Broncos play Bears ( and officials)

The Denver Broncos played the Chicago Bears at soldier field Sunday afternoon; sadly they had to play the NLF official’s as well. The outcome was Denver 34 Chicago 23, Referees 14. This was a game that Denver had to have to keep pace with the Chargers who defeated Baltimore Sunday. They did their part; unfortunately they lost thanks to some (questionable) officiating; now the Broncos are a game back in the AFC west and may be out of the playoff picture.

The Broncos came into the game with a ton of confidence after winning two straight games, and playing great football. Dominance is the only word to describe the Broncos performance for 53 minutes Sunday. They out gained the Bears in every statistical category.
* Total Yards: Broncos 430 Bears 293
* 1st downs : Broncos 22 Bears 18
* Time of possession: Broncos 33:54 Bears 29:47
* Turnovers: Broncos 3 Bears 4
* Penalties: Broncos 5-28 Bears 5-50

However the penalty statistics hardly justify the horrible one sided officiating that was showcased in the game. The Broncos were called for five fouls, defensive holding, illegal formation on a punt and illegal contact on Dre Bly were the most significant. The holding came in overtime which gave the Bears a first down and led to Robbie Gould’s winning field goal. The formation penalty was called after Todd Sauerbrun pinned the Bears at their own ten yard line, instead the punt was blocked. Dre Bly gave Muhsin Muhammad a little tap on the shoulder to feel where he was going, Bly was flagged for illegal contact giving the bears a first down on fourth and long, Muhammad dropped the pass which would have turned the ball over on downs giving Denver a win. Now that we have gone over the penalties let’s take a closer look at the other officiating blunders though out the game. Tony Sheffler made a leaping catch with Adam Archuleta draped all over him, no pass interference was called, when asked why there was no penalty the official responded by saying “Archuleta did not grab his jersey long enough”. Hamza Abdullah forced a fumble on Rex Grossman, recovered and ran 90 yards for a game clinching touchdown, STOP, the call on the field was no fumble, and even though it was reversed the damage was done. The very next play Brandon Stokley made a diving catch for a first down, ruled incomplete, upon further review still incomplete, tell me Mr. Official what is the rule for a completed pass? Aren’t two hands under the ball without it touching the ground considered a completion in the NFL? Guess not. The loss can’t be entirely blamed on the officials, Devin Hester returned two kicks for touchdowns, the defense collapsed late in the fourth quarter and the offense settled for field goals in the red zone instead of touchdowns, however if the officials had done their job effectively the score may have been more like Denver 41 Chicago 20.

The outcome of the game was not what any Bronco fan wanted; however there were some positives that came from this loss. The offense played very well, the defense (for three and a half quarters) flew around and made plays. Jay Cutler had a very good game, he bounced back from early adversity to throw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, Andre Hall ran for nearly 100 yards and a touchdown, Javon Walker, even though he did not have a reception, played and looked healthy, and the Brandon’s, as I like to call them, continued playing well. The Broncos 5-6 still control their own destiny. They play at Oakland, Kansas City at home and at Houston before the Christmas Eve match up against the Chargers. If they can win out they will have a great shot at making the playoffs, where, as Rockies fans know, anything can happen. The question is can this team overcome a major disappointment like this, bounce back and take care of business? Stay tuned it’s going to be fun!