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Week 1 Game Recap: Denver Broncos 12, Cincinnati Bengals 7
Denver Broncos
| QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 17 - 28 - 243 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0 |
Orton was wearing a glove on his throwing hand because of his injured finger, but showed no ill effects when he threw the football. He was able to throw with surprising velocity, and the glove did not change the way the ball came out of his hand. Orton moved around well behind the line of scrimmage, and even though he was sacked three times he was not holding on to the ball too long. Being safe with the football was the name of the game for Orton, as he rarely threw into coverage and didn't throw much past 15 yards in the game. Orton placed the ball in the right spot on most of his throws, and he was leading his receivers well. However, he did get both Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall crushed by not anticipating the angle the defense was taking on his receivers. He'll have to improve in that area or else it could lead to an injury to one of his main weapons. When the game was on the line, Orton started to throw deep sideline routes and almost had one of his passes picked off. In fact, the pass to Brandon Marshall that was deflected by Leon Hall could have easily been intercepted. Instead, it was deflected and plucked out of the air by Brandon Stokley and the rest is week 1 history.
| RB Correll Buckhalter, Rush: 8 - 46 - 0, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (2 targets) |
Buckhalter was the starting running back for the Broncos, and he came out hot. He was running with a great initial burst, and showed good footwork and pad level picking up yards after contact. It seemed like Cbuck was just the shot in the arm this team needed to start out the game, but later he found his playing time reduced by rookie Knowshon Moreno. Buckhalter moved well between the tackles, and was only stopped behind the line of scrimmage on a couple of runs. Buckhalter is a very capable receiver, and with time winding down in the first half the Broncos sat the rookie and went back to Cbuck to set up a 48-yard field goal right before halftime. The team gave him two more carries in the 3rd quarter, and only 1 reception in the 4th quarter as they tried to rotate in LaMont Jordan as well as Moreno.
| RB Knowshon Moreno, Rush: 8 - 19 - 0 |
Moreno looked tentative running the football in his first action back since suffering a knee injury in the preseason. It seemed like he was thinking about his knee with every cut, and thus didn't have as much burst as starting running back Correll Buckhalter. His longest carry of the day was 8 yards, and the rookie went down too easily after contact -- perhaps to protect himself from further injury. The Broncos went away from Buckhalter to give Moreno opportunity, but he didn't produce like many expected. When he gets more confidence in his knee, perhaps we'll see the quick, agile, and decisive back that we saw at Georgia.
| RB Peyton Hillis, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (2 targets) |
Hillis is a strong runner, but didn't get much of a chance to strut his stuff on Sunday. The Broncos didn't look his way until the 3rd quarter, and he didn't produce much as a receiver or a runner. He lined up in the backfield at the same time with Knowshon Moreno, but the Broncos were using him more as a blocker on Sunday.
| RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 2 - 5 - 0 |
It seemed like the Broncos wanted Jordan to be their 4th quarter hammer because he didn't see any playing time until the next to last drive for Denver. He wasn't successful running the football to the right or the left because he seemed to be looking for cutback lanes that never opened up.
| WR Brandon Marshall, Rec: 4 - 27 - 0 (7 targets) |
The Broncos wanted to involve Brandon Marshall right away and get him in the flow of the game early. Orton's first pass was intended for Marshall on a bubble screen to the left, but the big wide receiver took his eyes off the ball and seemed to be thinking about running after the catch before securing it. The Broncos didn't go away from Brandon because of that play, but Marshall was noticeably absent on third-downs in the first half of the game. Marshall was very rusty from missing the preseason, and he seemed to be running routes at half speed sometimes. Most of Marshall's targets were on short crossing routes, but when Orton did heave it up for Marshall deep if fell incomplete. The pass went right through Marshall's hands, and it looked like he timed his jump incorrectly. When the game was on the line Kyle Orton kept force feeding passes to Brandon Marshall, and the pass that ended up winning the game was actually a deep sideline throw for #15.
| WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 3 - 25 - 0 (4 targets) |
Gaffney is one of the toughest players that coach McDaniels has ever been around, and the veteran played on Sunday with a broken thumb. This offense will only take a few shots downfield, and one of those targets was converted by Jabar Gaffney in the second-quarter. Most of his targets were on short passes and bubble screens, but Orton did throw to him on the deep left sideline. Gaffney did a good job of setting up his route and getting separation. However, the best thing he did on that play was to get both feet down before falling out of bounds. The play was reviewed by the officials, but stood as called on the field. Gaffney didn't get any targets in the second half, but did enough in his limited time to prove what a reliable receiver he can be for Kyle Orton.
