Broncos Game Winning Field Goal Solidifies Defense’s Effort Against Seahawks

The worry and the wonder may have infiltrated the east coast today all because of a hurricane named Irene, but in Denver the headache and the heartache could be felt permeating Tarvaris Jackson all because of a hurricane named Von.

Von Miller recorded two sacks on a night that saw the Broncos starting defense play into the third quarter and hold Seattle to 3 first half points and 39 first half yards.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys on this defense,” Miller said. “As long as we keep taking steps every game and every practice, I think we’ll be alright.”

Von Miller, the Broncos No. 2 overall draft selection, may look like Clark Kent with those thick rimmed glasses, but when combined with sack expert Elvis Dumervil, the two look more like a Batman and Robin duo.

“Obviously we thought a lot of Von Miller to draft him in that spot and getting Elvis back is huge, both in the locker room as well as on the field, so they’re a pretty good little tandem,” John Fox said after the game.

The Broncos third preseason game filled fans with hope, anticipation, and a side of security.

Yes, the Broncos walked away with a 23-20 win after kicker Steve Hauschka nailed the game winner with a tie score and a clock that read 0:00 as the ball hit the net. The more promising aspect of the game, however, was the fact that Denver’s starting defense looked great.

As far as the offense is concerned, let’s just say that they felt lucky to have such a strong defensive backbone.

Just like last season, it was the Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow show. They were the only two QBs who saw action on this warm night.

Orton and the rest of the starters played into the third quarter. He finished going 16-for-23 for 236 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception. Orton was on very little sleep after his first daughter was born at 3 am Friday morning. The guy may be a veteran QB, but he’s a rookie dad, and he handled his dual duties of professional athlete and “dad” very well.

It helped that the Broncos were able to get their running game going. They had 148 yards rushing to put towards their 450 yards of total offense. Knowshon Moreno led the team with 47 yards on 10 carries.

Rookie Julius Thomas went on a tear and led the team in receiving with 4 catches for 70 yards. Eric Decker was another favorite target of Orton’s as he had 4 catches for 45 yards and 1 TD.

The team had trouble converting on third and short, going 4-for-13 on third down, and 0-for-1 on a fourth-and-one.

As halftime turned into the third quarter, you could feel the crowd’s vibe change. They knew what was coming and the cheers began. “Tebow!”

Tebow went 6-for-11 for 93 yards, and guided the offense down the field in final 1:19 with the score tied. His drive was highlighted by a 19-yard scramble and a Lance Ball reception for 26 yards. Fox was was pleased with Tebow’s overall effort, but talked about his unorthodox style.

“Without watching the tape, I think he moved the team, not always pretty, albeit, but I think he finds ways and he was able to get us in field goal range to kick the winning field goal, so all that’s good,” Fox said.

For a preseason game, Rocky Mountain Thunder was especially loud urging the Broncos to pull of a win at home before they return home in just over two weeks to play host the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football.

If the heart that pumps orange and blue blood through the body can carry the same effort and fighting spirit over to September 12, then we have a Mile High list of things to look forward to in 2011.

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