Broncos: Turkey Day Turnaround

By Chris Gentilviso
DenverBroncos.com

DENVER – Searching for their first victory in six weeks, the Broncos needed only 60 minutes to rediscover their winning touch.

For the first time in 46 years, a Thanksgiving game was played in the Mile High City. For the first time in 46 days, Denver left INVESCO Field at Mile High with a home win, thanks to a renewed energy from start to finish.

Behind 373 yards of total offense and four Matt Prater field goals, the Broncos earned a wire-to-wire 26-6 victory over the Giants. It was New York’s lowest offensive output since Nov. 28, 2004 — a 27-6 loss to the division-rival Eagles.

“The last few weeks, we spoke about how the energy wasn’t there that we had the first six weeks,” D.J. Williams said. “We came out with a high energy. Both teams only had a few days to prepare. We knew it was going to come down to who was more mentally focused and who had more energy.”

That energy arrived early and often in a complementary fashion. The Giants were held to three first downs and just 38 net yards of offense over six first-half possessions, allowing the Broncos to hold the ball for 19 minutes and 47 seconds.

With plenty of opportunities at their disposal, the offense took advantage of them. On the second drive of the game, Kyle Orton engineered a 13-play, 76-yard drive that culminated in a 26-yard field goal by Prater.

Armed with a 3-0 lead, the defense quickly returned the ball to the offense, holding the Giants to a three-and-out. Orton again marched the offense into the red zone on a 12-play, 57-yard drive, as Prater’s 32-yard field goal extended the lead to 6-0.

“We played with a lot of energy on offense, which was great,” said Orton, who finished 18-of-28 for 245 yards with one touchdown and one interception. “The defense got us some turnovers, got us some great field position and we took advantage of it.”

The Giants were given little room to respond on the ensuing drive, as Prater’s kickoff sailed into the end zone. Five of his seven kickoffs went for touchbacks, pinning New York in difficult field position for much of the evening.

Starting at their own 20-yard line, the Giants profited from an offsides penalty on Williams to attain a first down. But on the following play, Mario Haggan snagged the momentum back, forcing a fumble on Danny Ware that was recovered by Brian Dawkins.

With the ball spotted at the Giants’ 38-yard line, Orton went to his No. 1 target in Brandon Marshall. He lofted a ball down the right sideline, which Marshall leaped for and grabbed with his right hand at the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Knowshon Moreno scampered into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run and a 13-0 lead.

“He said I was going to see ‘The Beast’ tonight,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said of Marshall. “I guess that’s what it means, because those are catches that special people make. There’s no question about that. When you go up there and do it one-handed, and keep running, there aren’t many people in the league that can do that.”

After another Giants three-and-out, Prater tacked on his longest field goal of the night from 47 yards out. With scores on four straight possessions, the Broncos entered the locker room with a commanding 16-0 advantage — their largest halftime lead of the season.



The Giants made adjustments in the third quarter, as their five first downs over that period eclipsed their entire first-half total. New York advanced both of its possessions into Broncos territory, but settled for Lawrence Tynes field goals on each occasion.

“I think the coaches did a good job with the scheme and the package,” said Elvis Dumervil, whose two sacks upped his league-leading total to 14 on the season. “Guys were comfortable and we played with a lot of emotion. That’s how you play (good) defense.”

Crippled by fourth-quarter fatigue in past weeks, the Broncos defense saw that problem shift to the opposing sideline. Entering the final frame with a 16-6 deficit, the Giants defense had already logged 25-plus minutes on the field.

That wear-and-tear was evident on the first drive of the fourth, when Moreno ripped off back-to-back carries of 11 and 12 yards to cross midfield. A 12-yard connection between Orton and Jabar Gaffney put the Broncos into the red zone, and two plays later Orton found Brandon Stokley on a 17-yard crossing route for a touchdown.

Back on top by three scores, the Broncos lead was secured for good with a rested defense in tow. Three plays into the Giants’ next drive, Dumervil wrapped up Eli Manning in the backfield for his second sack, which turned into a fumble that was recovered by Williams.

Equipped again with stellar field position at the Giants’ 30-yard line, Moreno and Correll Buckhalter advanced the Broncos into the red zone for a final Prater field goal from 23 yards out. The tandem combined for 139 rushing yards on 39 carries, helping the Broncos build the balance they had been searching for on offense.

Orton noted that objective could not have been reached without sound protection from the offensive line.

“We wanted to make their secondary tackle us, and the running backs ran hard,” he said. “In the pass game, we knew we had to handle the blitz. That was kind of the Giants’ (method of) operation. They did a great job of picking it up and giving me enough time, and the receivers got open in a timely fashion.”

The giant win also happened to be timely. At a Broncos team meeting in mid-March, one of the major points stressed was playing their best football from Thanksgiving onward.

The Turkey Day turnaround was the first step in that direction.

“The last four weeks in our building haven’t been a funeral,” McDaniels said. “We have a great work ethic, great resolve. You want to put yourself in a position after Thanksgiving to be able to compete to make the playoffs, and that’s what we hopefully have done.”

Read more on the Broncos and the game at DenverBroncos.com