive) in two years!”
There Carter was on “Sunday Night Football,” playing smackle football.
Benjamin Hochman: bhochman@denverpost.com or
