Broncos Stifle Panthers 36-14

The story of Sunday's game between the Broncos and the Panthers was actually not about the play of Peyton Manning. Normally, Manning is the story of every game involving the Broncos, but this week it was different. The Broncos defense suffocated, tormented, and flat-out dominated Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on their way to a 36-14 win. The Broncos defense sacked Newton seven times, held the Panthers to 250 total yards, and the Panthers went 0-12 on third down. Denver's defense added a 40 yard interception return by Tony Carter and a safety. It was a dominating performance by that group, and it overshadowed the lack of consistent play by the Broncos offense. The Broncos did what they had to do. They won another game on the road against a team that they were favored to beat. It was a convincing win that also showed that the Broncos can win a game when their offense is out of sync. Here are my quick thoughts and obvservations from the game.....

1) I thought Von Miller set the tone when he sacked Newton on the first drive of the game. Newton looked like he was going to step up and run for a first down, but Miller tracked him down and made the play. It was a great play, and it was an omen for things to come for Newton and his offense.

2) Speaking of Miller, how important is he to the Broncos defense? He is clearly emerging as a finalist for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. His game on Sunday was just terrific. His stat line: 6 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 tackles for a loss. He was all over the field on Sunday and wrecked the Panthers offense by himself. He forced a bad throw by Newton which resulted in Tony Carter's pick-six which gave Denver a 24-7 in the third quarter.

3) After the Panthers scored a touchdown on a nice drive in the first quarter, the Broncos defense completely shut down the Panthers offense. It got to the point that I didn't mind when the Broncos punted, and it allowed the Broncos defense to go back to work. It was fun to watch.

4) Robert Ayers came in for an injured Elvis Dumervil and played like a man amongst boys. He added a sack and two tackles for loss, and he completely dominated the line of scrimmage when he entered the game. He really stood out in the second half.

5) Tony Carter continues to makes plays, and his interception return sealed the game. I know it was aided by Von Miller's pressure, but he still made the break on the ball and returned it to the house. He continues to impress week after week.

6) Trindon Holliday returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to give Denver a 14-7 lead. This is the second game in a row that Holliday returned a kick for a touchdown. He is going to be a real threat as the season goes on. Denver hasn't had a home run threat in the return game since the days of Darien Gordon. Now all Holliday needs to do is make sure he doesn't flip the ball out of his hands before he crosses the goal line.

7) Peyton Manning had a rather pedestrian day. He went 27-38 for 301 yards and 1 touchdown. It was the quietiest 300 yard game I have seen in a long time. The Broncos offense just wasn't crisp yesterday. Eric Decker dropped another big play, and he was shut down completely after that. Willis McGahee fumbled twice, and the one fumble he lost was when the Broncos were driving deep into Carolina territory. Manning also got sacked and fumbled deep in Carolina territory, and those two turnovers really prevented the Broncos from putting the game away in the third quarter. Overall, it was a C performance by the Broncos, but it was enough to get the job done and get the win. They did put up 20 points on offense and that would have been enough to win the game. Also, when they needed it, their offense put a drive together to clinch the game. Up 29-14 with five minutes to go, Manning and the Broncos drove down the field aided by a Manning to Demaryius Thomas bomb down the sidelines to put the Broncos inside the five. A play later, Ronnie Hillman scampered in for a short touchdown run to put the Broncos up 36-14 and put the game out of reach for good.

8) The Bronocos continue to make mistakes that are going to cost them down the road in the season. McGahee has a serious fumbling problem that needs to be addressed. Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas are good for at least one crucial drop every week. They are just sloppy with the football and it will come back to haunt them unless they somehow fix it over the final seven games.

9) No matter how you slice it, the Broncos took care of business and won the game going away against a weaker opponent. The Broncos are now 6-3 and own a two game lead on the Chargers in the AFC West. Denver hosts San Diego this week in a huge divisional game because the Broncos could take a three game lead on the Bolts in the division, and they would have swept them in the process.