A six-point lead in the fourth quarter against Andrew Luck is often a precarious position to be in.
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Von Miller and the Denver Defense has this.
Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, left, celebrates after sacking Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck during the first half in a NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, in Denver.
Only, this isn’t a deja vu defence to Denver cornerback Chris Harris Jr. Luck had to throw passes against the Broncos’ swarming defense. Broncos face Bengals at 11am next Sunday. The first couple of plays it looked like it was nearly a guarantee that the Colts were going to send Andrew Luck out there already facing the 7-point deficit.
Through two games, Miller has four sacks and is looking like the man who earned himself a Super Bowl MVP last February and a historic contract this offseason. “We’ve been in that situation all year last year”.
They still had Miller & Co., didn’t they? A shaky third-down interference call on Darryl Morris extended a drive that resulted in a Denver field goal. Two they move to 2-0 and are in first place in their division. “I hope we break this injury curse or whatever it is”.
A turbulent offseason in which the quarterback was poached, the middle of the “D” was gutted and the reigning Super Bowl MVP held out for the richest defensive contract in National Football League history, and it’s nearly like nothing has changed for Denver, seemingly as dominant as ever on defense. Two of the hits, by linebacker Brandon Marshall and safety Darian Stewart, drew fines from the NFL.
Derek Wolfe, who finished Sunday’s game with 1.5 sacks, saw that against Andrew Luck and the Colts. He’s like a shark when there’s blood in the water. Basically, the Colts are employing the same strategy to begin their seasons as they are in the first halves of games: let’s just see how far behind they can get with Andrew Luck still being able to pull them out of the hole. The one player on Denver’s defense the Colts have to account for at all times is Miller. Broncos’ pass rushers, especially Von Miller, will be trying to sack/strip Luck. However, Miller decided that wasn’t going to happen, so he exploded off the line of scrimmage, plowed through Luck, and forced a fumble that fellow Bronco Shane Ray scooped up and returned for a touchdown. Defensive end Derek Wolfe said these clutch defensive plays are just part of the Broncos identity. Oakland allowed Atlanta and Matt Ryan to pile up almost 400 passing yards and at 35 points, losing 35-28 at home, a week after giving up big numbers to Drew Brees and the Saints in a win.
Miller has delivered so far with four sacks. His ninth career pick-6 was his fifth for Denver, a franchise record. The Broncos then went down the field and scored a field goal to make the game 26-20.
“The great thing about Aqib is if he ever gets his hands on the ball, he’s not only a (defensive back), but a returner too, ” Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said.
Consider the list Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib put himself on Sunday.
Plus, he used to play receiver, Demaryius Thomas noted, “so it’s nothing new”.
The Broncos led at halftime, 13-6, and the defensive touchdowns were their only touchdowns of the second half.
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“We knew they had no timeouts and they were going to throw the ball”, Talib said. Miller, who Ray said is “probably harder on me than anybody on the team”, will continue to push Ray to improve as the season progresses. “Back in the lab next week … keep getting better and keep striving to hopefully be the best team in the playoffs and hopefully make a run”.