| WR Eddie Royal, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (4 targets) |
The Broncos need to involve Eddie Royal more than they did on Sunday. He was not targeted with a pass until the 5:50 mark in the second-quarter. All of Royal's passes were short routes or WR screens that would allow him to use his run after the catch ability, but his longest catch of the day was only 11 yards. It's not that the Bengals were keeping Royal bottled up, it's just that Orton was spreading the ball around and Royal didn't get many looks his way. We expect the team to address this as well in the upcoming weeks.
| WR Brandon Stokley, Rec: 1 - 87 - 1 (4 targets) |
Brandon Stokley had the play of the game, but his day started out rough in this new system. Orton and Stokley seemed to be on different pages for most of the game, and all of Stokley's targets fell incomplete, although one of those targets was ruled as tipped at the line of scrimmage. Timing between Stokley and Orton was off, as passes were both ahead and behind of the veteran receiver. On the Broncos final offensive play Orton targeted Brandon Marshall deep on the left sideline. The pass was tipped by cornerback Leon Hall, and Stokley changed his gait to adjust while he ran under the ball. Stokley then turned on the jets, and outran veteran Dhani Jones to the endzone. The savvy veteran also ran more time off the clock by running parallel to the goalline instead of crossing it immediately. It was an incredible play that will overshadow a day that was mostly "off" for Stokley.
| TE Daniel Graham, Rec: 3 - 40 - 0 (3 targets) |
Kyle Orton didn't forget about veteran Daniel Graham on Sunday, but the big tight end wasn't targeted until the third-quarter. He hauled in all of his targets, but one 10-yard catch was called back due to a holding penalty. In the fourth-quarter Graham's number was called for three straight plays. One play was the aforementioned penalty, but the other two racked up 30 yards as Graham took short passes and turned them into sizeable gains with his underrated run after the catch ability.
| TE Tony Scheffler, Rec: 1 - 29 - 0 (2 targets) |
Tony Scheffler knows how to challenge the deep middle of a defense. He was targeted twice in this game, one short and to the left -- and one to the deep middle. His first target fell to the turf incomplete. It was thrown to the right spot, but Scheffler must have heard footsteps because he turned upfield before securing the pass in his hands. His deep target was hauled in on a great play where he brought the ball to his chest while falling to the ground. Orton distributed the ball to many different receivers, but Scheffler showed why he needs more targets with his one big play. Strangely enough, Tony Scheffler also intercepted a pass from Carson Palmer as the Broncos "hands" team was in on Cincy's hail Mary attempt.
Cincinnati Bengals
| QB Carson Palmer, Pass: 21 - 33 - 247 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 |
Carson Palmer looked rusty after missing most of the preseason due to an ankle injury. He started the game well and was effectively using big play weapons like Chad Ochocinco and Chris Henry in the first half. Palmer was aided by Cedric Benson and the ground game which helped keep the Broncos defense true, but too often their drives were de-railed by dropped passes, mainly from Laveranues Coles. The second half opened up with Palmer working out of the shotgun, but again the first drive stalled when Coles dropped another pass on 3rd and 7. The next drive the Broncos defense really turned up the heat, and sacked Palmer two times in a row. This seemed to get to Palmer, and he started throwing awkwardly and even moved his base foot as he threw one time, which led to a sailing (and incomplete) pass. In the fourth-quarter things started to get back on track for Palmer. He was again working out of the shotgun, and using Ochocinco and Andre Caldwell on short passes where they could use their run after the catch ability. Cedric Benson scored a touchdown with less than one minute to go, and the game seemed to be at hand. Then Brandon Stokley caught the "Immaculate Deflection" and the Bengals looked like the Bungles once again.
| RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 21 - 76 - 1, Rec: 4 - 32 - 0 (4 targets) |
Benson was running with good power and toughness on Sunday. He was patient running behind his offensive line, and waited for the exact right moment before he turned on the burst and hit the hole. Benson also had good vision, and cutback a few runs that otherwise would have gone for no gain. Carson Palmer threw a couple of short passes to Benson, and he used his agility to turn them into big plays. The Bengals offense seemed to get off track in the second and third quarters, and Benson wasn't nearly as productive as he was early on. The Broncos defense also seemed to play better, and was wrapping up Benson quickly instead of letting him get to the second level. With the game on the line in the fourth-quarter the team went back to Benson, while mixing in passes to Ochocinco and Andre Caldwell. Benson scored on a 1-yard plunge to give the Bengals the lead. He only lost a few carries to Brian Leonard and rookie Bernard Scott, and it looks like he may have finally found a home with Cincinnati.
