Roby illustrates defensive rebound

Denver forced five turnovers in 4510 victory over Arizona

The football dropped from the sky like a gift.

Bradley Roby happily accepted. The interception wasn’t his greatest showcase of football IQ , aggression or ball skills Thursday night in a rout of the Cardinals. Perhaps it was just a reward from the football heavens, finally, after the breaks seemed so few and far between for the Broncos’ fifthyear cornerback this season.

Arizona quarterback Josh Rosen, crushed by defensive end Adam Gotsis, floated a deep ball in the fourth quarter to no one in the end zone. Roby simply ran underneath, caught it, trotted across the back line and nonchalantly tossed the football to an official. Roby smiled in a jubilant postgame road locker room. His first pick of the season.

“I’ll take as many of those as I can get,” he said.

The Broncos defense presented shades of its prime Thursday night. The 4510 beating was so bad the Cardinals fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy on Friday.

The Broncos forced five turnovers: linebacker Todd Davis in terception (TD), cornerback Chris Harris interception (TD), two linebacker Von Miller forced fumbles (recovered by Miller and defensive end DeMarcus Walker) and Roby’s pick. Denver stopped Arizona on its first 10 thirddown tries and held running back David Johnson to a 2.8 yard percarry average.

No player’s performance exemplified the turnaround quite like Roby’s. He failed to record a pass breakup through the first three weeks. Then Roby got beat, badly, on several deep ball thrown by Jets’ quarterback Sam Darnold