The Broncos went into Chicago and pulled out a 17-15 victory over the Bears. The win puts Denver at 8-2 heading into a showdown with New England next Sunday night. On a freezing cold day at Soldier Field, Brock Osweiler made his first ever start and played very well to guide the Broncos to the victory. Denver's defense got back on track and made the game-saving stop on a two-point conversion try to secure the game late. The Broncos played well, and it felt like a game that the Broncos should have won easily, but in any event they needed to get the win and they did just that. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game....
1) Brock Osweiler played well in his first start-especially in frigid temperatures at Soldier Field in Chicago. Let's not go crazy here over Osweiler. He played well and go the win on the road but it is one game, so we can't go over the top. But Brock showed enough in this game that you would believe that he can carry the team when/if Peyton Manning comes back into the fold. Osweiler finished 20-27 for 254 yards and 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. It was a great way for him to start his career, and he looked very comfortable and smooth running Gary Kubiak's offense.
2) Speaking of Kubiak, he got the chance to run his stuff and you could tell how the offense flows off the play action and the run game like we always knew it would. The quick counts, the play action, the bootlegs, the stretch runs, and the zone schemes were all in play, and Denver ran most of the offense from under center (75%). Demaryius Thomas got in the end zone for only the second time this season on a 48 yard catch and run on the Broncos first drive of the game. Cody Latimer caught a big touchdown pass early in the 4th quarter to make it a 17-9 game. Owen Daniels had a nice game, and Vernon Davis made his most impact since coming over in a trade from SF.
3) The Broncos dominated on both sides of the ball for most of the game. The key moment in this game was when the Broncos had a 4th and 1at the 2 yard line late in the third quarter up 10-6.The decision was the right one to go for it, but Osweiler tripped Ronnie Hillman by accident on the handoff, and Hillman stumbled and got stopped short of first down mark. If the Broncos score there, I really think they run away with the victory, but it kept the Bears alive and kept the game close throughout.
3) The Broncos defense returned to form after a couple of uneven games. They stepped up and showed how good this defense can be on a week to week basis. Outside of a few breakdowns in the secondary, they completely shut down the run game for the Bears, and they did a really nice job on Jay Cutler, who came in one of the hottest QBs in the NFL the last month. The key in this game was the fact that the Broncos defense tackled so well. They also brought some key pressures in certain situations, forced a huge interception by Danny Trevathan in the 3rd quarter, and huge strip sack by Von Miller on Cutler in the 4th quarter. Also, they made the two biggest stops to preserve the victory. First, they stopped the Bears on four straight downs inside the 10 with about 10 minutes to go in the game. They also made a huge stop on a two-point conversion run up 17-15 with under a minute left. Why did Adam Gase call for a run in that situation when the Broncos had the boxed stacked and the Bears couldn't run the ball game long?
4) This was a solid win on the road, but they have to keep it going because the Chiefs keep winning too. 8-2 is nice, but it is going to take a lot more work to lock up the division. The KC schedule is very weak down the stretch.
5) It was nice to get a win and stick it to Jay Cutler (Can't forget that situation) and John Fox. Nothing against Foxy, but it still bothers me that he leaked about potentially leaving the Broncos if they lost to the Colts in the playoffs last year. He coached that game with one foot out the door.
6) Osweiler will start next Sunday night against the Patriots on SNF so it will be Brock/Brady I and not another edition of the Brady/Manning rivalry. Let's not go too crazy about Brock because he has a lot of work to do this season before we anoint him as the next QB of the future in Denver. This will be quite a test for him and the Broncos defense. The homefield will be the key here for the Broncos. They need their fans to be crazy and help the defense try to stop Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. It will be a very interesting test for both Osweiler and the Broncos.
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