NFL:   Broncos lose to the Falcons; Around the horn, Week-2

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NFL:   THE Denver Broncos lost initiative and control almost immediately in the first quarter of its Monday night NFL week-2 game against the Atlanta Falcons, QB Peyton Manning “outmanned” by three intercepts, a fumble and four turnovers, the Falcons ahead 20-0.

Not until mid-2d Q could the Broncos show evidence of a comeback, Manning leading a 13 play/80 yard drive for a TD.

But well before endgame, the Broncos offense and defense ruled, with TD runs by Willis McGahee and Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos positioned for the game-winning TD that couldn’t be, absented by the Falcons recovering the ball with less than four minutes to go, accruing first downs conservatively, mostly playing the clock, final score: 27-21, Falcons.

            That first quarter was lost by the Broncos to a Falcons defense that prevented QB Manning and his receivers from adjusting fast enough for pass/catch and handoff connects, due largely to Denver’s pass protection unable to be where it needed to be so that Manning could move the football forward on his own terms, in effect, the defense within the Broncos offense remained vulnerable to being neutralized by the Falcons defense.

Too, the Broncos defense could not return the favors in that first quarter, it was outgunned by a Falcons QB (Matt Ryan) and outrun by Ryan’s canny receivers. No doubt, it’s film of that first quarter that the Broncos will be reviewing during coming days, to ad nauseam.

            But the efficiency and recovery power of the Broncos cannot be ignored---Manning’s multiple first down drives starting with those of the second quarter, his passes long and short, showed that his strengths still outweigh his vulnerabilities, and that the latter has less to do with his skills and speed than with the support that a QB needs when in the pocket. . .  Not that Manning’s years in the game haven’t caused him to lose a step or two---he won’t be throwing for more than 500 yards in a game, like brother Eli recently.

            Many observers have been saying that a difference in the time factor, in, say, the Broncos having another three, maybe four minutes of play, would have offered up a 28-27 win for the Denver franchise. But there’s no way of proving this. Still, the game’s stats provide a good Broncos story, e.g, Broncos running back Willis McGahee running for 113 yards from 22 carries and for two Broncos TD’s.

Too, Denver put up 24 first downs, two more than accrued by the Falcons. Also, Denver led Atlanta in total net yards gained and in average yards gained per play. Only four Falcon receivers gained double-digit yards per man, while nine Broncos receivers achieved double digit-yards each.

            Of course, head coaches of the NFL teams preparing to play the Broncos in upcoming games will be looking at the causes that allowed the first quarter intercepts of Manning’s passes, a fumble and the four turnovers, plus the yardage gained against the Broncos by the Falcons Roddy White, who ran for 102 yards and a TD, and Gonzalez for 70 yards and a TD; however, most of the coaches and tactical coordinators will realize and admit publicly that such values are usually flukes rather than the standard happenings when competing against a team that begins dominating and recovering from a second quarter onward.

Next Sunday, when the one win/one loss Broncos will be playing the 2-0 Houston Texans, big money won’t be pushing Manning and company to the rear.

Around the horn, NFL Week 2 

Thus far in the NFL season, only two American Football Conference teams have won all their regulation games, the San Diego Chargers of the AFC West and the Texans, AFC South.

Within the National Football Conference are four teams having won all of their competitions to date, the Arizona Cardinals, NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers, NFC West, the Philadelphia Eagles, NFC East, and the Atlanta Falcons, NFC South.

Five AFC teams have lost all of their games, the Kansas City Chiefs, AFC West, the Oakland Raiders, AFC West, the Cleveland Browns, AFC North, the Tennessee Titans, AFC South, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, AFC South.

Within the NFC, there’s only one double-Zero team, the New Orleans Saints.

The Chargers and the Texans are tied for first place within the AFC, and the Cardinals, Eagles and Falcons are tied for first in the NFC.

Last season’s Super Bowl winner, the New York Giants, are in last place of its division, NFC East, while 2011/12 post-season contender the New England Patriots holds second place within the AFC East, and the Green Bay Packers, first place, NFC North.

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