Pete's Log: Denver 38, Arizona 17
Entry #1120, (Sports and Athletics)(posted when I was 23 years old.)
Today was a strange day in the NFL. The Browns beat the Lions and the Bengals beat the Ravens. Wow. But still, the Broncos shouldn't have a problem against the Cardinals, right? Should be an easy game. Well, I became worried when the Cardinals came out dominating early, going up 10-0. But the Broncos slowly began building something, closing the gap with three field goals. They were helped when the Cardinals gave up two turnovers in rapid succession.
By the end of the first half, Denver finally began to build some momentum. A very nice drive led to their first touchdown, putting them up 15-10. So they go for two points, and totally fake out the defense, making for a very easy conversion, so at halftime the score was finally in Denver's favor: 17-10.
Momentum seemed to favor the Broncos in the second half. After an unsuccessful first drive for the Broncos, the Cardinals fumbled early in their first drive of the half, setting up a beautiful Denver play fake touchdown pass on their first possession after the fumble.
From then on, the Broncos dominated. Final score, 38-17. A fun game.
Brian Griese is looking really good. John Elway would be difficult to follow, and I think between injuries and inexperience, Griese had to struggle a bit during his first few years, but he's coming into his own, and his quarterback ratings these days are amazing.
So Denver has made me happy. The weekend hasn't been a total loss as far as football goes, but I am still somewhat upset about how poorly ND did yesterday. I checked and my suspicions were confirmed: this was the first home opener that ND has lost since I got here. Doh!