The Broncos welcomed an old friend as former head coach Mike Shanahan returned to Denver as the head coach of the visiting Washington Redskins. Denver, coming off a loss at the hands of the Colts a week earlier, played what was one of their best games of the season on both sides of the ball. The Broncos rallied to blow past the Redskins and win 45-21. The win gives Denver a 7-1 record as they head into their bye week. More importantly, it got Denver back on the winning track, and the defense was one of the big stories of this game. A fourth quarter rally was also the highlight as Denver stormed back from a 21-7 deficit to take control of the game in the final quarter. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game......
1) The Broncos ran a video tribute for Mike Shanahan before the game, and the Broncos fans gave him a standing ovation as well. It was a nice touch by the Broncos organization, and Shanny handled the whole situation with class as expected. He might get some grief for his last few years in Denver, but Shanahan is the best coach in Broncos history by far. I was glad that the fans and the Broncos gave him a nice salute before the game.
2) Give credit to the Broncos defense in this game. They deserve the game ball. This was their best effort of the season by far. They forced four straight punts to start the game, and they really only gave up one drive to the Skins all day. Washington score a touchdown close to the end of the first half to tie the game at 7, but the Broncos had a 12 men on the field penalty on the field goal attempt, and it gave the Redskins a first down, and they converted it for a touchdown. Washington's second touchdown was a result of a strip sack of Peyton Manning deep in Denver territory. Denver's defense absolutely destroyed Robert Griffin III. I haven't seen the Broncos defense pound a QB as bad as they pounded RG III all day. The defense capped off the day with four interceptions to end the game, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie added a 75 yard interception return to cap off the game with 2:07 left.
3) Von Miller showed up this week big time. His strip sack of RG III in the fourth quarter was one of the biggest plays of the game. It is nice to see him back affecting the game from a defensive standpoint. Also, it was nice to see Chris Harris get another huge interception in the fourth quarter, and Wesley Woodyard returned to the lineup as well.
4) The best part of this game outside of the defensive performance was the way that Denver turned it on once they fell down 21-7. After Manning had back-to-back turnovers in the third quarter (Sack and fumble and a pick-six to DeAngelo Hall), the Broncos turned the game around. Manning and the offense put together a nice drive and converted a fourth down to punch it in with Montee Ball to make it 21-14. After forcing a Redskins punt, the Broncos put together a classic drive punctuated by a fourth and goal touchdown pass from Manning to Joel Dreessen to make it 21-21. After a three and out, the Broncos took advantage of a shanked punt, and the Broncos immediately converted with a sweet 35-yard screen pass from Manning to Knowshon Moreno to make it 28-21. After Von Miller sacked RG III and forced a fumble, Denver was able to convert a field goal to extend the lead to 31-21. After the teams traded interceptions, the Broncos put the game away on a Manning to Demaryius Thomas 35 yard screen play to make it 38-21. It was awesome to see Denver's offense completely turn the game around and convert big plays when they needed it.
5) Manning finished 30-44 for 354 yards and 4 touchdowns. He did throw 3 interceptions and lost a fumble on a sack. Overall, Manning played well and he made the big throws when he needed to, but he was hobbled by two ankle sprains that stemmed from the last two weeks. He is definitely not healthy right now, but he was able to make a lot of "Dink and dunk" throws that he lived on last season. Hopefully, Manning's ankles will heal better, and once they do, his throws will be back to more of the vertical and deep ones that we saw earlier in the year.
6) The game was an important one because Denver needed to get back on the winning track and they did. Their defense needed to step up, and for the first time all year, they really dominated the game. The offense turned it up when it faced some adversity, and those are all good signs as we head to the second half of the season. Denver is 7-1 and kept pace with the 8-0 Chiefs in the AFC West. The Broncos head into their bye week with a chance to rest and get healthy for a big game in two weeks at San Diego on November 10th. It was definitely a solid win all around.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Week 8 Picks
Last Week's Record: 7-8
Overall Record: 54-49-6
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
San Francisco (-14) over JACKSONVILLE (In London): What a joke for the fans in London. They get stuck with the Jags "hosting" the Niners. Quietly, with the help of an easy schedule, the 49ers have worked their way back into the thick of the NFC contenders race.
