By Nick Gustafson
You know how the old saying goes, it’s better to be ugly than good, or wait, it’s better to be lucky than ugly? Well whatever it is, the Broncos were all of it and more in their first regular season game. The defense wasn’t as defenseless as years past, but the special teams looked far from special and the offense was rather offensive. However all that matters is the Broncos emerged from their first week of the regular season with a win thanks to a last second, miracle touchdown catch by Brandon Stokely.
The promised, revolutionary, one of a kind, never before seen in the NFL offense, engineered by first year coach Josh McDaniels was rather ordinary. Brandon Marshall’s play resembled a scolded child choking down vegetables at the dinner table before he could be excused. The offense sputtered most of the game producing only a paltry 12 points. One of the many stats that Coach McDaniels harped on in the off season was that the Broncos of old continually settled for field goals instead of touchdowns. In keeping with his code speak regarding injuries; someone should inform coach McD that his team has suffered a lack of entrance to the end zone.
Denver ’s revamped defense seemed to show the most promise of any phase of the team, holding the Bengals powerhouse offense scoreless through three quarters of football. However the Broncos went into a “prevent us from winning” defense in the final minutes of the game and allowed Carson Palmer to drive the Bengals 91 yards for a score. That go ahead score by the Bengals all but locked up the win for them and may have set the tone for the Broncos entire season had it not been for Stokely.
Instead the Broncos head into their second game of the season undefeated and with a better record than half of the teams in the league. Spurred by a last second victory, the Broncos are confident that while they still have some work to do, they can be a competitive team this year. Sometimes winning is just about getting the job done. Kyle Orton is widely regarded as being less physically gifted and a lower echelon QB than his trade partner Jay Cutler, but whose team got the win? Orton didn’t win the game for the Broncos, but he didn’t lose it like Cutler did for the Bears. Sometimes it’s better to be Orton than good.
