NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For the first 56 minutes of the Broncos' game in Tennessee, they looked exactly like the team that lost to the Colts a week ago. The inability to establish the run, convert on third downs or score touchdowns in multiple red-zone opportunities overshadowed a productive day for the passing game.
But in a resilient four minutes of football, Denver dominated all three phases of the game and pulled out a 26-20 victory for the team's first road win of the season.
"This is how you learn," 
Trailing 20-16 with a little more than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Broncos took possession and marched 66 yards to the Titans 4-yard line.
Two runs by Chris Johnson gave the Titans a quick first down, but last year's rushing champion - who was limited to 53 yards on 19 carries -- ran into
"I told
Orton completed his first three passes on the drive, but a holding call on the third play knocked the Broncos back to first-and-20. A sack on the ensuing snap placed the offense a quarter of the field away from a first down at the two-minute warning.
Orton calmly dropped back and launched a deep ball to
"Even when it was second-and-25, I still had faith that they were going to get it," Ayers said. "The pass interference ... that's part of the game. If you interfere, you're going to get called. We were just able to capitalize on it."
For two more plays, Tennessee frustrated Denver's red zone offense.
Orton's quarterback sneak went nowhere, an illegal formation penalty pushed the offense back to the 6-yard line, and the next play resulted in an incomplete pass to Gaffney. On second down, the only fans in LP Field left cheering wore blue and orange.
Special teams didn't give the Titans an opportunity for a comeback. Prater's kickoff into the wind hung high, bouncing off the ground as the Broncos met Tennessee's blockers.
The team's clutch play in the closing minutes was a welcome change for Orton.
"We've really played our worst football in the fourth quarter all season," he said. "That was a huge emphasis that we made this week. Let's go out and play our best football in the fourth quarter. ... We came down the stretch and made the plays."
Denver outscored Tennessee 10-0 in the fourth quarter after the Titans built their lead in the third quarter thanks to a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Marc Mariani and one of Rob Bironas' two field goals on the day.
Both teams were held scoreless in the first quarter after a wide-right miss by Bironas and a forced fumble by
For the second week in a row, two Broncos receivers topped the 100-yard mark. Royal caught 8 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown and
"I think as far as the receiving group, we're in it for one another," Lloyd said. "We give each other support out there on the field, and that just translates into confidence and we go out there and make the plays."
Orton passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns, and has now accounted for the second-most passing yards through the first four games of the regular season in NFL history with 1,419. His only gaffe of the game came in the third quarter when Michael Griffin picked off a tipped deep pass intended for Lloyd. The quarterback was sacked six times on the day, but he always persisted in the pocket.
"(He) never lost his poise, continued to be confident on the sidelines and made a lot of critical throws for us to change field position sometimes when we had an opportunity to be backed up there offensively," Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. "He executed when we needed him to execute."
Tennessee's quarterback ran the Titans' offense efficiently when Denver contained Johnson to 2.8 yards per carry. The former BCS national champion from Texas attempted a season-high 17 passes and only carried the ball once. He ran for 18 yards to evade the pass rush late in the second quarter, directing a drive that led to Bironas' first field goal.
Javon Ringer, not Johnson, had the longest run of the day, a 54-yard scamper that set Young up for an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt.
The teams traded scores all game long, but ultimately, the Broncos hung in long enough to knock out the Titans in the final four minutes. The team rushed for only 19 yards and converted a fifth of their third-down opportunities, but they left the Music City with a win.
"When you win one on the road against a team like this, you don't give it back, and we're certainly not going to," McDaniels said. "(We're) very happy to be 2-2 and we'll look forward to getting ready for our next opponent here tomorrow."
For the first 56 minutes of the Broncos' game in Tennessee, they looked exactly like the team that lost to the Colts a week ago. The inability to establish the run, convert on third downs or score touchdowns in multiple red-zone opportunities overshadowed a productive day for the passing game.
But in a resilient four minutes of football, Denver dominated all three phases of the game and pulled out a 26-20 victory for the team's first road win of the season.
"This is how you learn," Brian Dawkins said. "I think we learned from our mistakes last week and we were able to fix some things to get off the field and get the offense back the ball with a chance to win it."
Trailing 20-16 with a little more than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Broncos took possession and marched 66 yards to the Titans 4-yard line. Kyle Orton couldn't complete a pass on third or fourth down, and the defense trotted onto the field determined to give their teammates another opportunity.