Dallas (+3) over DETROIT: Tricky game. I just don't know where to go with this one. I have a feeling the Cowboys will pull off the upset on the road. I thought I could trust the Lions, but I don't have a good feeling about them right now.
New York Giants (+6) over PHILLY: I think the Eagles will find a way to win this game outright, but look for a close game between two pretty bad teams. The Giants got their first win last week, and I could see them being a little rejuvenated for this one.
KC (-7) over Cleveland: The Chiefs are the talk of NFL with their 7-0 start, but their schedule has been a cakewalk. They get another easy win this week with Brandon Weeden and the Browns coming to town.
NEW ORLEANS (-10) over Buffalo: The Saints are at home and are coming off a bye week. The week before their bye, they lost a heartbreaker to the Pats. Look for them to take out their frustration on the Bills in the dome.
Miami (+7) over NEW ENGLAND: I don't like what I have seen from the Pats this year. They are 5-2, and they definitely could have lost Week 1 to the Bills, Week 2 to the Jets, and Week 6 to the Saints. They will probably win this game late, but look for the Fish to make them sweat it out.
New York Jets (+7) over CINCY: You have to give the Jets, Geno Smith and Rex Ryan some credit. At 4-3, they are legitimate wild card contenders in the AFC. They will be playing for a playoff spot come December. The Bengals got a huge win late over the Lions last week. At 5-2, they are leading the AFC North, but I still don't trust them at all.
Pittsburgh (-2) over OAKLAND: At 2-4, the Steelers have life in their season again. They need to take care of business over the Raiders in Oakland this week though. Last year, their season began to slip after a brutal loss at Oakland. This year is a different story and look for them to get to 3-4.
Atlanta (+3) over ARIZONA: The Cardinals have been feisty, and they are a tempting pick, but I'll take the Falcons to win a gutty game in the desert. This seems like a 23-20 game either way. I'll take Atlanta on the road to get to 3-4.
Green Bay (-8) over MINNESOTA: Awful Sunday Night Football game on NBC this week. We get stuck with the Vikings once again in a primetime game. It doesn't matter who the Vikings throw out there at QB because the Packers will take care of business in this one.
Seattle (-10) over ST. LOUIS: Awful Monday Night Football game on ESPN again this week. The Rams lost Sam Bradford for the season with a torn ACL, so they turn to Kellen Clemens with Brady Quinn on deck. That is pretty bad. The Seahawks will roll easily.
Washington (+12) over DENVER: Mike Shanahan returns to Denver, and every Broncos fan should cheer him when he comes back. Shanny is the best coach in the history of the Broncos, and he brought our franchise two Super Bowl titles, and I'll will certainly always be thankful for that. Shanny will have his troops prepared for this win, and the Skins come into the game with a great comeback win over the Bears last week. I am concerned about the Broncos and the amount of injuries that are starting to pile up. Champ Bailey will be out again after hurting the same foot that sidelined him for the first five games this season. Orlando Franklin probably won't play again, and Wesley Woodyard is a game-time decision. This game scares me, and I could see RG III going off and having a banner day. The Broncos just aren't playing well right now, and this line is way too high.
Final Score: Redskins-30 Denver-27
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Luck and Colts Outshine Manning and Broncos
The Broncos undefeated season came to a crashing halt on Sunday night as the Colts dispatched them with a 39-33 victory in Indy. Peyton Manning's much anticipated return to Indy was a rough one for him. Manning was harassed for much of the game, and the offense sputtered in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Andrew Luck did outplay Manning, but only because Luck didn't turn the ball over, and Manning threw an interception on a tipped pass, and he fumbled the ball out of the endzone for a safety after a sack from Robert Mathis. The Colts took advantage of numerous Broncos mistakes and built a 33-14 lead late in the 3rd quarter. Manning and the Broncos were able to rally and make it close, but too many mistakes and penalties killed their chances at the end, and the Colts were able to hold on. Here are my thoughts and observations about the game.....
1) Nice tribute to Manning by the Colts before the game. It was a nice touch by the Colts and their fans, and it was a very cool moment to watch on TV.
2) Luck outplayed Manning, but it wasn't like Luck had the game of his life. He didn't turn the ball over, and he converted on many of the Broncos mistakes and positive field position situations.
