DENVER – The Denver Broncos were really good in 2013.
They were 13-3, didn’t lose any regular-season game by more than a touchdown, outscored teams by 207 points and won the AFC. They ultimately weren’t Super Bowl champion good, partially because they ran up against a great team that was even better, but they were very good last season.
The Broncos are better this season. Clearly. Absolutely.
“Oh yeah,” cornerback Chris Harris said without any hesitation when asked if the 2014 Broncos were better than the 2013 version. “We’re a total team.”
The Broncos are the best team in football right now, by a wide margin. They’ve gone from a team with a historic offense and a so-so defense to a team with an even better offense on paper and a stellar defense. The Broncos gave up 61 yards rushing on Thursday night in a 35-21 win over the San Diego Chargers, and 23 of those yards came on the last play. They forced Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers into two interceptions. The offense was as good as ever, with a 100-yard rusher (Ronnie Hillman), two 100-yard receivers (Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas) and a quarterback who might win a sixth MVP award (you know who).
Hold on, hold on. Fine, the Broncos are 6-1 and the best team in the NFL … right now. That doesn’t mean they’ll win the Super Bowl, and the postseason failures of the past two seasons - and of quarterback Peyton Manning most seasons in his career - follow them around everywhere. This great football they’re playing in October means nothing if they come up short of a championship again. Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton wasn’t afraid to express that when asked if the Broncos are better this season.
“We’ll see, we’ll see. If we hoist the trophy, then yes. If not, then no,” Knighton said. “It’s that simple. There’s nothing else we can do but win the Super Bowl. If we’re not hoisting that trophy at the end, then we’ll feel let down.”
The good news for the Broncos is they should hoist that trophy. This is a much different team than the one that played in the Super Bowl last year. Between free agency and adding players back from injured reserve, the Broncos added seven top-flight starters this offseason. That's something very few teams in the NFL can pull off, yet the second-best team in the league last season did it.
The major free-agent additions are all playing as expected. Cornerback Aqib Talib broke up two passes, including a brilliant one on a deep pass down the middle to Malcom Floyd. Defensive end DeMarcus Ware didn’t record any sacks on Thursday, but he drew a 10-yard illegal hands to the face penalty on a pass rush and has seven sacks this season. Strong safety T.J. Ward is one reason the Broncos allow the fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL. Sanders has proven to be an upgrade over Eric Decker; he had three touchdown catches against San Diego.
DENVER – The Denver Broncos were really good in 2013.
They were 13-3, didn’t lose any regular-season game by more than a touchdown, outscored teams by 207 points and won the AFC. They ultimately weren’t Super Bowl champion good, partially because they ran up against a great team that was even better, but they were very good last season.
The Broncos are better this season. Clearly. Absolutely.
“Oh yeah,” cornerback Chris Harris said without any hesitation when asked if the 2014 Broncos were better than the 2013 version. “We’re a total team.”
The Broncos are the best team in football right now, by a wide margin. They’ve gone from a team with a historic offense and a so-so defense to a team with an even better offense on paper and a stellar defense. The Broncos gave up 61 yards rushing on Thursday night in a 35-21 win over the San Diego Chargers, and 23 of those yards came on the last play. They forced Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers into two interceptions. The offense was as good as ever, with a 100-yard rusher (Ronnie Hillman), two 100-yard receivers (Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas) and a quarterback who might win a sixth MVP award (you know who).
Hold on, hold on. Fine, the Broncos are 6-1 and the best team in the NFL … right now. That doesn’t mean they’ll win the Super Bowl, and the postseason failures of the past two seasons - and of quarterback Peyton Manning most seasons in his career - follow them around everywhere. This great football they’re playing in October means nothing if they come up short of a championship again. Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton wasn’t afraid to express that when asked if the Broncos are better this season.
“We’ll see, we’ll see. If we hoist the trophy, then yes. If not, then no,” Knighton said. “It’s that simple. There’s nothing else we can do but win the Super Bowl. If we’re not hoisting that trophy at the end, then we’ll feel let down.”
The good news for the Broncos is they should hoist that trophy. This is a much different team than the one that played in the Super Bowl last year. Between free agency and adding players back from injured reserve, the Broncos added seven top-flight starters this offseason. That's something very few teams in the NFL can pull off, yet the second-best team in the league last season did it.
The major free-agent additions are all playing as expected. Cornerback Aqib Talib broke up two passes, including a brilliant one on a deep pass down the middle to Malcom Floyd. Defensive end DeMarcus Ware didn’t record any sacks on Thursday, but he drew a 10-yard illegal hands to the face penalty on a pass rush and has seven sacks this season. Strong safety T.J. Ward is one reason the Broncos allow the fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL. Sanders has proven to be an upgrade over Eric Decker; he had three touchdown catches against San Diego.
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