Denver Broncos Season 2014 Game Reviews
Read Denver Broncos season 2014 game reviews and relive the best moments of the Broncos’ NFL Season 2014. If you are looking for more recent games, click here to find Denver Broncos game reviews of NFL season 2015.
Denver Broncos’ NFL season 2014
Denver Broncos were one of the best teams during the entire season. Just like the last two seasons, they not only kept getting better, but also set some franchise records. Denver Broncos won their fourth consecutive AFC West Divisional title. Unfortunately after a great run, they lost to Indianapolis Colts in the division rounds.
Denver Broncos also ended up at #1 spot in their division (AFC West) with 12 wins and only 4 losses to bare. Their offense was the forte which helped them cling up the league although it wasn’t enough. Julias Thomas was one of the best players of the team with 72 points.
NFL Season 2014 Divisional Playoffs: Denver Broncos vs Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, January 11, 4:40 PM, Sports Authority Field at Mile High
The game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos ended with the Colts winning 24-13, and they now head to the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots. Andrew Luck had a major contribution to the win, throwing two touchdown passes while outplaying Peyton Manning in leading his team. Even though the Broncos had won eight straight games at home this season, the Colts still found a way to beat them despite being down 0-7 after the Broncos scored with their first possession. The Colts have a good offensive game, which gives them a better chance against their opponents. At half time, the Colts were up by 4 points, and they stretched their lead to 21-10 halfway through the 3rd quarter.
Denver Broncos have nine Pro Bowl veterans on their roster this season, but their offense did not click after they managed to score with their opening possession. Both teams would trade fourth quarter field goals to close out the scoring, and the Colts now advance to face the Patriots, who are slight favorites. After this playoff debacle, Peyton Manning’s future is now in doubt, and he’s not sure whether he will play next season. The Denver Broncos quarterback would not rule out retirement in post game interviews with reporters. It’s also unclear whether Coach John Fox will be back next season.
NFL Season 2014 Week 17: Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders on Sunday, December 28, 4:25 PM, Sports Authority Field @ Mile High
Latavius Murray was not able to get the kind of yards that he needed in order to be competitive against a Broncos team that beat the Raiders in a 47-14 rout. C.J. Anderson was able to get his eighty seven yards on just thirteen carries in the game, while relaxing for the most part. Peyton Manning was able to hit a number of deep passes to Demaryius Thomas. Thomas needs that kind of credibility against an experienced safety like Charles Woodson. The Raiders weren’t really able to get anything from Darren McFadden in the game, expect for some decent pass blocking. You do need that kind of pass blocking when Derek Carr feels obligated to make risky throws to Marco Rivera in the fourth quarter, passes that were picked off.
T.J. Ward was able to rest his bad neck during this game, and you can certainly make the point that the Broncos were using their backup personnel during the second half. The Broncos were able to gain confidence in their entire roster, given that people like Emmanuel Sanders didn’t have to play during the second half.
NFL Season 2014 Week 16: Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, December 22, 8:30 PM, Paul Brown Stadium
Cincinnati hosted Denver in a game that was vital for the Bengals playoff lives. The Bengals took an early lead and held on to take the victory, and hold on to their playoff hopes.
Denver’s quarterback Peyton Manning struggled in the game as he threw four interceptions. He did recover and completed twenty-eight passes for 311 yards and threw two touchdowns. Manning top targets were Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and C.J.Anderson. Thomas caught seven passes for 115 yards. Sanders caught six passes for seventy yards and two touchdowns. Besides the passing game the Broncos have a strong running game. Anderson is the key to the running game. He rushed for eighty-three yards on eighteen attempts. He ran for one score. The running back also caught eight passes for fifty-five yards. The Broncos defense scored a touchdown on a Bengal turnover. The Broncos were also able to sack the Bengals quarterback two times.
Cincinnati was carried by their young running back Jeremy Hill. The running back carried the ball twenty-two times for 147 yards and scored one touchdown. Andy Dalton had a solid game for the Bengals, throwing for 146 yards and two touchdowns. The top Bengal receiver was Jermaine Gresham. the tight end caught nine passes for sixty-two yards. He also caught one touchdown.
