Articles about last night's game

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Peyton Manning heard about his woes over breakfast


KANSAS CITY – It was over breakfast that Peyton Manning heard what the nation had been saying about him.

Poor guy. All he wanted to do was relax at the team hotel, get some nourishment, hang out with the guys. But no. Everybody wants to chime in on whether Manning is washed up.

They talk about it as if they want to be the first to say it, the first to be right. So was passing for three touchdowns, pulling off an improbable 31-24 comeback victory on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs personally gratifying for Manning?

rest - http://www.9news.com/story/sports/2015/09/18/peytonmanning-denver-broncos/72383168/

[Denver Native (Carol)]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Every journey might indeed start with just one step, but the Denver Broncos’ improbable journey from seven points down with just over two minutes to play to a seven-point victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a stunned Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night began with 13 strides on an "in" cut.

To get the game-tying drive off and running, Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas saw Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jamell Fleming lined up slightly to Thomas’ outside shoulder, so Thomas ran the "in" route for quarterback Peyton Manning to exploit.

“It was basically, I told him, ‘Just gimme a chance,’” Thomas said. “We knew in the game what we could do against No. 30, the first big play was an 'in' route, we knew he was playing outside so we took that, from that big play was basically man-to-man, just gimme a chance.”

rest - http://espn.go.com/blog/denver-broncos/post/_/id/15081/when-things-were-the-tightest-peyton-manning-demaryius-thomas-went-out-for-recess

[Denver Native (Carol)]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In the blink of an eye Thursday night, Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall had created an opportunity for his team to secure an improbable road win in a frenzied Arrowhead Stadium.

And he had absolutely no idea.

"Honestly, right away all I felt was my finger kind of bust," Marshall said. "I didn't break it, but it felt like it right then. I really thought it was broken, but it was worth it. I felt like I hit something and all of sudden I saw the ball on the ground. Then I look up and Bradley [Roby] was going to score. It was awesome, just awesome."

rest - http://espn.go.com/blog/denver-broncos/post/_/id/15049/broncos-brandon-marshall-thought-finger-was-broken-on-game-changing-play

[Denver Native (Carol)]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – After leading the 11th fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning or -tying drive in his Broncos career and eclipsing the 70,000 career-passing mark, it’s easy to see why quarterback Peyton Manning says that Thursday’s stunning 31-24 win over divisional foe Kansas City is one he’ll never forget.

“To win a division game on the road, [in] a great atmosphere,” said Manning. “This place is always just a great place to play football and the crowd was rocking tonight and they were into it. I thought it was two really good teams battling out there and we were real fortunate to come up on top. But this is one that you’ll always remember. Certainly the way it ended.”

Manning isn’t exaggerating about the Broncos’ wild ending, either. After erasing a 14-point deficit in just the second quarter – only to match each one of the Chiefs’ scores in the third frame – made cornerback Bradley Roby’s scoop-and-score touchdown with 27 seconds remaining even sweeter. Combined with reaching 70,000 career passing yards -- an elite club of two that now includes just Manning and Brett Favre -- made Thursday night one for the books.

rest - http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Peytons-Take-A-night-to-remember/05436caf-0f8b-47f5-a91d-2fc57092e06b

[Denver Native (Carol)]

The seeds were planted in the spring for all to see. The Broncos began offseason practices with a defensive pursuit drill. Thirty yards down field, nose tackle Sylvester Williams lumbered toward the ball carrier. Everyone gave chase. For the Broncos' defense to undergo a transformation, it needed an obsession.

Attack the quarterback. Produce turnovers.

The Broncos remain undefeated because their defense's teething under new coordinator Wade Phillips has yielded fangs.

"One thing this group has, beyond the best depth I have ever been part of, is that we strongly believe in each other," veteran defensive tackle Antonio Smith said. "We always think we can make plays. Even if things go wrong, we believe we will make it right."

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_28839662/brandon-marshall-broncos-goal-lead-nfl-turnovers

[Denver Native (Carol)]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bradley Roby recovered a forced fumble by Brandon Marshall and returned it 21 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds after a Brandon McManus extra-point kick tied it up on the previous drive.

Another game-winner — by the defense.

"I've been in a couple crazy games," Peyton Manning said. "But never one quite like that."

The same could be said for Roby.

"I just ran to the ball and B-Marsh knocks it out. I saw it on the ground and I'm like, 'Oh snap,' so I just tried to grab it and get in the end zone. I knew there were only a few seconds left in the game. Made it happen."

rest, plus video -
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_28834215/broncos-safety-darian-stewart-making-big-plays-early

[sneakers]

that's a lot of articles

[Joel]

rest - http://espn.go.com/blog/denver-broncos/post/_/id/15049/broncos-brandon-marshall-thought-finger-was-broken-on-game-changing-play


"We do a lot of turnover circuits in practice, we do a lot of things to be in position to get the ball out," Marshall said. "We talk about it all the time, we practice it, we prepare for it, we want to stop people, but that's not enough. We want to get the ball out. [Thursday] you saw the more you give our offense the ball, the better."

Charles lost just three fumbles in 206 carries and 40 receptions in 2014, but the Broncos knocked the ball free twice in Thursday night's win. The Broncos forced five turnovers against the Chiefs, two inside the Denver 20-yard line....

"We want to decide games," said Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14398/chris-harris-jr), who had an interception against the Chiefs. "We always want to get the ball. We don't want to just stop people, we want the ball."
That's at least as big a change as blitzes and press coverage, because turnovers correlate to winning more than any stat except points. The usual explanation I've heard is that a big turnover differential reflects solid disciplined fundamentals, alertness and hustle that in turn reflect solid diciplined coaching. That improves EACH player (except those cut for lacking drive.) Sure, there are lucky bounces, but they mostly even out over a season; good teams exploit the good ones and mitigate the bad ones, because they're trained to ALWAYS do so. Not just with green balls for problem children, but everyone, actively.

When a ball pops out at the feet of four teammates stumbling over it, while a lone opponent sprints in and dives on it, that's not because they all happen to be born under the same bad sign or he kissed his lucky rabbits foot pregame: It's because he's figuratively as well as literally "on the ball," and they're not. The great Connie Mack quote is "luck is the residue of design," so having a heavily favorable turnover ratio heavily encourages me about out new coaches, whichever players they happen to have on the roster each year. Do all little things well and big things magically fall into place almost automatically.

Except it's not automagic, but coaching until both "luck" and winning become reflexive habits.