Posted by Knowshon Zone | Posted in General Knowshon | Posted on 21-09-2009
The Denver Broncos improved to 2-0 on the season with a 27-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Knowshon Moreno led the team in rushing attempts with 17 for 75 yards, giving him a respectable 4.4 YPC average. Moreno’s long carry of the day came on a 17 yard rush. Knowhon also has 2 receptions for 22 yards.
Knowshon showed nice progression on his performance in Week 1. This week he showe dmore speed, better vision and the ability to move through the tackles. Buckhalter stole some of his carries after he ran for a 45 yard touchdown. The Broncos have been known to give the ball to the hot hand, but the fact that Knowshon Moreno had 17 carries to Buckhalters 9 proves that he is still the go to man.
What we need now is for Moreno to find the endzone. Remember he won the all-rookie touchdown dance competition a few months ago. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for his first NFL Touchdown.
knowshon injured? from the denver post:
Running back Knowshon Moreno (groin), who was not listed on the team’s injury report earlier in the week, did not practice Friday and was formally listed as questionable.
90 yards & a touchdown! and this is only the beginning.
from the denver post:
Horsepower in Broncos’ run game
Buckhalter (108), Moreno (90) propel Broncos with big yardage
By Lindsay H. Jones
The Denver Post
Posted: 09/28/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Updated: 09/28/2009 02:43:59 AM MDT
OAKLAND, Calif. — It had been nearly two years — three days shy, actually — since Correll Buckhalter last surpassed the illustrious 100-yard threshold, the standard of excellence for NFL running backs.
On Sunday, 10 days before his 31st birthday, Buckhalter rushed for 108 yards, including impressive runs of 34 and 23 yards, in the Broncos’ 23-3 victory against the Raiders.
Buckhalter did it on only 14 carries — an average of 7.7 yards each time he touched the football — yet seemed surprised after the game when it was casually mentioned that he surpassed 100 yards.
Despite averaging 4.5 yards per carry in his nine-year career, Buckhalter was primarily a backup in Philadelphia and has had only four other 100-yard days. His last was Sept. 30, 2007, when he rushed for 103 yards against the Giants.
“Oh?” Buckhalter said. “We’re just staying humble and practicing hard every day.”
For the second consecutive week, the Broncos have relied on the tandem of Buckhalter and rookie Knowshon Moreno to drive the team’s offense. The duo combined for 198 yards against the Raiders, a week after rushing for 151 yards against Cleveland.
At times, Buckhalter, who started the game, and Moreno alternated series. At others, they swapped in and out for each other through the same drive, with coaches playing whichever player they believed was the more rested. The strategy helped wear down the Raiders’ defensive line, which included three starters who weigh at least 300 pounds.
“We just try to keep a fresh back in the game most of the time,” Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said.
What didn’t change was the output. On 14 of their 35 combined carries, one of them rushed for at least 5 yards. Four of those came on the Broncos’ first possession of the second half, when Moreno had three runs for 22 yards, and Buckhalter took his one carry around the right end for 23 yards.
“A lot of those yards weren’t
Broncos rookie Knowshon Moreno works for some of his career-high 90 yards rushing Sunday against Raiders cornerback Tyvon Branch. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
easy, but we got some yards after contact,” McDaniels said.
After three quarters, Moreno seemed destined to match Buckhalter’s 100-yard performance. Moreno rushed for 66 yards in the third quarter — and scored his first career touchdown on a 7-yard run — but had only one more yard in the fourth quarter to finish the game at 90 yards.
“It was just another good day for all of us, the whole team,” Moreno said. “We stayed on track and were able have the big gains. It’s all you can ask for, really.”
LaMont Jordan, a former Raider, added six carries, mostly late in the game, and Peyton Hillis had two carries in a failed goal-line set in the first quarter.
That the Broncos couldn’t score a touchdown on
Post Poll – Broncos at 3-0
Among teams that start a season 3-0 since 1990, 75.5 percent make the playoffs. On the other hand, the 3-0 teams that didn’t include Denver last year. Will the 2009 Broncos (3-0) make the playoffs this season?
Yes: They’re playing nearly mistake-free and can certainly win the AFC West.
No: A tough slate will catch up to Denver and San Diego will win the West.
four consecutive running plays after a first-and-goal early in the first quarter was about the only blemish for the Broncos’ running game Sunday.
“We were all disappointed,” McDaniels said about getting stopped on fourth down. “When you’re down there that tight, you want to give your football team an opportunity to get it in. And if we have that same opportunity come up next week, we’d do it again, and we’ll get it in.
“We’ll work hard to fix the things we didn’t get right there and push that thing in.”
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com