Broncos Take a Hit in Victory

The right legs of Denver kicker Jason Elam and New York Giant punter Rodney Williams were on display Monday, but it was the left one of Bronco receiver Ed McCaffrey that had everyone gasping. McCaffrey, one of the team’s most popular and talented players, suffered a broken tibia and fibia in his lower left leg as he absorbed a brutal hit in the third quarter. He was carted off the field, underwent surgery late Monday and is done for the season.

It’s a crushing blow to the Broncos, who rallied to beat the defending NFC champions, 31-20, yet were subdued in their triumph. They christened Invesco Field the way they wanted to, but it was only the packed house of 75,735--fans unaware of the severity of McCaffrey’s injury--that reveled in the moment.

‘That hurt bad, man,’ fellow receiver Rod Smith said. ‘I cried, I ain’t going to lie, because that’s my man. Everything I did from that point on was for Eddie. I’ve been working with him for eight years, and it’s going to be hard to be without him.”

McCaffrey and Smith were the NFL’s leading receiving duo last season and joined Detroit’s Herman Moore and Brett Perriman as the only tandem to individually reach the 100-catch mark in a season. Giant safety and former UCLA standout Shaun Williams clobbered McCaffrey as the receiver was making a 19-yard catch. McCaffrey held onto the ball, even though he looked to be knocked out by the apparent helmet-to-helmet hit, which was not penalized. .

‘Everybody knows what Eddie means to this football team,’ Coach Mike Shanahan said. ‘But we’re going to have injuries and you’ve got to step it up.”

That’s precisely what his players did when McCaffrey was carted upright off the field to a standing ovation and chants of ‘Eddie! Eddie!’ The score was 14-14 at that point of the third quarter, and the Giants were fresh off a touchdown drive. Immediately after McCaffrey left the field, Terrell Davis ran for 18 and three yards, and Smith made a 25-yard catch as he backpedaled through the end zone.

The rout was a virtual certainty early in the fourth quarter when the Broncos added a field goal and a touchdown to go up, 31-14. By the time the Giants scored again--a touchdown pass from Kerry Collins to Marcellus Rivers with 1:56 remaining--delirious fans were dancing in the seats. The crowd was giddy at the end of the first half, too when Elam attempted a 65-yard field goal, two yards longer than the NFL record he shares with Tom Dempsey. Elam’s kick had the distance but was a hair wide left.

There was one second left on the clock after the failed kick, and, seeing as they got the ball at the Denver 45, the Giants chose to try one of their own from 63 yards. Rookie Owen Pochman trotted onto the field because he has a stronger leg than Morten Andersen, the team’s No. 1 kicker. While it had plenty of distance, Pochman’s kick sailed well right of the target. The most impressive Giant leg belonged to punter Williams, who boomed his way into the team record books with a 90-yarder, and finished with eight punts for 441 yards--a staggering average of 55.1 yards.

New York’s Amani Toomer had five catches for 78 yards with two touchdowns, and Denver’s Davis led all rushers with 101 yards in 21 carries. Those rushing numbers were especially impressive considering the Giants had the NFC’s best run defense last season, allowing an average of 72.3 yards a game. But Davis wasn’t on the field during the Giants’ most impressive defensive series. They mounted a goal-line stand in the first quarter, twice shutting down fullback Patrick Hape from the one.

The momentum was short-lived, however, because Hape had a one-yard touchdown reception three minutes later to open the scoring. ‘We weren’t tired,’ New York linebacker Jesse Armstead said. ‘We just got beat.’