Much like the 2015 season has played out, the Broncos defeated the Lions 24-12 in Week 3 on Sunday Night Football. The Broncos improved to 3-0 on the season. Denver's win was hard fought, erratic at times, and once again dominated by their defense. The offense and Peyton Manning looked more comfortable at times, and it seems like the offense was progressing more than it has all year long. It was a good, solid win on the road, and the Broncos have successfully navigated their tricky start to the year undefeated. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game....
1) The Broncos defense started off on fire once again. They forced a quick 3 and out on the first two series. Demarcus Ware was all over the place in the 1st quarter. Bradley Roby made a ridiculous interception early in the game off of Matthew Stafford, and it just seems like this defense has a knack for creating the turnover at the right time.
2) Unfortunately, the Broncos couldn't convert because Peyton Manning's pass was tipped and intercepted deep in Detroit territory. It was a shame because Manning was looking to get it to a wide open Owen Daniels, who would have walked in for a surefire touchdown.
3) Denver puts together a sweet 12-play 80 yard TD drive capped off by a Ronnie Hillman 1 yard run. Manning looked good, comfortable, confident, and solid on the drive. Bennie Fowler made some big catches to keep the drive going.
4) Lions respond with a TD drive that was basically all Calvin Johnson. That is going to happen when you have a player like Megatron on the opposing team. The Broncos blocked the extra point and held the lead at 7-6.
5) Manning makes them pay with a 45 yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on a 4th and 1 with only 6 seconds left in the half. It was an interesting call by Gary Kubiak to go for it and finally Manning hit a deep bomb this year. It was a jump ball, and Thomas made a sweet catch and run to give the Broncos a 14-6 lead heading into the half.
6) Terrible play by Demaryius Thomas on 3rd down on Denver's first possession of the half. Careless play with the football as he was trying to stretch it into a first down and it results in a turnover. Detroit converted it with an Ameer Abdullah touchdown reception from Stafford. The two-point conversion failed and it was 14-12 Denver in the 3rd quarter.
7) The teams traded punts until the Broncos defense made another key play. In the 4th quarter, Shaq Barrett strip-sacked Stafford and forced a fumble that Denver recovered at their own 44. This turnover led to a long Brandon McManus field goal and a 17-12 lead.
8) The Broncos defense made another big play when David Bruton picked off Stafford at the Broncos 48 with only 3:44 to go. Bruton made a great play as he lined up close to the line like a linebacker and dropped into coverage on the snap and made a great pick on Stafford.
9) The Broncos made the Lions pay on the next drive. Manning hit another long pass-this time to Emmanuel Sanders- for a gain of 34 yards. It was another jump ball type of play and Sanders snagged it out of air, but it was a confidence booster for Manning to get another long pass completion under his belt. A few plays later, Manning sealed the game with a sweet 11 yard touchdown pass to Owen Daniels. Manning saw the blitz by the Lions, changed the protection, got rid of the ball quick, and put it in the perfect spot to Daniels for the game-clincher. That is why Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning.
10) You have to take your hat off to the defense once again. They got four sacks and forced three turnovers. The amount of pressure they apply in every game is remarkable. They were all over the place. Demarcus Ware looks like he is 25 again. Von Miller was a factor as well. Sylvester Williams played solid, and Brandon Marshall was outstanding as usual. Aqib Talib did as good as a job on Calvin Johnson as you can. They held the Lions leading rusher to only 23 yards on the ground. I never felt like this defense wasn't going to make a play to win this game. They are playing at a high level right now.
11) Peyton Manning played well. It was his best performance of the season, and it was probably his best game going back to November of last year. He finished 31-42 for 324 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He was decisive, threw the ball well, looked comfortable, and he looked confident. Give Gary Kubiak and the offensive staff credit. They adjusted the offense for this week. It featured Manning in the pistol, and they gave him quick throws and let him throw on the early downs. The offensive line protected better, and it showed. Manning also hit two big deep balls and if he continues to hit those, then the offense will open up even more. They still struggled to run the ball, and that is a still a big concern, but the offense generated 24 points on the road against a desperate opponent. It was a positive week for the offense without a doubt.
12) The Broncos survived another road game and they get their record to 3-0. They could have easily lost the Baltimore game in Week 1, but they pulled it out. They should have lost Week 2 in KC, but we know how that miracle played out. This game they were the better team throughout. I never really felt like they were going to lose the game at any point. With all the changes and the question marks, the Broncos stand at 3-0, and head home to host the Vikings next Sunday. You have to be happy with that if you are a Broncos fan.
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