Another One Bites the Dust

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t stand a chance yesterday. They were completely dominated in every aspect of the game, except perhaps special teams where Elam missed two consecutive field goals for the first time in memory. The Broncos running game flourished. The passing game, while not exactly reminiscent of the glorious Manning brothers, worked its West Coast magic. The defense looked as dominant as ever, even without starting cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Darrent Williams. And for the first time this season, the Mastermind finally lived up to his nickname.

It was such a dominating win that I had to take several Tetris game breaks just to ease the monotony of Jacksonville’s inability to move the ball. I wonder if this was how Baltimore Ravens fans felt during their defensively-inspired Super Bowl run a few years back. A sack here, no big deal. An interception there, old news. Total defensive domination, saw it last week. For the first time in a long time I didn’t have to hold my breath at any point in the Broncos win. The season’s 25% over, and I’m feeling a lot like I did so long ago when the Broncos won those Super Bowls. I no longer have to check my blood pressure at half time. Except for the debacle in Miami, I haven’t been inspired to throw things at the TV. I can confidently pick the Broncos to win every week which makes me a happy gambler.

But the skeptic in me still finds a way to make it presence known. After all, the season is only 25% over. There are still 12 more games against a bevy of impressive opponents. Up next week are the Washington Redskins. Despite playing horrifically for the first 7 quarters of the season, the Redskins are amazingly undefeated. Their offense is starting to click with Mark Brunell at quarterback, and Joe Gibbs’ teams have always had strong defenses. Fortunately the Broncos will be retiring Steve Atwater’s number during halftime, and perhaps the ghost of his big hits will further inspire the Denver defense to play tough against the Redskins. Since it’s a home game, and since the Broncos have been crushing opponents the last two weeks, I predict another victory. Broncos over the Redskins – 27-17.

The defense seems to have come together as a unit. Next week, the offense needs to work on perfecting itself. The Broncos are capable of putting up 30+ points against the Redskins but it’ll be up to Shanahan to put together another dominant game plan and Plum and Posse to minimize mistakes and capitalize on big plays. I’m high on Plummer right now. Right now, he’s playing as well as he ever has. Here’s hoping he can kick it up a notch.