3) The Denver defense actually played well in my opinion. Although it doesn't look like that when you give up 39 points, but for awhile there the Broncos defense did a solid job of shutting down Luck and the Colts offense. Denver's run defense completely shut down the Colts running game, and they got some big stops in the redzone early and late in the game.
4) Von Miller's return to the Broncos didn't start so well. He seemed nonexistent in the 1st quarter, but he really picked up his game in the second half. He didn't get a sack, but he really started to bring some pressure late in the game. That is certainly a good sign going forward.
5) The Broncos weakness on the offensive line was very evident in this game. The loss of Ryan Clady was definitely felt because Chris Clark got destroyed by Robert Mathis all night long. Also, the absence of Orlando Franklin was big because Denver was forced to move starting RG Louis Vasquez to RT, and they had to insert Chris Kuper into the starting RG spot. Kuper had a rough night too. Manning was pressured a lot and he got hit a lot for the second straight game.
6) This game turned on the few sequences in the 2nd quarter. Trindon Holiday fumbled a punt return deep in Denver territory with the Broncos leading 7-3. The Colts scored on the next play to take a 10-7 lead. After Manning hit Julius Thomas for a touchdown, the Broncos were up 14-10 and backed up inside their own 10. Manning got blindsided by Robert Mathis and fumbled the ball out of the endzone for a safety. At 14-12, the Colts took over the rest of the half, and two Andrew Luck TD passes made it 26-14 going into the half. That sequence there coupled with some really poor offensive drives by Denver changed the entire complexion of the game.
7) After Manning got hit by Mathis, it seemed like he wasn't the same player. Many of his passes floated and wobbled. It became a discussion on Twitter, and I thought he might have been shaken up. Manning did seem to throw the ball better in the 4th quarter, but the Mathis hit definitely had an effect on him.
8) This game was a carbon copy of the three regular season losses Denver suffered last year to Atlanta, New England, and Houston. In those three games, Denver got behind a lot of points in the second half only to see Manning and the offense make a furious comeback and fall short at the end. This game was exactly the same way. Once Denver was down 33-14 late in the 3rd quarter, they finally started to put drives together and score some points. Denver's comeback was aided by a huge fumble by Trent Richardson and Denver converted to get the game back 33-23 in the 4th quarter. Denver managed to get the game to 36-30 and they had the ball, but Manning was hit as he was throwing and the ball was intercepted deep in Denver territory. The Broncos defense held the Colts to a field goal to make it 39-30. Denver was driving deep to make it a 39-37 game late, but Ronnie Hillman fumbled again at the Indy 2 and that pretty much finished Denver off in the game.
9) Hillman and Holliday's fumbles were huge, but they weren't the only mistakes the Broncos made. Denver took way too many penalties and some of them were just dumb. Kevin Vickerson took a really bad late hit on Luck late in the 4th quarter with the score 39-30. Overall, it was a very sloppy and undisciplined performance by the Broncos.
10) The Colts did outplay the Broncos and they were the better team that night. This game proved that the Broncos had some real flaws-especially on offense. Give the Colts pass rush and secondary a lot of credit because they did a really nice job on the #1 offense in the NFL. Perhaps the Broncos will use this game as a learning tool and grow from it for the rest of the season.
11) All hope is not lost in Denver. This was their first loss of the season and they still have a 6-1 record. Put it this way: This was Denver's first regular season loss since Columbus Day weekend of 2012. They had won 17 straight regular season and had not lost a regular season game in over a year! This game does expose Denver in certain areas though. There is a good chance that these two teams could meet up once again in January in the playoffs.
12) At 6-1, Denver needs to regroup, lick their wounds, and tighten their game up with the Redskins coming to Denver this Sunday. The return of Mike Shanahan shouldn't be the only motivation for the Broncos this week. They need to put together a really good performance in all three phases, and get a solid victory heading into their bye week.
1) Nice tribute to Manning by the Colts before the game. It was a nice touch by the Colts and their fans, and it was a very cool moment to watch on TV.
2) Luck outplayed Manning, but it wasn't like Luck had the game of his life. He didn't turn the ball over, and he converted on many of the Broncos mistakes and positive field position situations.