Two runs by Chris Johnson gave the Titans a quick first down, but last year's rushing champion – who was limited to 53 yards on 19 carries -- ran into Robert Ayers on the next two plays, losing a yard and forcing Vince Young to pass on third-and-long. Young's pass fell incomplete, and Eddie Royal's 5-yard punt return gave the offense the ball at midfield.
"I told J.D. Walton, I said, 'It's coming right back. We're going to get the ball for you, we're going to go make these plays and we're going to get y'all the ball back. So be ready and have your helmets ready,'" Ayers said.
Orton completed his first three passes on the drive, but a holding call on the third play knocked the Broncos back to first-and-20. A sack on the ensuing snap placed the offense a quarter of the field away from a first down at the two-minute warning.
Orton calmly dropped back and launched a deep ball to Jabar Gaffney up the right sideline, and Tennessee safety Chris Hope brought the receiver down before he could make the catch, resulting in a pass interference penalty that placed the ball on the Titans 1-yard line.
"Even when it was second-and-25, I still had faith that they were going to get it," Ayers said. "The pass interference ... that's part of the game. If you interfere, you're going to get called. We were just able to capitalize on it."
For two more plays, Tennessee frustrated Denver's red zone offense.
Orton's quarterback sneak went nowhere, an illegal formation penalty pushed the offense back to the 6-yard line, and the next play resulted in an incomplete pass to Gaffney. On second down, the only fans in LP Field left cheering wore blue and orange.
Correll Buckhalter snatched a pass in the flat, ran just inside the pylon and dropped to his knees in celebration after the go-ahead touchdown.
Special teams didn't give the Titans an opportunity for a comeback. Prater's kickoff into the wind hung high, bouncing off the ground as the Broncos met Tennessee's blockers. Cassius Vaughn recovered the football, allowing Prater to tack on his fourth field goal of the day and give the squad a six-point cushion.
The team's clutch play in the closing minutes was a welcome change for Orton.
"We've really played our worst football in the fourth quarter all season," he said. "That was a huge emphasis that we made this week. Let's go out and play our best football in the fourth quarter. ... We came down the stretch and made the plays."
Denver outscored Tennessee 10-0 in the fourth quarter after the Titans built their lead in the third quarter thanks to a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Mariani and one of Rob Bironas' two field goals on the day.
Both teams were held scoreless in the first quarter after a wide-right miss by Bironas and a forced fumble by Mario Haggan kept Tennessee off the board. Eddie Royal put up the first six points of the game on a two-yard out-route pass he caught from Orton in the second quarter, and by halftime the teams were tied at 10.
For the second week in a row, two Broncos receivers topped the 100-yard mark. Royal caught 8 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown and Brandon Lloyd notched 11 receptions for 115 yards.
"I think as far as the receiving group, we're in it for one another,” Lloyd said. “We give each other support out there on the field, and that just translates into confidence and we go out there and make the plays."
Orton passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns, and has now accounted for the second-most passing yards through the first four games of the regular season in NFL history with 1,419. His only gaffe of the game came in the third quarter when Michael Griffin picked off a tipped deep pass intended for Lloyd. The quarterback was sacked six times on the day, but he always persisted in the pocket.
"(He) never lost his poise, continued to be confident on the sidelines and made a lot of critical throws for us to change field position sometimes when we had an opportunity to be backed up there offensively," Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. "He executed when we needed him to execute."
Tennessee's quarterback ran the Titans’ offense efficiently when Denver contained Johnson to 2.8 yards per carry. The former BCS national champion from Texas attempted a season-high 17 passes and only carried the ball once. He ran for 18 yards to evade the pass rush late in the second quarter, directing a drive that led to Bironas' first field goal.
Javon Ringer, not Johnson, had the longest run of the day, a 54-yard scamper that set Young up for an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt.
The teams traded scores all game long, but ultimately, the Broncos hung in long enough to knock out the Titans in the final four minutes. The team rushed for only 19 yards and converted a fifth of their third-down opportunities, but they left the Music City with a win.
"When you win one on the road against a team like this, you don't give it back, and we're certainly not going to," McDaniels said. "(We're) very happy to be 2-2 and we'll look forward to getting ready for our next opponent here tomorrow."
