No gutsy 2-point call this week. Just a gut-wrenching close
call.
Martin Gramatica’s 43-yard field goal try with 1:55 remaining was wide right,
and the Denver Broncos escaped with a 34-32 win over the New Orleans Saints on
Sunday.
“It’s nice to give up 32 points and still win the football game,” Denver coach
Mike Shanahan said. “That’s the bottom line, you’ve got to find a way to win.”
Thanks to Gramatica’s dud, the charmed Broncos are 3-0 for the first time in
five years despite allowing a whopping 28 points per game.
For the second straight week, the Broncos needed every ounce of offense they
could muster, and for the second straight week they jumped out to a 21-3 lead
only to be sweating it out at the end.
Last week, they converted a 2-pointer in the final seconds to beat San Diego
39-38...more
Scoring Summary
NO - DEN
1st Quarter
9:01
DEN
TD
Jay Cutler passed to Nate Jackson to
the right for 1 yard gain (Matt Prater made PAT)
0 - 7
2:07
NO
FG
Martin Gramatica kicked a 43-yard
field goal
3 - 7
0:27
DEN
TD
Jay Cutler passed to Brandon
Marshall down the middle for 35 yard gain (Matt
Prater made PAT)
3 - 14
2nd Quarter
14:11
DEN
TD
Reggie Bush rushed up the middle for
1 yard gain. Reggie Bush fumbled. Nate Webster
recovered fumble and returned for 34 yards (Matt
Prater made PAT)
3 - 21
9:16
NO
TD
Pierre Thomas rushed up the middle
for 5 yard gain (Martin Gramatica made PAT)
10 - 21
6:51
NO
TD
Reggie Bush rushed to the left for
23 yard gain (Martin Gramatica made PAT)
17 - 21
2:55
DEN
FG
Matt Prater kicked a 27-yard field
goal
17 - 24
0:23
NO
SY
Andre Hall rushed up the middle for
1 yard loss. Safety
19 - 24
3rd Quarter
7:37
DEN
TD
Michael Pittman rushed to the left
for 2 yard gain (Matt Prater made PAT)
19 - 31
7:02
NO
TD
Drew Brees passed to Reggie Bush to
the right for 6 yard gain (Martin Gramatica made
PAT)
26 - 31
2:20
DEN
FG
Matt Prater kicked a 34-yard field
goal
26 - 34
4th Quarter
10:00
NO
TD
Pierre Thomas rushed to the left for
10 yard gain (2pt attempt failed, Drew Brees pass to
Reggie Bush)
32 - 34
Team Statistics
NO
DEN
First Downs
27
20
Passing
20
11
Rushing
7
7
Penalty
0
2
Third Down
Efficiency
8-15
6-10
Fourth Down
Efficiency
0-1
0-0
TOTAL NET YARDS
502
369
Total Plays
74
58
Average Gain Per
Play
6.8
6.4
NET YARDS
RUSHING
88
105
Rushes
25
24
Average Per Rush
3.5
4.4
NET YARDS
PASSING
414
264
Completions-Attempts
39-48
21-34
Yards Per Pass
Play
8.4
7.8
Times Sacked
1
0
Yards Lost to
Sacks
7
0
Had Intercepted
0
1
PUNTS
2
2
Average Punt
57.0
52.5
PENALTIES
4
3
Penalty Yards
51
20
FUMBLES
2
1
Fumbles Lost
1
1
TIME OF
POSSESSION
32:48
27:12
Pregame Previews, Storylines,
and News
New Page 1
Preview:
The Denver Broncos may
have benefited from a
blown call by official
Ed Hochuli in the
closing moments of their
last game, but it was a
call by coach Mike
Shanahan that has the
team brimming with
confidence as it tries
to open a season 3-0 for
the first time in five
years.
After a 2-point
conversion with 24
seconds remaining gave
them a one-point win
last week, the Broncos
look to keep momentum on
their side as they host
the New Orleans Saints
on Sunday...more
Inside the Game Plans:
Notable:
SAINTS: With
coach Sean Payton calling his team out for a lack of physical play in
last Sunday's loss at Washington, look for the Saints to try and get
their long lost running game going against Denver -- especially if Deuce
McAllister, who is still recovering from double-knee surgery last
September, gets the green light. The Saints have averaged just 78.0
yards a game on the ground, so doing some business against the Broncos,
who are allowing 115.0 yards per game, might be a key for them this
week...FULL
STORY
BRONCOS: This game could feature 80
passes or more. The Broncos should be confident in their passing game.
Jay Cutler leads the NFL in passing yards through two weeks. With the
Saints struggling with injuries in the secondary, expect plenty more
spread formations from the Broncos.
On the other side, the Broncos have made a commitment to stop the run
this season by putting a safety in the box regularly. They're giving up
some support in the passing game, which showed during San Diego
quarterback Philip Rivers' 377-yard game against Denver last week. Both
teams will probably score plenty, the team that avoids turnovers might
be the one to come out on top...FULL
STORY
New Orleans dropped a
29-24 decision to the Redskins at FedEx Field last Sunday after taking a
24-15 lead into the fourth quarter. The Saints turned the ball over
three times against Washington -- the 19th straight game they've had at
least one giveaway
Brandon
Marshall had 18 receptions in his first game of 2008 after missing the
Bronco's season-opener for violating the league's personal conduct
policy.
Both head coaches in this game played
quarterback for and graduated from Eastern Illinois University
Mickles: McKenzie, McAllister needed now to help
Saints?
2TheAdvocate
... off for Sunday’s key game
against the Denver Broncos. OK, it may be a tad
early to call the third game of a 16-game
schedule a key game, but the Saints, ...
Broncos vs. Saints: Five keys
Rocky
Mountain News
The Saints' secondary is filled
with injured players or players coming back from
injuries, and the team also has struggled to
stop the run. The Broncos ...
18.7
5.1