Welcome to the ISFL Broncos Website!
This website is dedicated to the happenings of the Denver Broncos football franchise of the ISFL (Internet Simulation Football League), a simulation football league using the Action PC football game as its game engine. This website created and maintained by Hank Sienzant.
BRONCOS WIN SUPER BOWL, 38-21 OVER SAINTS!
Denver Offense Near Perfect
January 29th, 2012: The Saints couldn't solve the Bronco offense, and Denver won, 38-21, without ever punting.
The Broncos had seven possessions in the game, and scored on six of them. One possession ended in an interception in the Saints endzone, after the Broncos had driven 60 yards to get to the Saints seven-yard line.
Except for the pick, 22-year-old starting quarterback and Super Bowl XV MVP Josh Freeman was near-perfect, completing 18 of 21 for 205 yards and three touchdowns (127.1). The Broncos also ran for 262 yards against the Saints on 43 rushing attempts (6.1). Three different Broncos ran for 75 or more yards, but none broke one hundred. The Broncos finished the game with 456 yards of offense, while the Saints accumulated 377 yards of offense, 259 through the air and 118 on the ground.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.20)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS ADVANCE TO SUPER BOWL!
Down Bills 34-21 Behind Ricky Williams Two TDs
January 15th, 2012: They keep trying to bury the old man.
But he ain't dead yet.
33-year-old Ricky Williams' 56-yard run for a touchdown in the second quarter gave the Broncos their first lead of the game, a lead they never relinquished, and the Broncos went on to a 34-21 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game. Williams finished with 93 yards on nine carries and scored two touchdowns and got this writer's vote for MVP of the contest.
The Denver Broncos fell behind 7-0 after kicking off as the Buffalo Bills had much success running the ball early. But after their initial possession when they gained 53 yards on the ground on six runs, the Bills all but abandoned their running attack. Over the remainder of the contest, they ran only eight more times, picking up only another 11 yards. Obviously, when you have Tom Brady as your quarterback, you want to maximum his chances to win the game. But that philosophy means if you stop Brady, you pretty much stop the Bills offense.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.19)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS UPSET JETS TO REACH AFC CHAMPIONSHIP, 35-27
Freeman Tosses Three TD Passes, Runs for Another
January 8th, 2012: The king is dead. Long live the king.
The Broncos upset the two-time defending ISFL Champion New York Jets in New York to advance to the AFC Championship Game behind Josh Freeman's three touchdown passes and one touchdown rushing. Freeman was stellar in the contest, completing 17 of 23 for 260 yards, and rushing for another 64 yards to lead the Broncos in rushing.
The teams went back and fourth in the first half, with each team taking the lead three separate times in an exciting 21-17 half that left the Broncos up by the narrow four-point lead.
The Broncos never trailed after scoring just before the end of the first half. In the second half, the Broncos broke the back-and-forth trend, scoring another touchdown to open the third quarter to go up by 11 at 28-17. After a Jets field goal cut the Broncos lead to 28-20 early in the fourth quarter, the Broncos quickly came right back with a dagger through the heart of the Jets, with Freeman throwing long and connecting with Dwayne Bowe for a 65-yard touchdown to take a 35-20 lead with just 13 minutes remaining in the contest.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.18)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS DOWN TITANS IN WILDCARD GAME, 23-12
Defense and Running Game Bring Home Win
January 1st, 2012: The Broncos edged the Titans in a tough defensive struggle that was a lot closer than the final scored indicated. With just five minutes left in the game, the Broncos held a narrow five-point margin at 17-12, but added two field goals in the next three minutes to take first an eight-point, then an eleven-point lead that Tennessee could not overcome.
The Titans were held to just 44 yards on the ground while the Broncos rushed for 186. Chad Henne responded to the challenge for the Titans, throwing 50 times and completing 30 for 310 yards, but two interceptions helped seal the Titans fate. The first came in the second quarter and led directly to the Broncos taking their first lead of the contest. With the Titans at their own 41, Will Witherspoon, who has played at a high level all season, dropped off his man and picked off Henne at the Denver 44, returning it nine yards before being hit and fumbling. With the ball loose on the field, both coaches held their breath until fellow Bronco linebacker Ernie Sims came out of the scrum with the ball. On replay, it looked like the Titans recovered the fumble but somehow Sims managed to come out of the pile of the pileup with the ball held aloft. After the game, Sims said with a smile, "All's fair in love and war -- and football pileups. It's not who gets the ball first, it's who has it last."
