Good Monday morning, Broncos fans. A reason to celebrate: Playoff football continues in the Mile High City. This is your Broncos Insider Newsletter.
Front page of the Monday, Jan. 13, 2014 front page. CLICK TO ENLARGE.
Broncos Extra front page for Monday, Jan. 13, 2014. CLICK TO ENLARGE.
FRONT PAGES: Denver Post "GHOSTBUSTERS"… "WHEW!" … See the pages: http://dpo.st/1gziKgW and http://dpo.st/1gzinCM
San Diego Union-Tribune: "TIME’S UP FOR BOLTS" Season ends in Denver as Chargers are unbound too late to overcome the Broncos: http://bit.ly/1d0Ii22
RELIVE THE GAME in 75 pictures from The Post’s seven (7!) photographers shooting the game: http://dpo.st/1eNHO2u
It’s Manning vs. Brady in the AFC Championship: Kickoff is early … 1 p.m. Sunday in Denver … Current forecast from the National Weather Service is mostly sunny, with a high near 59 degrees (no mention of wind).
PLAYOFF TICKETS go on sale Monday at 10 a.m., open only to people with a billing address in Rocky Mountain state … prices range from $90 to $600. http://dpo.st/1eNU2YZ
JOIN US … for Press Box Live from 7-9 a.m. recapping the Broncos’ 24-17 win over the Chargers and looking ahead to Sunday. http://dpo.st/press-box
IN TRYING TO PROTECT a seven-point lead late in the game, the Broncos did not run the ball on third-and-long. On third-and-17, deep in their own end, Peyton Manning passed … to a wide-open Julius Thomas near the Broncos’ sideline for a 21-yard gain.
“It was the perfect call,” Manning said, giving all the credit to offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
“It was a lack of communication on our part,” said San Diego coach and former Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. http://dpo.st/1doRPGg
Unlike a year ago at the same time and place, [Peyton] Manning’s knee on grass signaled the start of a celebration that echoed across the Rockies, writes Post columnist Woody Paige. “Rather ironic,” the Broncos quarterback said. “Different circumstances, though."http://dpo.st/1iFAzMD
QUOTES OF THE DAY from Peyton Manning, in his postgame press conference: “What’s weighing on my mind is how soon I can get a Bud Light in my mouth. That’s priority one.”
Watch the remarks: http://dpo.st/1gzj0wp
"I guess it was that invisible fence again that got me,”
says Eric Decker, on his trip during a 47-yard punt return (and what would have almost certainly been a touchdown).
"And if we’d got [the ball]one more time, I believe deep down we would have tied that thing up. But we didn’t. Those are all a bunch of what-ifs." — Philip Rivers. Watch the remarks here: http://dpo.st/1dgRioc
"FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 365 NIGHTS, a city in love with the Broncos got a truly sound night’s sleep. The year-long nightmare is over", writes Post columnist Mark Kiszla. "The Broncos did more than win a playoff game. They buried a ghost. For 365 days, ever since an overtime loss in the postseason stunned the Broncos, the city and its NFL team had an uneasy sense of unfinished business." http://dpo.st/1eO2aZf
THE VICTORY MEANT SALVATION FOR FANS still grieving last year’s playoff loss, notes The Post’s Sadie Gurman [reporting at her first NFL game] to the Baltimore Ravens, scenes of which weighed heavily on their minds. The Chargers scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, and it looked like, for a moment, that history might repeat itself. http://dpo.st/1eA4Au6
The Broncos defense believed, writes Post columnist Benjamin Hochman. "And the Broncos defense, swarming with swagger, overwhelmed the Chargers for most of the playoff victory Sunday. Confident? Nah, this was cocky. [...]
"I mean, for three quarters, it was 1977 all over again." http://dpo.st/1eO1DGV
BRONCOS SET THE TONE EARLY with a physical attack against Philip Rivers and running the ball effectively, writes The Denver Post’s Terry Frei. “We didn’t know what the elements were going to be like,” said right guard Louis Vasquez, coming off an All-Pro regular season. “It (the running game) was what we were emphasizing all week because of that, and we put it on ourselves up front to control the line of scrimmage. I feel like we did it the majority of the game, and the end result speaks for itself. “When we’re on the field, we’re keeping the ball out of the opposing team’s hands, and anytime we can do that, it’s a plus.”http://dpo.st/1eNYy9K
CHRIS HARRIS will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of his knee injury (X-rays were negative), but it is almost certain he will not play in the AFC Championship, another blow to Jack Del Rio and Denver’s already weakened defense.
Peyton Manning talks to his offense during the first quarter against the San Diego Chargers in Denver on Jan. 12, 2014. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
"THIS TIME THE KNEE was an exclamation point. It was the final piece of punctuation on a chapter the Broncos had waited a year to close," writes ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. "When quarterback Peyton Manning knelt in victory formation on the last play of a 24-17 win over the San Diego Chargers … you could say a hard-nosed January wind off the Continental Divide was simply an entire region’s sigh of relief." http://es.pn/1lTuizm
ONLY FIVE FIRST DOWNS through three quarters for the Chargers, writes The Post’s Irv Moss from the Chargers locker room. "Rivers called timeouts in frustration to avoid penalties because the offense wasn’t lined up correctly. The Chargers’ defensive linemen had five encroachment penalties, several helping to keep Broncos drives alive." http://dpo.st/1gzkmXM
"IN HIS FIRST GAME BACK in five weeks, [Wes]Welker’s performance was mixed," writes The Post’s Mike Klis. "He made six catches, including a 3-yard touchdown reception which was big at the time, giving the Broncos a 14-0 lead, and became even bigger when the Broncos hung on for a 24-17 victory. He also drew a 23-yard pass interference penalty in the fourth quarter that keyed another Broncos touchdown drive that put them up 24-7." http://dpo.st/1eNXUsQ
What they’re saying in San Diego, from U-T San Diego’s Michael Gehlken. "A six-week ride stopped Sunday. Left for dead in December, the Chargers now were done. Their improbable run to January, their hurdles cleared en route, had instilled a belief by some this could prove a team of destiny, destined to keep winning, to reach the Super Bowl, to win the whole thing."
The Broncos lost to the Patriots in overtime in November, but Denver now [with the Chargers] has some experience with revenge, writes USA Today’s Lindsay H. Jones. "[San Diego] came here a month ago and soundly beat the Broncos 27-20, a game in which quarterback Philip Rivers controlled the clock and frustrated the Broncos defense with a string of long drives as the Chargers rushed for 177 yards. …
The Broncos won Sunday by stealing that script from the Chargers." http://usat.ly/1fqKOq9
In the postgame press conference, Manning’s son Marshall just wanted to see his father, notes USA Today’s Lindsay H. Jones. "Archie Manning scooped up his grandson and tried to quiet him … Peyton Manning, meanwhile, was trying to regale a room full of reporters about a third-and-17 pass to Julius Thomas, trying to put some perspective on the Broncos’ 24-17 divisional playoff win over the San Diego Chargers.
"None of that, of course, mattered to Marshall. He just wanted his daddy. It was the most human of moments for Peyton Manning on the night of his biggest win as a Denver Bronco."
AND FOR LAST NIGHT, at least, the Broncos were enjoying the victory. Come today, Monday, it’s back to work to figure out how to beat the Patriots, writes The Post’s Mike Chambers.
Have a fantastic Monday at work, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Did we miss something? Tweet us comments, tips, thoughts, and more to @PostBroncos or email sports@denverpost.com. This letter is edited by The Denver Post’s Daniel Petty.
