The Denver Broncos still have one major problem.
They can’t run the football.
Once again in Detroit on Sunday night both C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman disappointed. The offensive line probably wasn’t helping their cause, but neither Anderson or Hillman has shown the ability to break off a long play. Juwan Thompson may have been a real option at this point, but he hurt his neck and his status is iffy at best moving forward.
Meanwhile the defense and Peyton Manning once again carried the Broncos to a win. The Broncos forced key turnovers while PFM had some incredibly clutch drives like he did in Kansas City the week before.
So how’d it all shake out after taking some time to digest the game for the final time? Here are three studs and three duds from the Broncos impressive 24-12 win in Detroit on Sunday night.
Dud No. 3 — Ronnie Hillman
That’s @MrHillman2U.
GAMEDAY: http://t.co/xWvcREuZtd pic.twitter.com/UeOoGYIw5T
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 28, 2015
Hillman’s mouth piece was about the only good part of his game on Sunday, as once again the Broncos couldn’t run the ball for squat. Hillman had a one-yard TD run, but other than that had just seven carries for 13 yards. That’s just not going to get it done.
Stud No. 3 — DeMarcus Ware
I was just about to Tweet "who gets the @Broncos first sack?" and boom… @DeMarcusWare got to Stafford untouched.. #DENvsDET
— Lionel Bienvenu (@lionelbienvenu) September 28, 2015
Ware turned in his third straight stellar game to start the year finishing with 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, three QB hits and four total tackles. Right now Ware may be the best linebacker in the NFL and the best player on the Broncos.
Dud No. 2 — C.J. Anderson
C.J. Anderson headed to the locker room … pic.twitter.com/Kmqcncs6p0
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 28, 2015
Anderson eventually came back in the game after being evaluated for a possible concussion, but he still couldn’t do much at all. Anderson had his third straight brutal game, rushing for just 18 yards on eight carries. Yikes.
Stud No. 2 — David Bruton
Which #Broncos interception was more epic, @BradRoby_1's or @D_Brut30's?
WATCH. VOTE: http://t.co/HkwyzPMl5L pic.twitter.com/SrsgEG6KYH
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) September 28, 2015
Bruton had arguably the biggest play of the game, picking off Matthew Stafford with the Broncos up 17-12 and the Lions marching down the field. And this wasn’t just an ordinary pick, it was a one handed bat job that was spectacular. You can watch it again above.
Dud No. 1 — Jeff Triplette
NFL referee Jeff Triplette *still* doesn't know the rules of football – http://t.co/TxFyTJiAlo pic.twitter.com/1CJUmvK63x
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) September 28, 2015
This dude is the WORST. How is he still an NFL official? On Sunday night Triplette and his staff made several horrible calls, overturned nearly everything in the Lions favor, forgot the rules and frankly looked like they may have cared who won the game (even though it didn’t work out). Yeah, that’s a major problem.
Stud No. 1 — Peyton Manning
https://twitter.com/si_nfl/status/648380666086879232
The Sheriff had his second straight “Eff You” game on Sunday night, going 31-42 for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He hit Demaryius Thomas on a beautiful route right before half for a TD and had the stones to seal the game with a perfectly placed ball to Owen Daniels to put the Broncos up 24-12 for good. He’s not “back”, Peyton Manning was never done.