The Bengal defense cause four turn overs for the game.
The Bengals are playing the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC North title. Denver will be hosting Oakland.
NFL Season 2014 Week 15: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers on Sunday, December 14, 4:05 PM, Qualcomm Stadium
Denver quarterback Peyton was sick, but you wouldn’t have known it by how well he played, leading the Broncos to a 22-10 defeat of the San Diego Chargers. Peyton said he began to feel unexpectedly sick the day before the game, adding that he had a tough night. In fact, he was on an IV on Saturday night and Sunday morning. To make matters worse, he injured his leg trying to get away from pass rushers during the second quarter of the game itself. At halftime, it was unclear if he would be returning to the game; however, he ran back out on the field looking strong.
In the third quarter, he unloaded a 28 yard pass for a touchdown to Demaryius Thomas, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Although that was his last touchdown pass, he continued throwing for a strong total of 233 passing yards. Moreover, his passing was very consistent, averaging 11.7 yards per pass. He was the engine that lead the Broncos to winning the division title. Their postseason prospects look good. Seattle, on the other, hand showed that they need to improve their game if they are going to be able to close against tough opponents in clutch situations.
NFL Season 2014 Week 14: Denver Broncos vs Buffalo Bills on Sunday, December 07, 4:05 PM, Sports Authority Field @ Mile High
Coming into this game, not many people expected a blow out, but not many expected a Buffalo win either. This is largely because the Bronco offense has been sputtering (relatively) and the Bills D is the real deal. In the end however, the Broncos did pull out a close win, outlasting Buffalo to the tune of 24-17.
Although the Broncos were in control of the game more than the score would indicate, it’s obvious that this team is not currently the juggernaut we saw in 2013.
The Broncos scored first on a C.J. Anderson touchdown run, but the Bills got the board with a field goal, keeping things close. Then things started to get a bit out of hand. Anderson scored on 2 more runs, putting the Broncos up 21-3. The Broncos added a field goal later, making it 24-3. At this point, you could be forgiven for writing this game off. However, Kyle (The Neckbeard) Orton led the Buffalo offense to two scores, throwing a TD pass to Chris Hogan (who is really coming on) and running for a touchdown of his own.
The Bills couldn’t pull out the win despite scrappy play and some very good defense, but it’s clear that the continued absence of Julius Thomas and the continued disappointing production from Demaryius Thomas is obviously a potential worry for Bronco nation.
NFL Season 2014 Week 13: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, November 30, 8:30 PM, Arrowhead Stadium
Denver went to Kansas City to take control of the AFC western division. Kansas City came into the contest needing a win to stay in playoff contention. Denver took an early fourteen to zero lead, and maintained that lead for the rest of game. The key to this game was the two teams defenses. Kansas City was held to 151 total yards. The Kansas City offense also turned the ball over three times, and quarterback Alex Smith was sacked six times.
The Broncos’ offense was held to 179 yards passing. Peyton Manning threw for Denver’s only two touchdowns. The star offensive player for the Broncos was C.J. Anderson. Anderson ran for 168 yards, he also caught two passes for seventeen yards and one touchdown. Demaryius Thomas caught six passes for sixty-three yards and the other Denver touchdown.
Kansas Cities strength is its running game, but Denver held the Chiefs in check. The Chiefs leading running back Jamaal Charles was held to thirty-five yards rushing. The offensive threat was held to four receptions for twenty four yards and a touchdown. Alex Smith accounted for 153 yard passing and threw two touchdowns. The second touchdown pass that Smith threw was to Anthony Fasano.
Denver is playing at home against Buffalo. The Broncos are undefeated at home, and looking to continue their winning streak. Buffalo needs a victory to stay in the playoff hunt, as they are tied with five other teams for the final wild card spot.
NFL Season 2014 Week 12: Denver Broncos vs Miami Dolphins on Sunday, November 23, 4:25 PM, Sports Authority Field @ Mile High
The Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins were also in another do or die duel. Theirs was also a very closely fought affair. Just like in the Rams vs Chargers match, the victory margin was just three points only, the advantage going the Broncos way. After the first three quarters, it appeared like the Dolphins would subdue the Broncos in their own backyard. However, the pep talk just before the kick off of the last quarter must have turned on the hosts. They came back on the pitch blazing like fire, pressing on all cylinders, giving the Dolphins no chance to execute any meaningful move.
