Broncos must keep focus

The then 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers just beat the previously 6-0 Minnesota Vikings 27-17 in what was a “set-up game” in favor of the Steelers this past Sunday.

Nearly everything went right for the Steelers Ń which were in a near must-win situation to stay competitive in their tough division Ń against a Vikings team that seemed to not be as hungry or prepared as Pittsburgh and looked like they were reading their own press clippings about how great they were.

This same “set-up game” feeling applies to this weekend’s 6-0 Denver Broncos vs. the 3-3 Baltimore Ravens Ń the Ravens themselves are already hanging on for their playoff lives.

But head coach Josh McDaniels has done his best in order to not let his team look ahead. He’s trying to keep his team sharp after a two-week layoff.

“Every game is its own game. They are all tough,” McDaniels said. “The challenges that we face this week are different than the challenges we faced in weeks previous. I am sure the challenges after Baltimore will be different than Baltimore. Each week is its own different set of challenges. You have just got to prepare for this team.”

Still, the Broncos are now getting national attention as they remain one of only three unbeatens. And in two weeks, the whole nation will again get to see the Broncos against those stout Steelers on Monday Night Football in what should be one of the NFL’s best regular season games.

So how do the Broncos avoid looking ahead to their big MNF affair?

“We are not worried about what we have done or what we have got to do after this [Ravens’] game,” McDaniel said. “This game will take every bit of our preparation, and we are going to need to play real well in three phases in order to have an opportunity to compete with this team for four quarters on the road in a tough place to play in Baltimore.”

One man who especially needed the two-week break is safety Brian Dawkins.  Dawkins left the San Diego game two weeks ago with a hamstring injury but returned to play the entire second half.

Dawkins was held out of practice yesterday and the first injury report of the week will come out later today Ń but Dawkins is still expected to play. 

And the Pro Bowl veteran who has been a part of many great teams knows exactly what it takes to stay focused and on top of your game.

“I think the thing that you have to do with success is you have to remain humble. You have to realize that you only got that success by hard work, by attention to detail, by playing sometimes with a chip on your shoulder,” Dawkins said. 

Dawkins said his defense will be up to the challenge of the Ravens’ much-improved offense, but that the game will also come down to situational football.

“What that means to me is just being prepared for the situations that are going to come, whether it be the third-and-short, fourth down. Whatever they like to do, just understanding the situation to not be surprised and being ready for them to be able to stand up to the task of what teams like to do in those situations,” Dawkins said.

“That is very important, especially in this game, because we are pretty much hearing the same things in meetings. They are going to be up for situational football, and hopefully, we will be where we need to be in those situations so that we will come out on top of them.”

And Dawkins is right on. 

The bounces have literally gone Denver’s way all season, but expect this weekend’s game against a great Ravens’ defense to maybe be the Broncos’ toughest challenge of the season Ń for a number of reasons.

Moreover, this weekend will be a great test for the Broncos and a great chance to see if they can overcome some adversity on the road Ń the sign of a legitimate playoff contending team.

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