Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE
At first glance the defense for the Denver Broncos struggled versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, but numbers can be misleading. There’s no doubt that they have to get better on third down, the Steelers stayed in the game because of their success on that down. However when the chips were down and the game was on the line, the Broncos defense came up big.
In any other year, Tracy Porter would have been a headline signing in free agency but not when one of those signings was a guy named Peyton Manning. Porter proved his worth, though, with the game clinching interception that he also returned for a touchdown. The Broncos have been searching forever for the guy to play opposite of, Champ Bailey and they have found him. In addition to the interception, Porter had a pass breakup down the sideline that would have been a touchdown for the Steelers.
The Broncos gave up some yards and some points, but they never broke. Once they got the lead in the fourth quarter, the pass rush finally got to Ben Rothlisberger. They came up with three late sacks that put a quick end to any thoughts of a miracle comeback.
While the Broncos struggled some in defending the pass, they have to be encouraged by their run defense. That was a major question coming into the season but the Steelers could not run the ball with any consistency. If they can continue to stop the run, then the pass rush will eventually produce results as we saw in the fourth quarter versus the Steelers.
The defense for the Denver Broncos was good enough to win on Sunday night but they need to get better, especially on third downs. The schedule only gets tougher and they are facing a great quarterback every week, time to go back to work!
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