Two days after the Broncos defeated the Titans 37-16, we look to see what the Denver sportswriters are saying about the Broncos win.

''The Broncos beat the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night. But then, isn't that what good teams are supposed to do, beat bad teams?

The Titans' 'B' team never had a chance. In a drastic departure from the previous eight weeks, the Broncos made it look easy. They scored a touchdown when Tennessee had 12 men on the field. They completed three screen passes in the first half, surpassing the total of the John Elway era. Not only that, Tatum Bell crossed the 10-yard line without fumbling or pulling a hammy.''
Jim Armstrong
The Denver Post

''Titans quarterback Billy Volek came into the game playing like the second coming of Peyton Manning, having thrown for a combined 918 yards and eight touchdowns in the past two games.

It was a different story Christmas night. By the time Volek left the game with an injured knee in the third quarter - courtesy of defensive end Reggie Hayward's third sack of the game - Volek had completed 8-for-20 passes for 111 yards. And he was picked off twice, once by Broncos rookie linebacker D.J. Williams and later by cornerback Kelly Herndon.

Volek said that the Broncos played a lot more zone than he expected and said that threw off the Titans' game plan. He also tipped his hat to cornerback Champ Bailey.

'Champ Bailey did a great job,' Volek said. 'He was all over the field tonight, and honestly, we just couldn't get into a rhythm.'

'I thought our defensive line did an excellent job,' Shanahan said. 'You get as many sacks as we did and you put that much pressure on an offense that has been that successful, then it's surely a group effort.''
Patrick Saunders
The Denver Post

''Billy Volek limped off the field Saturday night way short of his third consecutive 400-yard passing game.

Last weekend the Tennessee quarterback became the fourth player in NFL history to post consecutive 400-yard games, joining Dan Marino, Dan Fouts and Phil Simms.

The Broncos held him to 8-of-20 passing for 111 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns in a 37-16 rout of the Titans.

'They played more zone than we expected,' Volek said. 'We thought they'd play man-on-man, put seven guys in the box. We couldn't get into a rhythm.'

'Sometimes Denver brings in more guys than you can actually block,' Titans left tackle Brad Hopkins said. 'It's up to us to be able to scheme those things and be prepared for it. Sometimes we just didn't recognize the things they were giving us.'

Titans wide receiver Derrick Mason, who entered the game leading the NFL in receptions, was held to four catches for 65 yards and no touchdowns.

'They mixed it up,' Mason said. 'They blitzed, they played zone, they played a little man-to-man. That's the best defense we've played up until this point.'

'They wanted to keep everything in front of them and that's what they did.'

'I did have a difficult time with Champ Bailey,' Titans wide receiver Drew Bennett said. 'I thought he was a good player, but it's us. When we go back and look at the film, it's going to be things we should have adjusted to and plays we should have made.'

Volek had a dismal passer rating (19.0) against the Broncos, but he didn't get much support. The Titans managed only 59 rushing yards.

'We were running the ball pretty effectively in the first half, but they came back with some adjustments,' Titans running back Antowain Smith said. 'They blitzed us and got to Billy a couple of times that way. They mixed up the coverage, bringing the safety down and taking him back out.''
Chip Cirillo
Denver Post

''The Denver Broncos tore the trimmings and the trappings off their Christmas night game Saturday and were lucky enough to find both what they wanted as well as what they needed — a rejuvenated Jake Plummer and a hard-charging defense.

'It's one of those games you play with your back against the wall,' said Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. '...This is a testament to the team how they fought back after they got embarrassed, the way they stepped up, the plays they made.'

Against a battered Titans offensive line, the Broncos simply pounded away at Volek. Defensive end Reggie Hayward was a particular problem for the Tennessee reserves that found themselves in the game.

'We just couldn't get anything going,' Volek said. 'We never did get things going the way we wanted.''
Jeff Legwold
Rocky Mountain News

''It was the Titans' worst-ever home loss since moving to Nashville.

Denver's defense stepped onto the Christmas night, national-television spotlight with chip securely in place on shoulder.

Lynch didn't knock out any Titans, but he did knock away a sure touchdown late in the second quarter, rifling his body into Titans wide receiver Drew Bennett to separate him from the football in the end zone, forcing Tennessee to settle for a field goal.

'It was a zone play,' Bailey said. 'Boy, (Volek) put it in a great spot. If it wasn't for Lynch, that would have been a touchdown. He came over and did what he does -- knock people out.'

'We're a man (coverage) team, but these guys are just throwing the ball upfield so many times that it makes sense to go for the two deep,' Lynch said. 'If they're going to try and throw it deep, you've got to make them pay.'

That's what the Broncos did -- almost every time the Titans tried to throw a pass. Stripped of the most reliable part of their arsenal, the Titans were unable to move, never even crossing midfield in the second half and barely breaking 150 yards of total offense after flirting with 500-yard days the previous two games.

'You put as much pressure (as the Broncos did) on an offense that's been very successful, it's really a team effort,' Shanahan said. 'You've got to be doing a lot of things the right way, and I thought we stepped up as a group.''
Andrew Mason
DenverBroncos.com