Sep 26, 2006 3 min read

DENVER (AP) – Curses, this Denver defense is good. The Broncos so rattled Tom Brady in their 17-7 win at New England on Sunday night that the Patriots’ usually poised quarterback was caught cursing on the sideline.

Marc Bulger and Damon Huard might have muttered some choice words under their breath, too, when they were held out of the end zone by Denver’s dominant defense during the first two weeks of the season.

At least Brady got into the end zone.

The Broncos went 175 minutes, 57 seconds without allowing a touchdown before Brady’s 8-yard pass to Doug Gabriel in the fourth quarter.

By that time, the Broncos’ defensive start had reached historic proportions. They’re the first team since the 1942 Chicago Cardinals to start a season by going 11 quarters without allowing a touchdown.

“I hated it,” cornerback Champ Bailey said. “I wanted the goose egg.”

Added defensive tackle Gerard Warren: “We wanted to keep them out of the red zone AND the end zone. But every now and again you might have a breakdown.”

One slip in three games isn’t too shabby.

Before Brady’s TD toss that capped a no-huddle drive, the Broncos had limited opponents to nothing but field goals in seven trips inside the 20-yard line, validating an offseason focus on third-down and red-zone defense.

“They are just shutting people down,” Broncos tight end Stephen Alexander said. “That’s unbelievable. I hope that they continue to play the way they are playing, because if they do, it’s going to be a very special year for us.”

The traditionally high-octane Broncos (2-1) have had to rely on their stingy defense for a change because their revamped offense is still such a work in progress.

Quarterback Jake Plummer got off to a rough start by turning the ball over five times in the first two weeks, when Denver’s running back rotation of Tatum Bell and rookie Mike Bell paid dividends late in games but foundered at the beginning, preventing the offense from finding a groove.

Plummer found the answer Sunday night in Javon Walker, a draft-day acquisition from Green Bay whose 130-yard, two-touchdown performance gave the offense the jump-start it needed.

“I’m most proud of him,” Walker said of Plummer. “The quarterback takes the heat for a lot of the stuff that goes right and a lot of the stuff that goes wrong. He stuck in there and kept his head up.”

So, far it’s Denver’s defense that has kept Plummer out of the doldrums.

“The defense is playing great. They are dominating. It is really nice,” Plummer said. “If we can keep picking it up slowly each week … things are looking up for us.”

The Broncos held St. Louis to six field goals, but Plummer’s four turnovers led to an 18-10 loss in the opener. In Week 2, the Chiefs managed just two field goals in a 9-6 loss in overtime at Invesco Field.

And on Sunday night, Brady was the frustrated signal-caller while Plummer was throwing deep balls to Walker for touchdowns.

“We needed to hold our opponents long enough for the offense to step up and they did,” cornerback Domonique Foxworth said.

Denver didn’t resort to tricks or gimmicks to frustrate Brady, either. They hit hard, stuffed the run and rattled the receivers.

“We just kept it pretty simple and went out and played what we call old-school gridiron football,” Warren said.