3) The Denver defense actually played well in my opinion. Although it doesn't look like that when you give up 39 points, but for awhile there the Broncos defense did a solid job of shutting down Luck and the Colts offense. Denver's run defense completely shut down the Colts running game, and they got some big stops in the redzone early and late in the game.
4) Von Miller's return to the Broncos didn't start so well. He seemed nonexistent in the 1st quarter, but he really picked up his game in the second half. He didn't get a sack, but he really started to bring some pressure late in the game. That is certainly a good sign going forward.
5) The Broncos weakness on the offensive line was very evident in this game. The loss of Ryan Clady was definitely felt because Chris Clark got destroyed by Robert Mathis all night long. Also, the absence of Orlando Franklin was big because Denver was forced to move starting RG Louis Vasquez to RT, and they had to insert Chris Kuper into the starting RG spot. Kuper had a rough night too. Manning was pressured a lot and he got hit a lot for the second straight game.
6) This game turned on the few sequences in the 2nd quarter. Trindon Holiday fumbled a punt return deep in Denver territory with the Broncos leading 7-3. The Colts scored on the next play to take a 10-7 lead. After Manning hit Julius Thomas for a touchdown, the Broncos were up 14-10 and backed up inside their own 10. Manning got blindsided by Robert Mathis and fumbled the ball out of the endzone for a safety. At 14-12, the Colts took over the rest of the half, and two Andrew Luck TD passes made it 26-14 going into the half. That sequence there coupled with some really poor offensive drives by Denver changed the entire complexion of the game.
7) After Manning got hit by Mathis, it seemed like he wasn't the same player. Many of his passes floated and wobbled. It became a discussion on Twitter, and I thought he might have been shaken up. Manning did seem to throw the ball better in the 4th quarter, but the Mathis hit definitely had an effect on him.
8) This game was a carbon copy of the three regular season losses Denver suffered last year to Atlanta, New England, and Houston. In those three games, Denver got behind a lot of points in the second half only to see Manning and the offense make a furious comeback and fall short at the end. This game was exactly the same way. Once Denver was down 33-14 late in the 3rd quarter, they finally started to put drives together and score some points. Denver's comeback was aided by a huge fumble by Trent Richardson and Denver converted to get the game back 33-23 in the 4th quarter. Denver managed to get the game to 36-30 and they had the ball, but Manning was hit as he was throwing and the ball was intercepted deep in Denver territory. The Broncos defense held the Colts to a field goal to make it 39-30. Denver was driving deep to make it a 39-37 game late, but Ronnie Hillman fumbled again at the Indy 2 and that pretty much finished Denver off in the game.
9) Hillman and Holliday's fumbles were huge, but they weren't the only mistakes the Broncos made. Denver took way too many penalties and some of them were just dumb. Kevin Vickerson took a really bad late hit on Luck late in the 4th quarter with the score 39-30. Overall, it was a very sloppy and undisciplined performance by the Broncos.
10) The Colts did outplay the Broncos and they were the better team that night. This game proved that the Broncos had some real flaws-especially on offense. Give the Colts pass rush and secondary a lot of credit because they did a really nice job on the #1 offense in the NFL. Perhaps the Broncos will use this game as a learning tool and grow from it for the rest of the season.
11) All hope is not lost in Denver. This was their first loss of the season and they still have a 6-1 record. Put it this way: This was Denver's first regular season loss since Columbus Day weekend of 2012. They had won 17 straight regular season and had not lost a regular season game in over a year! This game does expose Denver in certain areas though. There is a good chance that these two teams could meet up once again in January in the playoffs.
