Broncos beat Lions: Big plays from Sunday’s victory
It was an ugly game for the most part, but the Denver Broncos’ defense was phenomenal and the offense made some huge plays to lead the team to a big victory in Detroit against Calvin Johnson and the Lions.
Let’s recap some of the biggest plays on the night:
Owen Daniels sighting
We have an Owen Daniels sighting. After the slowest possible start in the first 3 games, the tight end that was signed away from the Baltimore Ravens made one of the best catches of the season so far. This play was on a third down at a critical juncture where the Broncos had a chance to either put the game away or — at worst — go up by 8 points and leave the Lions with a low percentage chance of coming back and even tying the game. The catch by Daniels was absolutely clutch, but the read pre-snap by Manning was outstanding as it seemed he knew without a question that pressure was coming off of his blind side, so he called a perfect play.
Emmanuel Sanders ridiculous grab
I mean…what?
David Bruton comes up huge…again
This interception by David Bruton in the 4th quarter was incredibly clutch. He came through here in a big way for the Broncos’ defense, which was on its heels a bit and only up by 5 points. He stepped in the passing lane, which was otherwise open, and made a huge play. Bruton, you’ll remember, has made some of the biggest plays on defense for the Broncos so far this season, including the tip that resulted in Darian Stewart’s week 1 interception.
Demaryius Thomas TD catch
On something of a forgettable night for Demaryius Thomas (fumble lost, a handful of dropped passes) this was an incredible play that gave the Broncos a huge momentum shift going into the locker room at halftime. These are plays we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Dez Bryant, but this hasn’t always been Demaryius Thomas’ strongest point.
This was great to see.
Bradley Roby’s interception
This play happened earlier in the game, but it was incredible. Look at how Roby stretches out like a centerfielder for this pass…
Shaq Barrett’s strip sack
This play doesn’t have a vine or anything yet on Twitter (if you find one, let us know) but Shaq Barrett came in off the sideline and gave the Broncos a big time boost in the pass rush in the 2nd half. With basically no pass rush after a good halftime adjustment by the Lions, the Broncos needed a hit on Stafford in a bad way and Barrett provided it — and then some. He forced a fumble on the Lions QB which resulted in a field goal by Brandon McManus.
The Broncos are undefeated, everyone. 3-0.
The Vikings are up next.
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