They took the quarter 22-0, overcoming the gritty Dolphins 39-36 after the final whistle. Going by their form, it would have been a surprise for the Broncos to lose this one. They have lost only three games this season, a performance that overshadows the Dolphins 6-5 record this season. The victory is a warning shot to their upcoming opponents. For the Dolphins, this was a bitter loss. However, they have themselves to blame. They rested on their laurels after they took control of the game. They simply gave it away. They will have to dig deep as they struggle to snuff up their seventh win of the season.
NFL Season 2014 Week 11: Denver Broncos at St. Louis Rams on Sunday, November 16, 1:00 PM, Edward Jones Dome
In a surprise win, the Saint Louis Rams (4-6, 4th in NFC West) beat the Denver Broncos (7-3, 1st in AFC West) by a score off 22-7. The Broncos, who hadn’t scored less than 21 points in a game all season and more than 30 in five of their last six games, was only able to manage a touchdown late in the first half. The Broncos had more total yards than the Rams, but also had two turnovers to the Rams zero. Both turnovers were Peyton Manning interceptions, who snapped a streak of 15 consecutive games with two touchdown passes.
On the other side of the field, Rams QB Shaun Hill took over the starting job from Austin Davis, who was benched for too many critical mistakes in the last few weeks. Hill was the backup behind Davis for the last eight weeks before getting his chance. He finished the game with 220 yards on 20 of 29 passing, with a touchdown. Saint Louis running back Tre Mason had 113 yards rushing, the first 100 yard rushing game of his career. The Denver Broncos look to get back into the win column next week against the Miami Dolphins, while the Saint Louis Rams take on the San Diego Chargers.
NFL Season 2014 Week 10: Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders on Sunday, November 09, 4:05 PM, O.co Coliseum
The game between Denver Broncos and Oakland raiders was an interesting game to watch. Denver Broncos registered a win over the Oakland raiders. The first touch of the match was great. Peyton Manning of Denver Broncos began the play by throwing the ball to Julius Thomas who registered a first down. An interception occurred during the second pass of the match that made the Raiders dominated the field. The raiders managed to move the ball for over 23 yards in the field but the strong defense of Denver Broncos stopped the offensive move.
When the first quarter came to an end the Broncos faced a long and third. During the second quarter a pass from Peyton Manning was intercepted by the raiders placing the Broncos at a disadvantageous position. The Raiders utilized the chance and scored a touch down. A competitive play went on an Anderson scored a touchdown. Bronchos won the second quarter by the score of 20 to 10. The Raiders began the second half. Julius of Denver Broncos made to the end line making the score read 27 to 10. The intelligent moves of Denver Bronchos made the team win third quarter by 41 to 10. The fourth quarter ended with the score of 47 to Denver and 17 the raiders.
NFL Season 2014 Week 9: Denver Broncos at New England Patriots on Sunday, November 02, 4:25 PM, Gillette Stadium
The New England Patriots revamped their secondary with the purpose of defeating the Denver Broncos in mind. Brandon Browner and Darelle Revis certainly did this with their work forcing Peyton Manning to throw two interceptions in the game. Tom Brady on the other hand, threw four touchdowns and had no interceptions in the game. Tim Wright and Rob Grondkowski are finally morphing into the two headed monster that the Patriots need in order to have successful offensive possessions.
Julian Edelman was also able to have a big game for the Patriots. It would be remiss to not mention the impact that Akeem Ayers has had on the Patriots defense. Shane Vereen and Jonas Gray were able to give the Patriots enough offensive balance in order to feel confident. T.J. Ward and Bradley Roby have had to pick up the slack for the Broncos defense, you can see that Von Miller was left largely ineffective in the game. The Patriots also won by a 43-21 score because of a surprising solid performance from a secondary guy like Patrick Chung.
