Broncos vs Panthers Game Notes

To kick off the NFL's 2016 season, the Broncos beat the Panthers 21-20 the only way they know how to win: through a suffocating defense and impact run game.


  • Despite losing stud defensive disrupter Malik Jackson, the Broncos still imposed their will on defense. They still employ the excellent Derek Wolfe along the D-line, and have built up some nice depth at the position, with Sylvester Williams and Jared Crick doing their job admirably by stunting the Panthers' ground attack
  • Denver's back eight defenders are by far the best in the league. DeMarcus Ware showed he's still a beast, racking up 1.5 sacks in limited action. Von Miller, after a relatively quiet game, had a clutch sack deep into the 4th quarter. Todd Davis, who replaced the roving Danny Trevathan, was all over the field, notching a team-high 7 tackles and .5 sacks
  • Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. further cemented his place among the elite at his position, converting a twisting interception in a very key moment. The turnover sparked the Broncos' comeback
  • The Broncos were not known for their offensive line heading into the season, but center Matt Paradis did not allow one pressure and left tackle Russell Okung was rock solid in his Broncos debut
  • C.J. Anderson finally played like the 1st round fantasy back we all thought he would be last year. Oh well. A receiving TD as well as a 28 yard touchdown run not only capped off a fantastic game but also alleviated the stress from Trevor Siemian
  • While the Panthers have a very stout front seven capable of executing many designated plays, there is no vaunted quarterback rusher, someone who inspires true piss-your-pants fear out of the opposing team
  • Luke Kuechly was once again the game's leading tackler, notching a tidy 10. His flexibility to cover running backs, tight ends and receivers is invaluable for a team with a very inexperienced secondary
  • Thomas Davis Sr. is a magician. At an ancient-by-NFL-standards 33-years-old, he had an impressive tipped interception and was rangier than ever. One one specific play, he fake blitzed Simian then double-backed halfway across the field to get his teeth into a downfield play. Such a boss
  • Good to see Kelvin Benjamin back to being his same-old, beastly self. He carved the Broncos secondary as much as one CAN carve up their secondary. Benjamin finished with 91 receiving yards and a pretty touchdown catch. He also drew a key penalty on Chris Harris Jr. late in the game, giving the Panthers a 1st down
  • Poor Cam Newton was absolutely destroyed physically by the Broncos pass rush. Even though Denver only racked up 3 sacks, they hit Newton hard about six other times as he was releasing the ball. Their blatant targets of Newton's face will probably yield some punishments later in the week. Watching Newton's head jerk uncontrollably as defenders crushed into him like a car crash was painful to watch. I cannot imagine how Newton felt. Actually I can, he said he "felt shitty" after the game.
  • GA-NO is what I said after Panthers kicker Graham Gano botched a 56 yard kick wide left on the final play of the game.
  • Overall, the game was really entertaining. Too many commercials though

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