Last week’s “Studs and Duds” was marked by the stark difference between the first and second half efforts put on by the Denver Broncos in Pittsburgh. Denver blew a 14-point lead in Steel City, their second consecutive second-half collapse.
It would be easy to say that Denver flipped the script on Monday night against the Bengals, nearly collapsing in the first half but coming up off the mat for a miraculous late-round victory. That would only be half-true.
Yes, Denver overcame a 14-point deficit (11 points at half), and yes they looked somewhat uninspired in the first quarter. But that would discount the fact that they were facing a team that entered the game as the second-best in the AFC (even with a backup in at quarterback).
Denver’s own backup hasn’t been sold short, and neither should A.J. McCarron (save for that final snap). The Denver Broncos beat a very good Cincinnati Bengals team, overcoming some poor play and getting some clutch contributions. The final Monday Night Football game of the 2015 season proved to be a combination of skill and strength, the perfect formula for a straightforward “Studs and Duds.”
Honorable Mention Stud – Danny Trevathan
The Broncos surrendered touchdowns on the Bengals’ first two drives and would have put the Broncos in a 17-0 hole were it not for a missed field goal. But that missed kick was a momentum changer for the defense, which was keyed all night long by inside linebacker Danny Trevathan. Denver allowed just three more points the remainder of the game, forcing five punts on Cincinnati’s six second-half possessions.
Trevathan was the leading tackler on the night, compiling 12 total, eight solo. Ten of those tackles came in the first half, when it seemed like he was the only one making plays. He didn’t register any plays that could be categorized as “game changers” – no sacks or interceptions – but he was monster stopping the run.
After surrendering 85 yards on the ground in the first half, Trevathan and the defense gave up just 23 the rest of the way. Negating the run put more pressure on A.J. McCarron and gave the pass rush a chance to materialize.
Postgame, Bengals Pro Bowl linebacker Vontaze Burfict tweeted at Trevathan, “…good s*** today … u was around that ball…”
Dud No. 3 – Michael Schofield‘s coaches
It’s never good for a player when the announcers on the national broadcast are pleading with the coaching staff to get said player some help.
It’s worse when the guys in charge down at field level (or in the coaching box) can’t see the same thing everyone else in America is seeing.
It’s downright egregious if the coaches see it and refuse to fix it.
Carlos Dunlap looked like Khalil Mack on Monday night, and not because he’s about to become a Pro Bowler himself. Dunlap registered three sacks, three tackles for loss and four QB hits, matched up almost exclusively against Broncos right tackle Michael Schofield. The ESPN Monday night crew was all but begging Gary Kubiak to get Schofield some help, yet that help – for another week – never came.
Denver dodged a bullet against a stout Bengals defense, but it was clear that better overall front sevens like Pittsburgh and Oakland can neutralize the Broncos offense. Schofield needs help. Why Kubiak and the offensive coaches refuse to offer it is perplexing.
Stud No. 3 – Demaryius Thomas
For the past three weeks Demaryius Thomas has been lambasted by fans and the media, and perhaps rightfully so, for his high number of dropped passes.
After receiving a massive, five-year, $70-million contract this offseason, the expectations were incredibly high. But a struggling quarterback, then a change to an inexperienced quarterback shook his confidence (not to mention the personal life challenges he’s facing with the recent release of his mother from jail). He’s again over the 1,000-yard plateau, but his touchdown numbers are down and his clutch gene seems to have withered.
But on Monday night Thomas came up huge, with seven catches for 59 yards. He didn’t find the end zone, and finished third on the team in total yards. But Thomas had three catches that were crucial to Denver putting points on the board late in the game.
His fourth-quarter catch and run went for 13 yards and had the Bengals on their heels, setting up C.J. Anderson‘s 39-yard go-ahead touchdown run. In overtime, he made a miraculous one-handed catch to convert a third down and get Brandon McManus out of “tightened sphincter” field goal range. He followed that two plays later with a 12-yard catch and run that set the stage for the final go-ahead field goal.
Thomas didn’t put up the biggest numbers, but he was one of the biggest producers when it mattered.
Duds No. 2 – Evan Mathis & Vernon Davis
John Elway has been widely praised for his ability to land impactful veteran free agents. Guys with big names like Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware – even guys like Emmanuel Sanders and T.J. Ward. The two biggest names added this year (one in preseason and one a midseason trade) were Evan Mathis and Vernon Davis, both Pro Bowlers who were supposed to shore up positions of limited depth.