NFL Season 2014 Week 8: Denver Broncos vs San Diego Chargers on Thursday, October 23, 8:25 PM, Sports Authority Field @ Mile High
Week 8 of the NFL is among three that the Chargers can do anything to bury forever from their memories. The Chargers lost their week eight game 21-35 to their hosts, the Denver Broncos, to increase the number of games lost this season so far to three. The Denver Broncos proved to be too strong for them, perhaps more charged than the Chargers themselves. This set back isn’t good for a team that was looking to wrestle for top honors with other big names in the league. For Broncos, the home crowd must have Charged them enough to take full advantage of their home ground.The Broncos have lost only one game this season and are proving to be a hard nut crack to their opponents.
The first quarter ended scoreless; Probably the teams were sizing each other up. Then came the second quarter and the score boards bust with activity. Both teams seemed to have woken up from slumber as the scores began to come. However, it was the Broncos who got the better of the Chargers at 14-7. The Broncos did the same in the third quarter, taking it with 14 to 7. The teams tied at 7-7 in the last quarter, with the Chargers trying to claw their way back into the game. It was too late for them as they left their host celebrating their 35-21 hard fought victory.
NFL Season 2014 Week 7: Denver Broncos vs San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, October 19, 8:30 PM, Sports Authority Field @ Mile High
Peyton Manning certainly showed an ability to tear apart what happens to be a very capable 49ers defensive unit. The Broncos won their game by a 42-17 score. Manning went 22-26 in passing during the game. You continue to see Juwan Thompson filling the gap as the number 2 running back for the Broncos. The Broncos rushed for a solid 115 yards in the game.
Anquan Boldin did catch seven passes in the game, but the Broncos secondary had a good bend but not break philosophy that players like Rahim Moore were able to follow. The 49ers did not get to run the ball like they typically do given the fact that they got down by such a large margin. Frank Gore still showed some allusiveness as a veteran ball carrier though, he was still able to make things difficult for a talented tackler like T.J. Ward. Ward was able to raise a little havoc in the backfield when other backs were called upon.
There is a certain amount of talk about where the 49ers will go for the rest of the season. They did get solid performances from Tremaine Brock and Craig Dahl on the defensive side of the ball. The team also is beginning to see Bruce Ellington and Stevie Johnson grow more comfortable with the offensive system. Johnson was able to catch five balls in the game. this is something that the 49ers can hang their hat on.
NFL Season 2014 Week 6: Denver Broncos at New York Jets on Sunday, October 12, 1:00 PM, MetLife Stadium
The Denver Broncos defeated the NY Jets 31-17 in week 6 NFL action. The game was much closer than the final score indicates. In the final minute of play with the Jets trailing 24-17, Jets QB Geno Smith threw a pick-six that ended the Jets hopes of a stunning upset. Broncos QB Peyton Manning inched closer to the all-time NFL record for touchdown passes by combining for 3 TD’s with one to Demaryius Thomas and two scores to his favorite tight end, Julius Thomas. The Jets kept the game close with two touchdown passes from Geno Smith, including one to former Bronco Eric Decker who was facing the Broncos for the first time since leaving via free agency during the offseason.
In the absence of starting running back Montee Ball, the Broncos leaned heavily on backup Ronnie Hillman who ran for 100 yards on 24 carries. The Jets, on the other hand, ran into nothing but trouble when attempting to run the ball and finished with a paltry 31 yards rushing. Peyton Manning is now two TD passes short of the all-time career record held by Brett Favre and will make another attempt at surpassing the record against San Francisco next week. The Jets have lost 5 in a row and will take on the surging New England Patriots in a prime-time matchup on Thursday Night Football in week 7.
NFL Season 2014 Week 5: Denver Broncos vs Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, October 05, 4:05 PM, Sports Authority Field @ Mile High
Peyton Manning made history on Sunday, when he joined Brett Favre as the only players to throw for over 500 touchdowns in NFL history. Manning not only threw his500th touchdown pass in the game, he finished with a career high 479 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, to guide the Broncos to a 41-20 victory over the previously undefeated Arizona Cardinals. With the 4 touchdown passes, Manning now has 503 touchdown passes, which is five behind the record set by Favre.