12) At 6-1, Denver needs to regroup, lick their wounds, and tighten their game up with the Redskins coming to Denver this Sunday. The return of Mike Shanahan shouldn't be the only motivation for the Broncos this week. They need to put together a really good performance in all three phases, and get a solid victory heading into their bye week.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Week 7 Picks
This Sunday features the return of Peyton Manning to Indianapolis. We all know the story about the reasons why Manning was let go by the Colts. Manning's NFL future was uncertain following four neck surgeries which kept him out of the entire 2011 season. The Colts, after finishing 2-14, were slated to pick #1 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, and Andrew Luck was the consensus #1 pick. Luck was considered the best QB prospect to come out of college since Manning. The Colts decided to release Manning, and go with Luck to kickstart the franchise. It was understood by everyone involved that this move made sense, but the one question that puzzled everyone was how Manning was going to play when he came back in 2012 with a new team. Manning picked the Broncos after becoming a free agent, and he has played sensational since coming to Denver. The Colts went 11-5 with Luck as a rookie and look like a playoff team once again this year. It seems like everyone wins in this scenario. The only thing that is crazy about the situation is that the breakup between the Colts and Manning was about as easy and painless as you can get. This week some sparks flew when Colts Owner Jim Irsay kind of tweaked Manning by mentioning that the Colts only won one Super Bowl in Manning's time there. Although Irsay's comments might have been taken out of context, the marriage between Luck and the Colts and Manning and the Broncos has worked out extremely well for both franchises and fan bases. That is where this game has so much meaning to me. How do the Colts fans feel about Manning as he returns to Indy? They have watched Manning battle back from injury, and basically picked up where he left off after all those years in Indy. Do they still feel good about the move? Are they fine with it? It seems like it is a tough question in my view. I can tell you one thing if Denver had released John Elway under the same circumstances and he came back to Denver for a game in the same situation, then I think it would be hard for me to handle. I think I would have a very tough time watching Elway put up video game numbers for another fan base. This isn't like when Brett Favre returned to Green Bay as a Minnesota Viking. It is pretty close to when Joe Montana faced off against Steve Young when Montana became a Chief, although Montana never returned to SF for that matchup because the game was in Arrowhead. This is different because it never really had to happen. If the Colts kept Manning and traded the #1 pick, then they would have made the playoffs last year, and they would still be sitting atop the mediocre AFC South again this year. It is one of the weirdest breakups in sports history, and it all comes to a head on Sunday night. There are a few games in a 16 game season that really stand out. So far Denver has had the opening night revenge game over Baltimore, the Manning Bowl in Week 2, and the shootout in Dallas a few weeks ago. This is the game that everyone wants to see though. The Colts are good and present a real challenge to the Broncos, but I got a feeling that Manning plays lights out, and shows the Colts and Irsay that he is still the king of Indy, and Lucas Oil Stadium is really the place that he built.
Denver (-5) over INDY:
Final Score: Broncos-31 Colts-24
Onto the picks for Week 7.....
Last Week's Record: 9-5-1
Thursday Night Game: 1-0
Overall Record: 48-41-6
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
NY JETS (+4) over New England
San Diego (-7) over JACKSONVILLE
KANSAS CITY (-6) over Houston
DETROIT (-2) over Cincy
MIAMI (-7) over Buffalo
Chicago (PICK) over WASHINGTON
Dallas (+3) over Philly
ATLANTA (-6) over Tampa Bay
St. Louis (+7) over CAROLINA
TENNESSEE (+4) over San Francisco
Cleveland (+10) over GREEN BAY
PITTSBURGH (-2) over Baltimore
NY GIANTS (-3) over Minnesota
Denver (-5) over INDY:
Final Score: Broncos-31 Colts-24
Onto the picks for Week 7.....
Last Week's Record: 9-5-1
Thursday Night Game: 1-0
Overall Record: 48-41-6
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
NY JETS (+4) over New England
San Diego (-7) over JACKSONVILLE
KANSAS CITY (-6) over Houston
DETROIT (-2) over Cincy
MIAMI (-7) over Buffalo
Chicago (PICK) over WASHINGTON
Dallas (+3) over Philly
ATLANTA (-6) over Tampa Bay
St. Louis (+7) over CAROLINA
TENNESSEE (+4) over San Francisco
Cleveland (+10) over GREEN BAY
PITTSBURGH (-2) over Baltimore
NY GIANTS (-3) over Minnesota
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Broncos Breeze to 6-0 with Win Over Jaguars
The Broncos entered Sunday's game against Jacksonville at home as the biggest favorite in the history of the NFL. Denver was favored by 28 points over the Jags. It seemed like a lot of points to give a team, but many people felt that Denver would cover the spread against the hapless 0-5 Jaguars. The Broncos were in a no win situation. If they blew out the Jags by more than 28, then everyone would say that they should do that considering this is a matchup of the best and worst teams in the NFL. If Denver struggled a bit and didn't cover the spread, then the Broncos would be criticized for failing to destroy the Jags. Either way, Denver couldn't win. The only thing they could do is actually win the game-which they did 35-19. It wasn't the greatest performance by the Broncos, but it certainly was enough to defeat Jacksonville by 16 points. Here are my quick thoughts and observations about the game...
