The Broncos boldly talked about playing in the Super Bowl and winning it all season long. They looked at this season as redemption after losing to the Ravens in the divisional round last year at home.
The Broncos accomplished the first of two goals by going to the Super Bowl after a 26-16 victory over the Patriots yesterday afternoon in the AFC Championship Game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
They did everything right in winning this game from playing good defense to executing the offense. Basically, the Patriots were outclassed.
The Broncos played like they were not going to be denied. They knew there may not be an opportunity like this next year with so many guys being free agents. This could be their last run. That’s the message Wes Welker sent to his teammates in a team meeting Saturday night, and they took it to heart.
The gist of the message was to leave it out on the line on Championship Sunday, and everyone did from Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tony Carter, Shaun Phillips, Robert Ayers, Champ Bailey, Terence Knighton, Julius Thomas, Demaryius Thomas, Knowshown Moreno, Wes Welker and Montee Ball. It was the type of team effort that made the team successful this season.
The Broncos defense was great in this game. Anyone can make a case this was their best defensive performance of the season. They made Tom Brady look like an ordinary quarterback by blitzing and hitting him often. They made LeGarrette Blount, Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley into nonfactors. They did a good job covering the wide receivers.
How good was the Broncos defense? They held the Patriots to three points and 160 yards through three quarters, and they held the Patriots running game to 64 yards.
This was their finest hour after being criticized for most of the season. They have rounded into form by playing well in the last four games with the final two games in the regular season and two playoff games. Their success comes from putting the pressure on the quarterback. It took awhile for Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio to blitz, but better late than never.
For all the talk about Peyton Manning needing to get the job done, the reality is the Broncos defense needed to play better if they were going to the Super Bowl. They needed to make Manning’s job easy. They have done their job rather than being part of the ride.
With the way the defense is playing, the Broncos have to like their chances to beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. The defense is playing with confidence, and John Fox and Del Rio has figured out what works in putting the players in the right schemes of executing. The questions about the defense should be no more.
Manning delivered in a game he had to play well. He had an easy time throwing against the Patriots secondary by throwing for 400 yards and two touchdowns. He had all day throwing as a result of his offensive line protecting him. He did a good job of distributing the ball to Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Moreno and Ball, and they all had success by making the catches.
Based on the day the Broncos quarterback had yesterday, he had to wonder why this wasn’t that easy when he had his battles against Brady when he was the Colts quarterback.
It couldn’t be surprising the offense played well yesterday. They have been great all year. With so many weapons Manning has on offense, he couldn’t have screw this up. He wasn’t going to be denied on this day.
The offense was the least of Broncos’ concerns heading to yesterday’s game.
The Broncos never let up. They finished the deal in the fourth quarter by getting to Brady even more.
As the clock winded down, there was elation and relief from the Broncos. There was reflection and appreciation of how they made it to the Super Bowl.
This is one of those moments the team should enjoy. It’s hard to get to the Super Bowl. It’s been since 1999 the Broncos made it to the big game. They realize this feat should be appreciated.
This season hasn’t been smooth sailing for them. Ryan Clady and Von Miller missed the season, and Chris Harris Jr. was injured in the divisional playoff game. Don’t forget Welker missed time with a concussion.
The Broncos had to deal with the grind of a long season. It takes perseverance for a team to keep winning and surviving injuries.
It’s not easy dealing with high expectations. It can make the team stronger or destroy a team altogether. To the Broncos’ credit, they embraced the challenge of going to the Super Bowl. They were focused on the prize all season. They put in the work, and they played like a team.
Here’s where one appreciates the Broncos: They were never too high or too low when it came to a long season. They came to work and acted like professionals when it came to practice and playing on Sundays.
There’s something to be said about character in the locker room, and the Broncos have many veterans that were self-starters. They focused on the task at hand of winning games that help them be in a position to get home-field advantage in January.
All of this paid off as they punched their ticket to play at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Getting to the Super Bowl is a tribute to the hard work they put in this year.
They will get a well-deserved week off to enjoy this accomplishment. After all the work they put in, they are thankful to get this.
Then, it’s about what they have to do next week when they head to New Jersey. That’s finishing the job of winning a championship.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter.
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Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
