The Broncos, despite being undefeated, were home underdogs against the also undefeated Packers. The oddsmakers might not have realized just how confident and dominant the Broncos’ defense has become under Wade Phillips.
Denver held Aaron Rodgers, who did play all game, to 77 yards and zero touchdowns through the air. Afterward, Phillips allowed himself to gloat a little bit on Twitter by invoking Peyton Manning’s Nationwide commercials.
Why Peyton Manning Should Retire After 2015 Season
Chicken Parm tastes so good-I like it especially with Cheese
— Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) November 2, 2015
The joke’s a little off – chicken parm wouldn’t be chicken parm without the cheese – but the point is that Denver’s defense is now its identity. Manning didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the second time in three games. Instead, he allowed his running game, which featured solid performances from both Ronnie Hillman (two touchdowns) and C.J. Anderson (one touchdown) to put the points up and the defense to smother Green Bay.
"I felt we beat a good football team tonight," Manning said. "It took the whole team. ... Great job by the defense."
Broncos Have No Plans To Bench Peyton Manning
The Packers couldn’t muster up many words following the beat down besides praise for their opponents. "It's a good defense," Rodgers said, "a really good defense. They have a good pass rush. They cover well."
This could be a turning point on the perception of Denver’s ability to contend for a title. Finally, despite the zero-touchdown performance, the story isn’t Manning. That might also be because he racked up 340 yards through the air, but it’s largely what Phillips’ unit did to Rodgers.
As for Manning, he did put up sneaky yardage against an underrated Packers defense. Manning sounded like he was turning a corner with Gary Kubiak’s offense.
"I knew this was not going to be an easy transition. I can't say that a lot of what's happened has been a surprise to me. It was kind of what I expected, there were going to be some rough times, rough patches and rough parts of the transition,” Manning said.
For more content, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN or LIKE US on Facebook
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
