AFC West: Broncos Had Better Keep Lighting Up Scoreboard
Sports Network | November 11, 2008
(Sports Network) - If fans of the Denver Broncos want to watch their team playing football this January, they would be well-advised to temper their enthusiasm over the performance the offense posted in Thursday's 34-30 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Sure, Jay Cutler's 447-yard passing night was impressive, especially given that everyone either in Cleveland Browns Stadium or home watching on TV knew that Denver was going to throw on pretty much every down.
An eye-popping spate of injuries at the running back position claimed yet another victim when promising rookie Ryan Torain was lost for the year with a knee injury suffered at Cleveland, on the same night that Selvin Young re- aggravated his groin injury.
Fullback Peyton Hillis, who just last year was the third tailback option behind Darren McFadden and Felix Jones on the Arkansas roster, was the default choice as the primary tailback for much of the Denver/Cleveland game.
So, it was pretty safe Cutler was going to throw, and throw he did, as the Broncos managed to erase deficits of 23-10 and 30-27 to win for just the second time in six games.
Brandon Marshall (6 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD) caught the winning touchdown from 11 yards out with 1:14 to play, and running mate Eddie Royal (6 receptions, 164 yards, 1 TD) had another dazzling night that came complete with a 93-yard touchdown grab. Even tight end Tony Scheffler, still hobbled by a groin injury of his own, came down with 92 yards worth of receptions against Cleveland's helpless pass-defending unit.
But again, even though the win helped Denver (5-4) remain one step ahead of the posse in the AFC West, in order to win the division, that style of high- scoring outing is going to have to be the rule, rather than the exception.
Once again, the trip to Cleveland provided very little evidence that this team is getting better defensively.
The Browns' Brady Quinn, making his first career start, sliced and diced the Broncos for 239 yards on 23-of-35 passing with two touchdowns and no turnovers or sacks absorbed.
Mike Shanahan's club had very little clue against tight end Kellen Winslow (10 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TD), and was gashed for 160 yards on the ground on the night.
Cornerback Champ Bailey (groin) has a chance to return to the lineup for this Sunday's trip to Atlanta, but the Broncos weren't a good defensive team with him, and it stands to reason that they won't channel the '75 Steelers or '00 Ravens just because he is back in the lineup.
Which means a team boasting the No. 29 defense in the NFL (389.1 yards per game), ahead of only three teams that are a combined 3-24 (Chiefs, Rams, Lions), is going to have to continue scoring bushels of points to get by.
If they don't, Broncos fans eager for that elusive taste of January football could spend a third straight winter starving for a glimpse of the postseason.
CHARGERS: The Chargers notched their first win since Oct. 12th on Sunday, managing to outlast the one-win Kansas City Chiefs, 20-19, to remain within a game of Denver in the AFC West.
The victory was unimpressive in a myriad of ways, not the least of which was that LaDainian Tomlinson and the running game failed to get untracked once again.
The perennial Pro Bowler rushed 22 times for just 78 yards against a run defense ranked at or near the bottom of the league in just about every meaningful NFL statistical category. It marked the sixth time in nine starts this year that Tomlinson had averaged fewer than four yards per carry, and concern is growing that the 29-year-old is nearing the end of his run as a dominant back.
A toe injury suffered in Week 1 is speculated to be a factor in Tomlinson's regression, but the running back dispelled the notion that his health has hampered his progress this season.
"Physically, I'm fine," said Tomlinson a day after the win. "That's where I am. Mentally, I'm good. We're having our ups and downs this season. Obviously, it can drain you mentally. Mentally, it's hard to act like we're in great shape...I'm as healthy as I've ever been."
Tomlinson's numbers, however, have checked into the infirmary.
At his current pace, Tomlinson will finish the year with 1,118 yards, more than 100 fewer than his previous single-season low of 1,236 from his rookie campaign of 2001.
Over his first seven seasons, Tomlinson averaged a whopping 19.1 touchdowns per season, with his low of 10 coming as a rookie. In 2008, he's scored five times, which puts him on pace for just under nine scores.
Since his touches aren't down drastically from 2007, (23.4 per game last year, 21.9 this season), and health isn't the issue, what could be the problem?
Tomlinson isn't saying, though the injury, the underachieving work of the offensive line and a more pass-focused offensive approach that has seen Philip Rivers rise to the top of many league passing categories are seen as possible culprits.
"I honestly believe certain things stay in-house," said Tomlinson. "There are reasons I'm not willing to talk about it to the media."
CHIEFS: The bad news is that the Chiefs are 1-8.
The worse news is that they're an ailing 1-8, and the biggest hurts are on the side of the ball where Kansas City needs the most help - defense.
Defensive ends Turk McBride (shoulder), Tamba Hali (foot) and Brian Johnston (calf), linebackers Derrick Johnson (hamstring) and Pat Thomas (hamstring), and cornerbacks Brandon Flowers (hamstring) and Patrick Surtain (quadriceps) all look unlikely to play this week when the Chiefs - currently in the throes of a five-game losing streak - play host to the New Orleans Saints and their powerful offense.
In Sunday's loss to the Chargers, cornerbacks David Macklin and Ricardo Colcough played significant minutes despite being signed as street free agents earlier in the week. Elsewhere in the secondary, Maurice Leggett joined fellow rookie cornerback Brandon Carr in the starting lineup.
At linebacker, rookie Weston Dacus and veteran journeyman Rocky Boiman saw major time, and defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry - also signed last week due to injuries - did as well.
With the fresh injuries coming out of Sunday's game, all of the above had better be ready to handle Drew Brees and the Saints attack. Head coach Herm Edwards hinted earlier this week that more roster alterations could be coming.
"Don't get comfortable, we'll have a lot of new Chiefs this week, too," said Edwards on Monday.
"We'll probably be looking at adding a couple new defensive ends and linebackers."
RAIDERS: The Oakland Raiders of the 20-game Lane Kiffin era were not a good team, going 5-15 in those contests, but at least they were a threat to score.
The Silver and Black of the post-Kiffin era are 1-4, and the offense has regressed back to the days of Art Shell's second stint, when the team rarely troubled the scoreboard.
In Sunday's 17-6 home loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Raiders failed to score a touchdown for the second consecutive game, and have now scored a total of just 35 points in their five games under interim head coach Tom Cable.
Andrew Walter, subbing for the injured JaMarcus Russell, completed just 14- of-32 passes for 132 yards and two interceptions in his first start since 2006, before yielding to an ankle injury and prodigal son Marques Tuiasosopo in the late going.
Tuiasosopo was just 1-of-2 for four yards in the team's third straight defeat.
Afterwards, it was revealed that Cable has stripped offensive coordinator Greg Knapp of play-calling duties, and will be calling the plays himself for the rest of the season.
"I've got to manufacture some ways to score," said Cable on Monday. "I like the players we got. Are we getting them in the best position to do it? That's really what I've been looking at."
Russell is questionable to return this week as the team heads to Miami to face the Dolphins, and first-round running back Darren McFadden could also be in the lineup after missing three games due to turf toe. In addition, Cable could replace underachieving Kwame Harris and Cornell Green at the tackle spots.
The Raiders will travel to Miami ranked last in the league in scoring offense (12.6 points per game), passing offense (139.2 yards per game), touchdowns (9), rushing touchdowns (3), third-down percentage (22.4), and are tied for last in the NFL in passing TDs (6).
