Broncos Gameday Recap: Game 6 - vs Jets

Jets 24 Broncos 20

LaDainian Tomlinson and the Jets just barely squeaked by a very game Broncos team in Denver on Sunday.

"Grand Theft: Football Game." I tweeted this out as I angrily walked back to my car after from Invesco Field on Sunday. I was livid at the end of the game, and now that I've had time to digest it, I'll concede that MAYBE it was conceivable for the ref to toss a flag for pass interference on 4th and 6 which basically handed the game to the Jets. However, I still believe the ref really should have kept the flag in his pocket.

The Broncos won that game, and then a call that shouldn't have been made was made, and they lost it. It was a beautiful Colorado October day. Invesco Field was more Orange that it has ever been. The Broncos were playing with a passion and intensity that we haven't seen all year, and they were outplaying the Jets. Heck, even Tim Tebow scored his first career touchdown today. It was a game that by all rights should have been Denver's, and yet at the end, it wasn't.

Champ Bailey is still very good.

That was an awful way to lose a game that the Broncos really deserved. Then to have it end with a whimper on a bobbled snap, when we were poised for a epic finish...It just hurt. That was a entertaining game from start to finish, and to be robbed of the drama at the end was hard to take. In the end, it was a game that although it will go down as a loss in the record book, I felt better about my Broncos at the end of it. There are no moral victories in the NFL, but this game was about as close as one can get. The Broncos were a good team today, and they really should have beaten a team that has to be considered Top 5 in the NFL right now.

Positives:

Syd'Quan Thompson was just one of many Broncos on the defensive side who had a very solid game.

The Defense: The Broncos defense was stout today. Forcing a team that had previously only given up one turnover into three today. Mark Sanchez looked over matched for much of the day. The Broncos defense gave up only 319 total yards, and they were great on 3rd downs holding the Jets to 5-13 on 3rd down. Sanchez hadn't thrown an interception all season, and the Broncos took 2 from him, and almost had three or four more additional that they just dropped.

The Running Game: The running-game challenged Broncos out rushed one of the better running teams in the NFL today 145 yards to 129 yards. Tim Tebow got into the act as the second leading rusher with six carries for 23 yards. Kyle Orton also had several key scrambles, and Knowshon Moreno returned from injury to have a solid day as well. After several weeks of a dreadful rushing attack, it was nice to be competent again.

Tim Tebow knows how to celebrate a touchdown.

Tim Tebow: His touchdown run in the second quarter was electric. I haven't seen a Bronco crowd that excited about a touchdown since the Elway era. Even though he only ran for 23 yards on the day and his long run of the day was a mere six yards, every time he was on the field the excitement levels jumped. Denver has fallen completely in love with Tebow.

The Color Orange: Okay, so this may sound dumb, but the Broncos game today felt a little old school. It was officially "Orange Sunday" with that phrase being plastered all over things from souvenir cups to rally towels that were handed out. The Broncos were wearing Orange, the crowd came decked in more orange than I have ever seen at Invesco, and the atmosphere was almost collegiate. I know it has very little to do with the outcome of the game, but today's game felt a little different and more intense, and as crazy as it sounds, I felt like the fact that Orange was so predominant today transferred to the intensity of the team on the field. Yes, that is a ridiculous thing to say, but I honestly felt it today.

Negatives:

This should not have been a penalty.

Pass Interference: You can't make that call. You just can't. Renaldo Hill and Santonio Holmes were both going for the ball. You have got to let that one go. If that flag never hits the ground, the Broncos kneel on the ball a few times and walk off the field with a well deserved win. Ugh, that hurts.

The Game ended with a fizzle, as Kyle Orton was unable to corral this fumbled snap.

Kyle Orton: He's been gangbusters all season, but today Kyle was off. His passes were often off target, he seemed to be not on the same page with his receivers, and there was just something not quite right about his game today. He finished a rather poor 14-34 for 209 yards. He still played with a lot of heart, and made some big plays with his feet, but today was not his finest hour.

The Field Goal unit: Lonie Paxton flubbed a first half snap that caused what should have been an easy field goal try to not even be able to be kicked, and Prater missed a 49 yarder. Not that we can blame the loss on that, but those are six points that would have been valuable in a four point loss. On the plus side, Prater did nail a 59 yarder at the end of the half that would have been good from 67 yards.

Final Thought:

Demaryius Thomas hauls in a touchdown to put the Broncos up 17-10.

This really should have been a win, and I'm proud of my team. There are different kinds of losses. All of them hurt, but after the Ravens loss last week, I was embarrassed to be a Broncos fan. After today's loss, I was proud of my team, and am hopeful for the future. Still...a win would have been nice, especially considering how close they came. Oh well, we'll get em next week when the hated Raiders come calling. Go Broncos!