Hooray for the Drubbing

Nothing brings me greater pleasure than to write about a Broncos victory over the Chiefs. You see, I dislike the Chiefs. I dislike their quarterback. I dislike their two-headed backfield. And I dislike their weepy-eyed coach. It wasn't always this way. For a long time I felt rather neutrally about the Chiefs. Sure they were division rivals, but back then so was Seattle and I didn't care about them either. Steve DeBerg was their quarterback and he wasn't as good as Elway so I didn't care. Christian Okoye was their running back but Steve Atwater knocked him down so I didn't care. But then they went and got Joe Montana. And in what may go down as one of the greatest games ever, an aging Joe Montana and the Chiefs drove the field with less than two minues left and beat the Broncos. Montana's heroics came after Elway had already driven the Broncos down the field for a late-game score of his own and a seeming come from behind victory. Plus, all this was after the Super Bowl demolition of the Broncos at the hands of Montana and Rice. After that night I vowed to dislike the Chiefs from then on. And I still do.

So it was with a triumphant feeling in my heart that I stood in the South stands as the clock ticked down on the Broncos drubbing of the Chiefs on Monday night. I let out a might roar with what was left of my voice and slapped hands with the season-ticket holders around me. The Broncos had completely beaten the Chiefs. They allowed one of the top-ranked offenses in the NFL only three points (that last touchdown was a gimme). They shut down one of the league's greatest rushers. And they fed-exed a box of kleenex to the opposite sideline for Coach Dick Vermeil. It was amazing. Going into the game I thought it was going to be close. I thought it would go down to the wire. But by halftime the Broncos had asserted their dominance. The Chiefs didn't stand a chance.

It was nice to see Jake Plummer play a solid game. Though his stats weren't great, he didn't make any mistakes. He controlled the offense more smoothly than Alan Greenspan conducts the Federal Reserve. And that's exactly what the Broncos needed. He hit the open guy when he needed to. He avoided the rush without making a rash throw. And he scampered into the endzone to punctuate a convincing victory. It was awesome.

The defense was even better. They picked up where they left off in San Diego. The Chiefs couldn't rush. Trent Green's passes were routinely rushed and often fell far short of their intended distinations. Even though we're only three games into this season, the Broncos defense looks like one of the best in the league if not the best altogether. Of course, someone should put a tab by this statement and remind me of it again in December when it matters. But right now, Broncos fans should celebrate the fact that their defense is winning games. I guarantee that offensive coordinators around the league are paying attention to the Denver D. Everyone should be paying attention. Of course this might change if the results of Champ Bailey's MRI come up positive. But even if that happens, the rookie CB's are playing incredibly well. This might be the start of something amazing.

The Broncos face another quality team next week when they play the Jaguars in Jacksonville. The Jags defense is playing almost as well as the Broncos, and Byron Leftwich is slowly becoming one of the better QB's in the league. After Monday, some might see the Chiefs defense as posers. They were just pretending to be good. The Jags D aren't posers at all. They're the real thing. It'll be up to Shanahan and Plummer to find a few chinks in Jacksonville's armor. But I'm betting they will. I'll take the Broncos 17-13 over Jacksonville.