The Broncos took immediate advantage, keeping the ball on the ball for all eight plays of the drive, marching for 47 yards and their lone score of the first half, punching it over from five yards out on a Ryan Torain pitch-out around left end for the touchdown on third and five to give them a 7-3 halftime lead. Just prior to the touchdown, Ricky Williams lost the handle on the ball on a 13-yard run off-tackle at the Tennessee nine yard line, but Denver guard Josh Sitton managed to get the recovery and keep the drive alive.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.17)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS FINISH IN STYLE, 37-0
First Shutout Since 2008
December 18th, 2011: The Broncos took it on the chin the last two weeks. This time they dished it out.
After losing two in a row and falling from the first to the fourth seed in the matter of 8 days, the Broncos came out and played as complete a game as they could in demolishing the San Diego Chargers, 37-0. The Broncos finished the regular season at 13-3, tying their best record ever, but could finish second in the AFC East if the Jets beat the Houston Texans. The Chargers fell to 6-10 and will finish third in the AFC West."
After the two teams jockeyed back and forth for the first ten minutes of the game through three possessions, two by the Chargers and one by the Broncos, the Broncos jumped up 7-0 on a 65-yard strike from Josh Freeman to Nate Washington, the only play of Denver's second possession. Freeman hit Washington in stride at the Charger 30 and the wideout sprinted untouched the rest of the way. By that time, Washington had already caught passes of 18 and 21, and the 65-yarder gave him three receptions for 104 yards, his third 100-yard receiving effort of the season. Washington would not catch another pass, but his 104 yards would lead the Broncos in this contest.
Box Score (complete stats)
JETS BEAT BRONCOS, 31-27
Dominate First Half, Take Division Lead
December 11th, 2011: The New York Jets flew into Denver one game behind the Broncos in the AFC East and flew out with the division lead, downing the Broncos 31-27. Both teams are 12-3, but the Jets have the edge in common opponents, giving them control of their own fate. The Broncos, who two weeks ago were riding high with the best record in the ISFL at 12-1, have now lost two in a row and barring an upset by Houston over the Jets next week, can do no better than second in the AFC East and the fourth seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Jets dominated the first half, scoring 28 points and outgaining the Broncos 333 yards from scrimmage to just 89. So thorough was the domination in the first 30 minutes, the Jets had the ball for nearly 15 minutes more than the Broncos and converted seven of eight third downs while the Broncos were zero for five in that category. "They came to play, and we clearly didn't," head coach Hank Sienzant of the Broncos said afterward. "They made some big plays in the first half, especially throwing long, and even when we had opportunities, we couldn't do much with them."
The only thing keeping the Broncos in the game early was rookie running back Deji Karim's 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to cut the Jets lead to 14-7, but the Jets came back to score two more touchdowns before the end of the half, while holding the Broncos to just a field goal from scrimmage.
Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS DROP HEARTBREAKER TO PATRIOTS, 13-12
Blow Chance at FG in Final Seconds
December 5th, 2011: With one time out left, the Broncos mismanaged the clock at the end of the game, failing to get off the potential game winning field goal after a big completion to Dwayne Bowe to the New England 19. "We felt we had time to get off one more play from the 30 to move it into better range," Bronco head coach Hank Sienzant said afterward. "The players played well on both sides. I blew it. That's on me."
With the loss, the Broncos fell to 12-2 and now have a one game lead over the Jets and face the Jets next week in a game that could decide the AFC East. The Patriots moved to 8-6 with the win and now hold a one game over the 7-7 Colts for first place in the the AFC Central.
Trailing by what would prove to be the final score of 13-12, the Broncos started their ill-fated drive at their own 38 with 1:41 remaining in the game after a Deji Karim kickoff return of 28 yards. Offsetting penalties started the possession, then after a nine-yard completion from Josh Freeman to Brandon Pettigrew, the Broncos took two running plays to pick up the first down at their own 49. Three more completions followed, but prior to the last one to Dwayne Bowe, the Broncos should have exercised their final timeout to stop the clock. They didn't, and they only got the snap off with a few seconds left. When Bowe caught the ball, the clock had already run down to :00, and when he was tackled, the game ended with the Broncos close enough for a 37-yard field goal, but with no time left on the clock to try it.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.14)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS EDGE BROWNS IN OVERTIME, 37-31
Denver Blows 21-3, 31-17 Leads
November 20th, 2011: "Phew!" That was the first word uttered by Bronco coach Hank Sienzant in his post-game interview after the Broncos narrowly escaped being upset by the Browns. The Broncos won in overtime, 37-31, on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Josh Freeman to Delanie Walker, but the 4-8 Cleveland Browns came into Denver and gave the Broncos everything they could handle, and then some.
