Broncos LT Chris Clark Almost Perfect Replacing Ryan Clady

Sep 23, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos left tackle Chris Clark (75) blocks Oakland Raiders defensive end Lamarr Houston (99) during the second half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 37-21. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest concern for any Denver Broncos fan going into Monday night’s matchup with the Oakland Raiders was whether or not left tackle Chris Clark would be up to the task replacing All-Pro Ryan Clady.

Clark–as some expected–answered the call in a big way.

The Broncos ran 73 offensive plays, and Clark had one mistake where he allowed a strip sack on Peyton Manning, but the other 72 plays were nearly flawless.

Manning was sacked just the one time on the night, and Clark’s performance is hopefully a launching pad for improvement this season.

“Excited about the game, excited about the outcome, thought I played pretty well,” Clark said. “Of course, there was that one mistake, one mishap that I’ll be thinking about.”

If Clark is able to make some strides and improve upon this performance, the Broncos will be in good shape the rest of the season. They won’t have an All-Pro playing the left tackle position, but they’ll at least have a guy who can do a solid job week in and week out, a luxury not many teams in the league have.