抖阴ap

The slap was so hard it felt like slander, and the message stung: The Broncos are soft. They can鈥檛 stop the run.

Hey, who were the knuckleheads that spewed that garbage? Please. Remind the Broncos again.

鈥淲e鈥檝e played four straight games and we鈥檝e played four all-pro running backs. And they鈥檝e done nothing against us,鈥� defensive end Shelby Harris bellowed Sunday, after the Broncos knocked the stuffing out of Oakland in a 16-10 victory that will leave a mark on their hated AFC West Division rivals.

A work of art? No, this game was more like a sweaty day鈥檚 work at the junkyard. It sounded like broken glass and crushed metal. Raiders quarterback fell and couldn鈥檛 get up during the second half. The silver and black left Colorado all black and blue.

鈥淥ur run defense has been stout the entire year,鈥� Broncos coach said.

Not to suggest the Broncos are keeping score, but here鈥檚 a tally the members of Denver鈥檚 defense would be happy to recite by heart. Through four games, Denver has indeed faced four running backs.

Let抖阴ap do the math.

of the Los Angeles Chargers: 18 carries, 54 yards.

Ezekiel Elliott of Dallas: nine carries, 8 yards.

of Buffalo: 14 carries, 21 yards.

of Oakland: nine carries, 12 yards.

That抖阴ap four running backs with 12 combined trips to the Pro Bowl to their credit.

And here鈥檚 their total production versus Denver: 50 carries, 95 yards.

The Broncos have faced a murderer鈥檚 row of NFL running backs, and killed their stats, to say nothing of their spirit. On 50 carries, the average gain of Lynch, McCoy, Elliott and Gordon has been 68 inches.

Wait 鈥� what? A grown man should be able to fall forward 68 inches. But Denver has made four above-the-marquee backs looks as if they couldn鈥檛 play dead in a Western movie.

Let抖阴ap review. They call him Money Lynch; he left Colorado bankrupt. At Buffalo, the Broncos threw shade at McCoy. and crew hit Elliott, the NFL rushing champ a year ago, so hard that he quit. After Gordon flashed for 21 yards on the very first snap of the season against the Denver defense, he got stuck in traffic.

What has been the mindset of Denver鈥檚 defensive line against these great running backs?

鈥淲hip their butt,鈥� Harris said.

Beating the Raiders was especially sweet for Harris, a 26-year-old defender who has been cut six times in his young career and came to Denver looking for a job after being told by Oakland, the and Dallas he was not good enough to make a real impact in the NFL.

鈥淧laying the old team, hitting the old quarterback and getting the old 鈥榃,鈥� that抖阴ap a pretty good day,鈥� said Harris, credited with the sack in the third quarter that sidelined Carr with a back injury. 鈥淭he whole thing was not letting Marshawn get built up and breaking tackles and running over people. So today was great. He had no room to run.鈥�

The Real Big D of the Broncos caused Oakland coach to get desperate early. Down 10-0 in the second quarter, the Raiders faced fourth down at Denver鈥檚 31-yard line. Instead of attempting a long field goal, Del Rio went for it, needing to gain only 3 feet to move the chains.

The Broncos, however, refused to give an inch. When Lynch was handed the football for a run up the gut, they punched back, stuffing him from no gain.

鈥淗ad to get that stop,鈥� said , who darted in from his safety position to meet Lynch in the hole and make the tackle.

鈥淕oing for it on fourth and one? We kind of take that as an insult. We pride ourselves as being the best defense in the league. Now it抖阴ap a tough league and the Raiders are a great organization. But as long as we go out there and execute, what we do? We feel like nobody can hang with us.鈥�

Yes, pro football is a job. It抖阴ap a job, however, the guys in the front seven of Denver鈥檚 defense have taken very personally since being cited for months as the soft underbelly to the No-Fly Zone. True confession: I might have been one of those knuckleheads who questioned if the Broncos were tough enough to get it done against the run.

鈥淒on鈥檛 act like you weren鈥檛,鈥� said Harris, laughing.

The job of Wolfe, Harris and the big D-linemen is to deliver pain. It抖阴ap a pain that Lynch will feel in his bones.

As far the Denver defense is concerned, it doesn鈥檛 matter how slick is your game or how fancy is your name. Money, Shady, Zeke or Flash. It’s all the same. The Broncos will make you a promise: Getting out of bed on Monday is going to hurt.

Broncos vs. Top Running Backs

The Broncos’ reputation as one of the NFL’s best rush defenses grew Sunday as they made Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch a non-factor, limiting him to 12 yards on nine carries; Oakland had only 24 yards rushing as a team. Through four games, the Broncos have limited opposing starting running backs to 95 yards, and no team has scored a rushing touchdown against Denver.