The Cardinals were already missing their starting quarterback Carson Palmer, who missed his third straight game with a shoulder injury, thrusting backup quarterback Drew Stanton in the starting lineup, Stanton got hurt during the game, which left the Cardinals with no choice but to play rookie quarterback Logan Thomas. Thomas threw a touchdown pass on his first play, but finished the game 0-7 the rest of the way.
The victory by the Broncos was a big win for them, since they were coming off a close loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and helped to reestablish them as one of the best teams in the league. They will be going against the struggling New York Jets in their next game, while the Cardinals will face the Washington Redskins.
NFL Season 2014 Week 3: Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, September 21, 4:25 PM, CenturyLink Field
This was a very exciting game between two great teams who met in the super bowl last year. The result would be a lot different then the 43-8 final that took place in the super bowl. Seattle started the game off fast and had a 17-3 lead at halftime. The Broncos seemed to be thinking here we go again, but then things started to turn into Denver’s favor early in the fourth quarter when they forced a Seahawks safety. That would make the score 17-5 and Peyton Manning was just getting started.
He then led the Broncos on a long touchdown drive to cut the lead to 17-12. Neither team would score for a few minutes until the Seahawk’s field goal late in the game to take an eight point lead. That would leave Peyton Manning with one more chance to lead his team down the field and tie the game. That is exactly what he did and the game went into overtime tied at 20 a piece. The Seahawks would get the ball to start the overtime, and they would go on an 80 yard drive to win the game on a touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch of 6 yards. The final score of this game would be 26-20 Seahawks over the Broncos in a thriller.
NFL Season 2014 Week 2: Denver Broncos vs Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, September 14, 4:25 PM, Sports Authority Field
Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs 24-17 at home in the Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colorado on September 14th at 4:30pm. The Broncos gained an early lead in the first quarter with a touchdown pass thrown by Peyton Manning, losing their lead briefly in the second quarter as the Chiefs managed a 2 yard run combined with a field goal in the first half to give them a 10-7 advantage. This didn’t last long as the Broncos scored again three minutes later, giving them a lead which they managed to keep for the rest of the game.
The crowd went wild in the last minute of the game as the Broncos’ defensive tackle Terrance Knighton blocked a potential scoring pass from the Chiefs that would have tied the game in the last 15 seconds. For the Broncos, Peyton Manning threw three touchdown passes and Brandon McManus kicked a field goal from 20 yards out. Running back Kniles Davis scored both touchdowns for the Kansas City Chiefs with a 2 yard and a 4 yard run. Cairo Santos kicked a 45 yard field goal for the Chiefs. This result puts the Broncos at a lead in the AFC West with a 2-0 season so far, and the Chiefs walk away with a 0-2 record.
NFL Season 2014 Week 1: Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos on Sunday, September 7, 8:30 PM, Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Despite the 2nd year Quarterback Andrew Luck’s 370 yards, 2 TD performance, Peyton Manning and his Super Bowl runners up came out on top at home! This was, in no small part, thanks to the defensive unit (which includes the acquisition of Defensive End DeMarcus Ware from Dallas, who came away with 1.5 sacks, and 4th year Free Safety Rahim Moore, who picked off Luck twice). But perhaps the most impressive performance defensively were the Defensive Backs as a unit, who pressured the Wide Receivers and forced Luck to throw check down short passes to his Running Backs and Tight Ends (186 out of 370 yards to 23 check down targets).
But sometimes, precision wins over Luck. Peyton Manning may have thrown for less yards in less attempts than Andrew Luck, but his accuracy and ability to read the defense made up for that. Manning threw for 269 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, and finished with a passer rating of 111.90. And while the Colts running game was very poor (only 54 total yards between RB Trent Richardson (6 CAR, 20 yards), QB Andrew Luck (5 CAR, 19 YDS, 1 TD), and RB Ahmad Bradshaw (3 CAR, 15 yards)), 2nd year Denver RB Montee Ball complimented Manning’s well coordinated air strike with a 67 YD, 1 TD ground assault that averaged 4.4 yards per carry.
This game informed us of two things: 1) Manning’s still got it and 2) the Colts may need a little more than just Luck to reach the post season.
Follow this link to find out how Denver Broncos did in NFL season 2013.
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