1) Denver and the offense struggled at times in the game. Peyton Manning had two fumbled exchanges that resulted in turnovers and a pick-six. It wasn't the best performance by Manning or the offense, and they still put up 35 points and won going away.
2) Credit Jacksonville for hitting Manning early and often. This was the hardest he was hit all season long, and you could tell it took its' toll on Manning in the first half.
3) The Broncos defense played well against the run, and give credit to Shaun Phillips. He played great once again. He has been the Broncos best pass rusher since the beginning of the season. He forced a late Chad Henne interception that swung the momentum back into the Broncos favor.
4) The turning point for me was David Bruton's fake punt late in the 3rd quarter. It led to a Broncos touchdown and gave Denver some much needed momentum. Great call by the Broncos coaching staff on that play.
5) I never really felt nervous that Denver was going to lose this game. When it 14-12 at the half, I felt confident. After Knowshon Moreno scored to make it 21-12, I thought Denver was in good shape. After the Jags scored to make it 21-19, I was still very confident that Denver would pull away. Two more Moreno touchdown runs and the Broncos did indeed pull away in the 4th quarter. I never was too worried at any point that the Broncos were going to lose.
6) Champ Bailey came back and got burned repeatedly by Justin Blackmon to the tune of 190 yards. Hopefully, Bailey needed a week to knock the rust off before next week's game at Indy.
7) Speaking of Indy, how awesome was the promo for Peyton Manning's return to Indy on Sunday Night Football? Next week's game will be one of the games of the year, and I can't wait for this matchup. Also, next week features the return of Von Miller. The Broncos really need Miller back in the lineup and they need him to get their pass rush going once again.
8) Overall, this was a game that Denver had to take care of business in and they did. You can't get overhyped with emotion every single week in the NFL. There are going to be some weeks where you have a letdown. This seemed to be one of those weeks, but the Broncos were still able to win by 16. Next week it is onto Indy and a showdown with the 4-2 Colts.
1) Denver and the offense struggled at times in the game. Peyton Manning had two fumbled exchanges that resulted in turnovers and a pick-six. It wasn't the best performance by Manning or the offense, and they still put up 35 points and won going away.
2) Credit Jacksonville for hitting Manning early and often. This was the hardest he was hit all season long, and you could tell it took its' toll on Manning in the first half.
3) The Broncos defense played well against the run, and give credit to Shaun Phillips. He played great once again. He has been the Broncos best pass rusher since the beginning of the season. He forced a late Chad Henne interception that swung the momentum back into the Broncos favor.
4) The turning point for me was David Bruton's fake punt late in the 3rd quarter. It led to a Broncos touchdown and gave Denver some much needed momentum. Great call by the Broncos coaching staff on that play.
5) I never really felt nervous that Denver was going to lose this game. When it 14-12 at the half, I felt confident. After Knowshon Moreno scored to make it 21-12, I thought Denver was in good shape. After the Jags scored to make it 21-19, I was still very confident that Denver would pull away. Two more Moreno touchdown runs and the Broncos did indeed pull away in the 4th quarter. I never was too worried at any point that the Broncos were going to lose.
6) Champ Bailey came back and got burned repeatedly by Justin Blackmon to the tune of 190 yards. Hopefully, Bailey needed a week to knock the rust off before next week's game at Indy.
7) Speaking of Indy, how awesome was the promo for Peyton Manning's return to Indy on Sunday Night Football? Next week's game will be one of the games of the year, and I can't wait for this matchup. Also, next week features the return of Von Miller. The Broncos really need Miller back in the lineup and they need him to get their pass rush going once again.
8) Overall, this was a game that Denver had to take care of business in and they did. You can't get overhyped with emotion every single week in the NFL. There are going to be some weeks where you have a letdown. This seemed to be one of those weeks, but the Broncos were still able to win by 16. Next week it is onto Indy and a showdown with the 4-2 Colts.
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