Not satisfied: After shutout, DE Wolfe says Broncos “can be better.” »
Broncos finally turn in effort worthy of a “Fangio Defense” Second consecutive victory is second shutout since 2006
The secondary applying a f igurative vice grip on the Tennessee receivers and contributing three takeaways. The defensive line providing a pass-rushing push that drove two Titans quarterbacks crazy and led to a seven-sack onslaught.
And an all-levels-of-the-defense commitment to bottling up Titans running back/bulldozer Derrick Henry.
Does the Broncos’ defense finally look like a Vic Fangio Defense?
“Yeah and we can be better,” defensive end Derek Wolfe said after the Broncos’ 16-0 home win over Tennessee on Sunday. “We made some mistakes. A goose egg is great — that’s the ultimate goal. But we gave up some random plays and should have shut them down a little more.”
The Broncos pitched their first shutout in two years and only their second since the start of the 2006 season. It was Fangio’s first shutout since he was San Francisco’s defensive coordinator in 2012.
The effort was so thorough that the Titans had 13 possessions and couldn’t score. They punted nine times. They benched quarterback Marcus Mariota. They were a combined 2 of 16 on third and fourth downs.
Even Fangio saluted his players.
“It was impressive. Shutouts are hard to come by in this league,” he said. “They don’t come very often. The only one way you get one is to play good, sound defense and make a play occasionally when you’re in a one-on-one situation. The guys were resilient and had a good mind-set.”
The statistics were eye-popping: The
Broncos had at least seven sacks and three interceptions in a game for the first time since 1984. They allowed a season-low 204 yards. They had their best day on third down (14% — 2 of 14). They posted a season-high seven sacks (five in the first five games combined). And they matched the season’s previous takeaway total (three).
The Titans didn’t run an offensive snap in Broncos territory until the fourth quarter. By that point, Mariota had been replaced by Ryan Tannehill.
“Teams in this league are really good, so to hold a team to zero points is really tough,” inside linebacker Todd Davis said. “One of our goals each game is to be the best defense (in the stadium). This week, we knew we had a task, because their defense was good. We needed to put our stamp on this game.”
The stamp was applied early — consecutive three-and-outs by the Titans as the Broncos kicked a field goal on their first possession. The Broncos led 6-0 at halftime and 13-0 after three quarters. Their only touchdown was Phillip Lindsay’s 2-yard rush.
A ton has changed in just two weeks. When the Broncos blew a 17-3 lead against Jacksonville, they were stomped on by the Jaguars.
At that point, the Broncos were a Cross-Off Team — you know, like Miami, Washington, Cincinnati and the Jets, teams that started so poorly that nearly all hope was extinguished. The Broncos weren’t doing anything consistently well and had just lost their best overall player (outside linebacker Bradley Chubb) for the season.
One more loss and the no-show count for home games would have climbed (understandably so), the verbal slings at general manager John Elway would have intensified (ditto) and the screams for rookie Drew Lock to take over the keys at quarterback would have grown (ditto).
Even after beating the Los Angeles Chargers a week ago, the vibe in the Broncos’ postgame locker room and during the week was subdued. Getting the first win was great, for sure, but all it represented was the Broncos had stopped their downward spiral. Good teams, and the Broncos always thought they were one, don’t get satisfied after one win. Good teams, they said, stack wins and stack impressive wins.
But now that the defense has flexed its muscle to help a touchdown-challenged offense, the Broncos may be getting their swagger back.
“We just kept coming to work,” Wolfe said. “I don’t have a lot to say (to other players), and I’m not going to whine or cry about it. But we have a new head coach, and there was a learning curve, and once we got over those growing pains, we were going to be all right.”
The Broncos step up in class Thursday against division favorite Kansas City, which has lost its last two games. The turnaround will be quick.
“These Thursday games, you have to make yourself sweat mentally on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, because we won’t be breaking a sweat physically,” Fangio said.
Play defense as they did Sunday, and the Broncos will be making Kansas City sweat, which will provide the needed momentum to fight through a short week.
“There’s no magic sauce to it,” Wolfe said. “You just have to suck it up and go out there and try to kick some (butt) on a Thursday night.”