| RB Brian Leonard, Rush: 2 - 6 - 0, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (2 targets) |
Leonard entered the game in the first-quarter on a 4th a 2 situation. The Broncos must have thought he was the upback for the punt unit, but there was no punter behind Leonard and he was really lining up in a Wildcat-like formation. Leonard took the snap and ran for five yards, giving the Bengals a first down and some much-needed momentum. It was his longest carry of the day, but Leonard provided Carson Palmer with a solid receiver out of the backfield too. All of his targets were on short passes, and one he turned into a long gain on the Bengals only scoring drive of the day.
| RB Bernard Scott, Rush: 1 - -6 - 0 |
The stat-line for Scott shows one carry for negative six yards, but it was actually an ill-fated backwards pass from Carson Palmer that led to the loss of yardage. Scott was not involved in this gameplan very much as the Bengals chose to use RB/FB Brian Leonard instead of the dynamic rookie.
| WR Chad Ochocinco, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0, Rec: 5 - 89 - 0 (7 targets) |
Ochocinco tweeted before the game that a "storm was coming" and early in this contest it looked like the artist formerly known as Chad Johnson would have a huge day. Known to never back down from a challenge, Chad was lined up against All-Pro Champ Bailey for most of the day. He made Bailey look silly on a sideline route where Chad broke back to the inside and left Champ grasping for air. Palmer's lone interception (outside of the hail Mary to end the game) was a pass intended for Ochocinco, and the Bengals were very creative in trying to get him the football. They even used him on a double reverse that had Palmer out in front blocking for him. Ochocinco was playing with a ton of confidence and bravado, and seemed to be very focused during this contest. His only blemish on the day was an offensive holding penalty, which cost his team 10-yards in the first-quarter. Fantasy owners should feel confident about Ochocinco's play, and his chemistry with QB Carson Palmer.
| WR Andre Caldwell, Rec: 6 - 54 - 0 (8 targets) |
While Coles disappointed with his play, Andre "Bubba" Caldwell had a standout performance. He was not targeted until the third-quarter, but Carson Palmer seemed to trust him more as the game went on. Caldwell needs to learn proper depth when running his routes, because his first catch was for 14 yards on a 3rd and 15. However, when the Bengals needed a score late in the game it was Ochocinco and Caldwell getting all the attention from Carson Palmer. Caldwell looked good on passes over the middle, and has the type of run after the catch ability to make him dangerous -- even on short passes. With less than a minute to go it looked like Caldwell scored a 6-yard touchdown on a short middle pass. The replay officials reviewed the play and decided that the ball did not cross the plane of the endzone. With Coles being a disappointment, and Henry's thigh injury preventing him from doing more it looks like Andre Caldwell may become an important part of this Bengals passing offense.
| WR Chris Henry, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) |
Henry is a nightmare to cover, and early on it looked like Denver may have a problem stopping him. His first and only catch was a big one for 18 yards, but a thigh injury he sustained earlier in the week prevented him from doing more in this game.
| WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (5 targets) |
Coles would like to forget this game and move on to the next contest. His timing with Carson Palmer seemed to be off, and he dropped more passes than he caught at the end of the day. Coles also seemed to have lost a step (or two) and was seriously outplayed by second-year receiver Andre Caldwell. Palmer only targeted Coles on short routes, but the veteran receiver seemed to be worried about getting his bell rung instead of securing the football.
| TE John Paul Foschi, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) |
Foschi was a relief valve receiver for Carson Palmer on a 2nd and 10 play out of the shotgun. He didn't do much with the pass, only taking it for 3 yards.
| TE Dan Coats, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (2 targets) |
he Bengals historically don't use their tight ends much, but Daniel Coats proved that he could be a reliable receiver for Carson Palmer. Working out of the shotgun, Palmer found Coats over the middle on a 3rd and 3. In his lone opportunity Coats made the most of the reception and ran upfield for 16 yards on the play. Coats will not be a fantasy factor in this offense, but could be a trusted target for Palmer once in a while.