sports-notebook.blogspot.com . . . FOR MORE ANALYSIS, GO TO "MILE HIGH
SPORTS RADIO," AM1510 or FM93.7, and to Denver
NFL --- QUICKLY after its
take from the currently NFL-American Conference West’s 6-2 Denver Broncos on
Sunday, the now AC East’s 7-2 N.E. Patriots shifted the NFL-2014 landscape,
becoming lead AC + league franchise, set to be at Bye during Week 10, then to
face the now AC South’s leading team, the 5-3 Indianapolis Colts, during Week
11, last night the latter having defeated the National Conference East’s third
place 3-4 N.Y. Giants, 40-24. . . THE
Broncos are still leading the AC West, second best in the AC, one won game above
the now 5-3 K.C. Chiefs, with the S.D. Chargers having dropped to third position
within the AC West on Sunday from a 37-0 loss to the AC East’s Miami Seattle
Broncos,
Patriots---IT may have looked like two quarterbacks
facing one another inside a ring, the Patriots QB prevailing over the Broncos QB
and that’s what caused the Broncos to lose to the Patriots on Sunday, 43-21.
No-one thought like this after the Broncos 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks
during NFL-2014’s Week 3. Sunday’s NFL Week 9 Broncos loss to the Patriots was
even less of a contest among QB’s than was that Broncos/Seahawks game. From
comparing Sunday’s Patriots QB Tom Brady and Broncos QB Peyton Manning game
data, it’s apparent that a lot more than QB actions determined the final score,
for instance, the Broncos defense was obviously wanting during each of the
game’s four periods: the 43 points given away to the Brady-led offense was the
most allowed to an opposition by the Broncos defense since Week 1, when the
Broncos defense gave 24 points away to the AC South’s now 5-3 Indianapolis
Colts. During each of the Broncos matches from Week 1 on, including Sunday’s
loss to the Patriots, the Broncos Manning-led offense managed to put 20 or more
points on the board, winning six of the eight games played, with 24 or fewer
points given away by the Broncos defense in any of the six wins. Too, during the
Sunday loss to the Patriots, the Broncos achieved only three fewer first downs
than the Patriots had, 26 vs. the Patriots 29. Also, the Broncos offense accrued
more net yards than the Patriots, 472 over 398, which included more passing
yards gained, 429 over 332. In addition, the Broncos average gain per play was
more than that of the Patriots, 7.4 above 6.1. And, Manning threw for 438 yards,
Brady for 333 yards, Manning completing 34 passes, Brady, 33. But---Brady’s
passing yielded four TD’s, Manning’s passes but two, and the Patriots managed to
rush for 66 net yards, the Broncos for less, 43. Among key factors behind the
Broncos loss, however, were the four Patriots receivers attaining a TD apiece,
empowered from Brady’s right-on passing and the Broncos defense unable to keep
that from happening when they could have, and surely from Broncos inability to
stop that 84 yard run for a TD from Patriots WR, Julian Edelman, and there was
no stopping Patriots TE Ron Gronkowski from his gain of 109 yards. It seemed
that the Patriots offense expected that a Broncos defense would attempt to keep
it from spreading wide and to the sides, an error in that a QB like Tom Brady is
most capable of short or long passes and hand-offs down the crowded middle
speedily and with great accuracy to receivers shifting directions and to an RB
for the rush, thus a Broncos defense concept was perhaps exploited by the
Patriots offense, against which the Broncos defense couldn’t recover enough
times. Yes, Broncos WR Emanuel Sanders ran for 151 yards and WR Demaryius Thomas
for 127 yards, superior in distance to that of the Patriots receivers, the
difference being that neither of the two Broncos receivers did so for a TD, more
than suggesting that the Broncos WR protection, i.e., a defense within an
offense, just wasn’t where it should have been, in addition to the Broncos pass
rush being steps behind and so unable to enact enough disorientation or
disruption of the Brady passing or rush tactics. The one Broncos sack of Brady
yielded a loss of less than two yards. So, a wake-up call for the Broncos
defense is this: regression can always occur for the secondary that has shown
vast improvements, it’s the two steps forward and one backward syndrome that
nearly all improving secondary squads endure during a football season. Next up
for the Broncos, the 0-8 Oakland Raiders, and surely the Broncos know that there
are rarely slam-dunks for any NFL franchise, no matter its winning record to
date. There can’t be an NFL-2014 team that is more hungry for a win as Week 10
approaches than the 0-8 Raiders, and no team can be more concerned about
avoiding an embarrassment than the Broncos after its Sunday loss to the Patriots
from a 22 point deficit. Next Sunday, the Patriots will be at Bye, then face the
AC South’s 5-3 Indianapolis Colts, Week 11. Likely outcomes over the next two
weeks means that the Broncos and Patriots will be close in the standings and
could meet again as contenders for the AC crown and a Super Bowl
billet.
NBA --- AMONG NBA teams that
were post-season competitors during the NBA 2013/14 season and that have had
poor starts in the new season, are the Oklahoma City Thunder, having lost three
of its four regulation games played so far, landing at 1-3 and last place within
the Western Conference’s Northwest Division. Add, the San Antonio Spurs being at
1-1 and at fourth position of the WC’s Southeast Division. Not a surprise, the
WC’s Pacific Division’s L.A. Lakers are quite low within the NBA today, last
place in the division from having lost all four of its games to date. Also
winless as of now are the EC Atlantic Division’s Philadelphia
END/ml
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