On Monday night it was a rookie and another free agent veteran who filled their shoes, as Mathis and Davis watched from the sideline. Together, Mathis and Davis combined for 11 snaps, with six going to Mathis. Rookie Max Garcia got the start ahead of him, while Davis lost his snaps to veteran Virgil Green.
Gary Kubiak was diplomatic about why Mathis was benched, saying, “I think Max has been playing well and he deserved the opportunity to start. Really we’re watching his growth as a player. When he’s playing well and doing things well, he’s going to continue to play. It’s nothing Evan has done wrong. He’s been nicked up. He played on one foot for us for about a month, and we’re going to need them all before it’s said and done.” But Mathis was a full participant in practice this week for the first time since mid-November, a sign his health was less a factor than his play.
Kubiak said Davis’ limited snaps were a result of the uptempo style they were running, which he hasn’t been practicing enough due to his short tenure with the team. But after consecutive weeks with critical drops, it’s no surprise he wasn’t on the field in crunch time.
Elway is allowed a miss or two, but with such limited depth at both guard and tight end, the Broncos can’t afford for Mathis and Davis to disappear completely like they did against the Bengals.
Stud No. 2 – C.J. Anderson
Forget about his late, fourth-quarter fumble. Today you’ll see critics across television and hear them on the radio giving C.J. Anderson praise followed by “but you gotta hang on to that ball.” The chorus will be the same and it will echo across every corner of the Denver and NFL media. Forget about it.
That fumble was Anderson‘s first of the year, and while it came at an inopportune time, it gave the defense a chance to redeem itself after last week’s monumental collapse.
Anderson was hurt badly on the play, being listed as questionable to return, but there he was on the very next drive, refusing to let that play be his last. On the day he ran for 73 yards on nine carries, ripping off an astounding 39-yard touchdown run to give the Broncos the lead in the fourth quarter.
The Denver defense considers itself the stewards of this football team, and so following a game-tying field drive by the Bengals, Anderson’s lost fumble set up the defense to make another stop with the game hanging in the balance. They did just that, getting the Broncos the ball back with 1:40 to play and needing just a field goal to win. Sadly, our No. 1 “Dud” pressed the game into overtime, but it was the statement stop the Denver defense wanted badly to make. They can thank Anderson and his fumble for putting them in that position.
Dud No. 1 – Brandon McManus
Give Brandon McManus this much: He didn’t miss his last kick.
In overtime, McManus put a 37-yarder straight through the uprights and forced the Bengals to put points on the board if they wanted the game to continue. They did not, and it did not. But that was a small redemption for McManus who missed a potential game-winning kick with time expiring in regulation.
The miss was his fifth missed placekick (four FGs and one PAT) in as many weeks and this time came at what could have been a back-breaking juncture. Reeling after consecutive losses, Denver could ill-afford to drop a third straight and lose the tiebreaker over the Bengals. What’s more, the surging Chiefs are now on Denver’s back bumper, hoping for a stumble so they can claim the AFC West title.
McManus had a chance to lock up the playoffs, stay in the No. 2 seed and keep pace with Kansas City with one kick. Not only did he miss, he missed by what many national observers called the worst kick they had ever seen.
After the game McManus said he won’t lose confidence in himself, but with five straight games with a miss, you have to wonder if Gary Kubiak will at some point.
Stud No. 1 – Owen Daniels
Like most of the Broncos offensive players, you didn’t much notice Owen Daniels in the first half of Monday’s game. He had just one catch, which came in the second quarter.
But like the rest of the offense, Daniels started to heat up as the game wore on. By the time overtime arrived, he was all but melting the frozen tundra that was the playing surface at Sports Authority Field on a night where temperatures dipped near single-digits. The cold didn’t bother the weatherman (yes, Daniels is a meteorologist), who racked up four more catches on the night, the final three in spectacular and game-changing fashion.
With the game tied and 1:40 on the clock, Denver went into its 2:00 drill from their won 20 needing (so they though) about 50-55 yards to get into field goal range for Brandon McManus. On the first two plays of the drive, Daniels went ahead and delivered 42 of them. With catches of 16 and 26 yards, Daniels had the Broncos on the right side of the field and in business to set up a potential game-winning kick.
When that kick was missed (badly), Daniels responded in overtime, coming up with perhaps the most important catch of the game. Facing a third-and-10, Daniels got past the sticks and pulled in a 12-yard reception to avoid a three-and-out to open overtime. He was targeted near the goal line later in the drive and was nearly decapitated trying to make the catch – a stark departure from what we saw from Vernon Davis over the past two weeks.
Daniels didn’t make that final catch, but without the three that came before it, Denver might be standing on the brink of playoff elimination.