Click here to see all recaps on a single page
| Other Week 11 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI at SEA | BAL at NYG | CHI at GB | CLE at BUF | DAL at WAS | DEN at ATL | DET at CAR | HOU at IND |
| MIN at TB | NO at KC | NYJ at NE | OAK at MIA | PHI at CIN | SD at PIT | STL at SF | TEN at JAX |
Week 11 Game Recap: Denver Broncos 24, Atlanta Falcons 20
What you need to know
| Denver Broncos |
The Denver Broncos, despite a depleted offense, managed to outlast the Atlanta Falcons and pull out a key road victory.
QB Jay Cutler played smart and did not throw any interceptions. He hit TE Daniel Graham deep in the end zone with a low pass on an apparent busted play for the game winning score in the fourth quarter.
RB Peyton Hillis shouldered most of the load for the Broncos and ended up with two scores on the day. RB Tatum Bell and RB P.J. Pope also split carries with Hillis. Pope was effective with his limited carries reeling off two rushes of fifteen yards. WR Eddie Royal also took three handoffs in the first half.
WR Brandon Marshall was the go-to guy for Cutler, hauling-in a crucial 47 yard catch in the fourth quarter that led to the game winning score for the Broncos. WR Eddie Royal was also a key part of the offense and returned kicks. TE Tony Scheffler was held without a catch and outside of Graham's touchdown the Denver tight ends did not do much as a group.
The Broncos defense outperformed expectations against a potent Falcons offense. They typically stacked seven defenders in the box to limit RB Michael Turner and managed to pick off QB Matt Ryan once. The Falcons still had a chance to win the game but WR Roddy White could not hold onto a touchdown catch on third and eighteen with under a minute to go in the game.
| Atlanta Falcons |
The Atlanta Falcons suffered their first home loss of the season but played well in the loss in all aspects of the game.
QB Matt Ryan continues to play well in his rookie season. He looks poised and makes good decisions from the pocket. He nearly hit WR Roddy White on third and eighteen with less than a minute left in the end zone but White could not reel the ball in. Ryan threw one interception and nearly had another picked off by LB Jamie Winborn on the team's final drive of the game.
RB Michael Turner was forced to deal with seven defenders in the box for most of the game but still managed strong numbers on the day. His 28 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty as he evaded defenders with his speed and outran them to the end zone.
Despite his one miscue, White played well and put together another 100 yard receiving game. WR Michael Jenkins continues to be a consistent second option and WR Brian Finneran was key for the Falcons on third down situations. No tight ends showed up for Atlanta in the loss.
The Falcons defense played decently in the loss. They were unable to secure any turnovers but generally managed to hold the Broncos running game in check as the Falcons dominated time of possession.
The entire Falcons team played well enough to win but missed a couple of key opportunities that could have sealed the victory for them, both on offense and defense.
What you ought to know
| QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 19 - 27 - 216 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0 |
QB Jay Cutler played well and led his team to victory on the road despite a depleted offensive line-up. Cutler did not turn the ball over and found TE Daniel Graham in the end zone in the fourth quarter to give the team the lead and the win. He hit WR Brandon Marshall for a big 47 yard gain in the fourth quarter that helped set up that game wining score but otherwise did not go deep very often.
| RB Peyton Hillis, Rush: 10 - 44 - 2, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) |
RB Peyton Hillis was the featured back for the Broncos in week 11, but did not receive an over-abundance of carries. He hauled-in three catches and carried the ball fourteen times in the win. He scored two touchdowns but was not overly dominating.
| RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 7 - 34 - 0 |
RB Tatum Bell saw a good amount of playing time despite only being re-signed earlier in the week. He split carries with RB Peyton Hillis and RB P.J. Pope, although Hillis saw the most carries. Bell failed on a fourth and one conversion attempt early in the game.
| RB P.J. Pope, Rush: 4 - 35 - 0 (1 targets) |
RB P.J. Pope was promoted from the practice squad last week and saw limited action in week 11. Two of his four carries went for fifteen yards each and all of his attempts came in the second half.
| WR Eddie Royal, Rush: 3 - 7 - 0, Rec: 4 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) |
WR Eddie Royal made a nice full-stretch catch for four yards in the first quarter but did not haul-in any big receptions in the win. He also returned kicks and had some nice returns of 58 yards and 40 yards. Royal took three handoffs in the first half which was tied for most attempts for the team going into halftime.
| WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 6 - 89 - 0 (9 targets) |
WR Brandon Marshall was once again the leading receiver for Denver. He hooked up with QB Jay Cutler for a 47 yard reception on a third and seven in the fourth quarter that helped set up the game winning score.
| WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (3 targets) |
WR Brandon Stokley was not much of a factor in the win for the Broncos.
| TE Nate Jackson, Rec: 2 - 32 - 0 (2 targets) |
TE Nate Jackson caught two passes in the victory and outside of TE Daniel Graham's touchdown he was the most effective tight end for Denver.
| TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 1 - 9 - 1 (2 targets) |
TE Daniel Graham dove to catch the game winning touchdown pass from scrambling QB Jay Cutler in the fourth quarter in the back of the end zone on an apparently busted play. It was his only catch.
| TE Tony Scheffler (2 targets) |
TE Tony Scheffler was held without a catch. He was only targeted twice including once in the end zone where he was overthrown by QB Jay Cutler but he was able to get a hand on it.
| PK Matt Prater 1 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 6 points |
PK Matt Prater missed a 49 yard field goal in the second quarter but was otherwise perfect on the day.
| DEN Rush Defense |
The Broncos held RB Michael Turner to a slow start by piling-up on the line of scrimmage but the Falcons committed to the run and Turner still ended up with 81 yards and two scores on the day.
| DEN Pass Defense |
DB Dre Bly managed one interception off of QB Matt Ryan and LB Jamie Winborn nearly sealed the victory earlier in the fourth quarter with an interception but he was unable to hold onto the ball. The Broncos were able to come up with the stops they needed late in the game to hold on to the win.
| QB Matt Ryan, Pass: 20 - 33 - 250 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 5 - 18 - 0 |
QB Matt Ryan continues his impressive rookie campaign despite the home loss. Despite the one interception, he played well and scrambled successfully when necessary. Ryan has a good feel for the pocket and when to move to avoid defenders. He nearly hit WR Roddy White for a score on third and eighteen on the team's last drive but White was unable to hold on and the team failed to make the comeback.
| RB Michael Turner, Rush: 25 - 81 - 2 |
RB Michael Turner faced a stacked line of scrimmage from the Denver Broncos but still managed to put up some solid numbers in the loss. Turner used his speed and evasiveness to avoid a series of defenders on a 28 yard scoring scamper in the fourth quarter. The Falcons committed to the run and Turner was able to use his speed and toughness to score twice.
| RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 4 - 18 - 0, Rec: 3 - 25 - 0 (6 targets) |
RB Jerious Norwood was unavailable for a good portion of the game because of some bruised ribs that he suffered during the game but he was able to return in the second half.
| WR Roddy White, Rec: 5 - 102 - 0 (9 targets) |
WR Roddy White had a strong outing in the loss. On a third and eighteen late in the fourth quarter, White dropped a surefire touchdown pass from QB Matt Ryan and the team went on to lose. If he had caught the ball the Falcons would have likely won the contest.
| WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 5 - 55 - 0 (6 targets) |
WR Michael Jenkins continues to be a reliable target for QB Matt Ryan but lacks the big yardage numbers that fellow WR Roddy White can put up.
| WR Brian Finneran, Rec: 4 - 44 - 0 (5 targets) |
WR Brian Finneran was a key target for QB Matt Ryan. He converted on three third down receptions. He also returned punts.
| WR Laurent Robinson |
WR Laurent Robinson left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return.
| TE Justin Peelle (1 targets) |
TE Justin Peelle did not make any catches in the loss.
| PK Jason Elam 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points |
PK Jason Elam was perfect on field goals and extra points.
| ATL Rush Defense |
The Falcons rush defense was not overwhelmed by the multi-pronged rushing attack of the Denver Broncos but they did manage to let up just over 100 yards on the ground and two rushing scores.
| ATL Pass Defense |
Overall, the Falcons did a decent job against the Broncos pass offense. The game winning touchdown pass appeared to be on a broken play but QB Jay Cutler was able to hit TE Daniel Graham with a low pass deep in the end zone. The Falcons were unable to intercept any passes and only sacked Cutler once.