With the win, the Broncos stay atop the ISFL with the best record in the league for another week, moving to 12-1 on the season. The Broncos, who clinched a playoff spot with the narrow win, now have clinched no worse than the fourth seed in the AFC. The defending Super Bowl Champion NY Jets, who are 9-3 at this writing, may now have to win all their remaining games to edge the Broncos in the AFC East.
The Broncos were lucky to escape with their lives against the Broncos. "I think our young team was looking past the Browns to some extent to the bye, and to the Jet game the next week," Sienzant said later. "Not to take anything away from the Browns. They played great. But hopefully our guys learned something today, and understand they can't look past any team in this league."
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.13)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS CLINCH POST-SEASON BERTH
Freeman Throws Four TD Passes in Win
November 13th, 2011: The Broncos travelled to Buffalo and downed the Bills, 28-17, behind the hot right arm of second-year quarterback Josh Freeman, 28-17. Freeman connected on three of his touchdown passes with Dwayne Bowe, on completions of 10, 3, and 15 yards. Bowe caught six for 75 yards in the game, and his three touchdown receptions give him 14 on the season. The remaining Freeman touchdown pass was from 8 yards out to Louis Murphy, who finished with six for 47 receiving.
The Broncos clinched a playoff spot with the win over the Bills, as they cannot finish less than 11-5, and they already own the tie-breaker over both 7-5 Buffalo and 7-5 Indianapolis, having swept Buffalo and beating Indy in their lone matchup this year. At 11-1, the Broncos stand alone atop the league with the best record in the ISFL (no one else has fewer than two losses). The Broncos win, combined with the Jets loss to 10-2 Dallas, gives the Broncos a huge two-game lead in the AFC East with just four games to go. The Bills fell to 7-5 and are third in the AFC East, but are still in position to garner a wild-card spot.
The game featured the best two passers in the league in terms of passer rating in Freeman and Tom Brady, but the two teams accounted for only 361 yards passing on the day. Freeman finished with an economical 18 of 26 for 165 yards, and four touchdown passes (125.8), while Tom Brady completed 25 of 42 for 203 yards and two touchdowns (87.7). Neither quarterback threw an interception.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.12)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS HOLD OFF EAGLES RALLY, WIN 20-10
Bowe 68-Yard TD Biggest Play
November 6th, 2011: The Broncos took a 17-0 lead in the third, then nearly gave away the game on multiple miscues as the Eagles rallied with two scores before Denver finally held off the Eagles to win, 20-10. With the win, the Broncos remain atop the AFC East with a 10-1 record, one game ahead of the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Jets, who are 9-2. The Broncos also hold the best record in the AFC for another week, with the Jets and Cowboys with two losses as of this writing. The Eagles lost for a second time in a row, and their fourth time in their last seven games after winning their first four to start the season.
Rookie defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had a big game for the Broncos with two sacks, both in the fourth quarter, and both stopped Eagle drives. On the offensive side of the ball, Dwayne Bowe continued his stellar play this year, earning MVP of the game honors for his four receptions and 120 yards, with one big 68-yard touchdown that gave the Broncos a 17-0 lead early in the third quarter.
With a 17-3 lead entering the fourth quarter, the Denver defense and special teams saved the day, for as many big plays as they made, the Denver offense made almost as many in trying to give the game away. Jason Pierre-Paul got the first of his two sacks early in the fourth quarter with the Eagles moving from their own ten in a drive that started late in the third quarter. His sack of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford for an eight-yard loss on first down from the Eagles 33 put the Eagles in a 2nd-and-18 hole they could not climb out of, and eventually forced the Philly punt.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.11)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS STRUGGLE PAST BEARS, 17-7
Denver Now 9-1 on Season
October 30th, 2011: Although the Broncos had a 410 - 179 yardage advantage, they couldn't convert the yardage into points, putting up only two second quarter touch-downs and a third quarter field goal as they downed the Bears in a low-scoring defensive struggle, 17-7. Denver raised their record to 9-1 and if the playoffs started today, would be the first seed in the AFC playoffs. The Bears fell to 1-9 and are in last in the AFC Central Division.
The Broncos first two drives ended in disaster as punter Jon Ryan bobbled the snap and was tackled for no gain to end the Broncos first possession, and Josh Freeman was picked off by Lance Briggs to end the Broncos second possession, an eleven-play drive that had reached the Bears 33 yard line.
Meanwhile, the Bears were equally ineffective, punting once and getting a field goal blocked from the Bronco four yard line that could have given them an early 3-0 lead.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.10)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS STUMBLE IN LOSS TO JAGS, 14-9
Denver Last Undefeated Team to Fall
October 16th, 2011: The Jacksonville Jaguars were just too good for the young Broncos. They took advantage of their opportunities and denied the Broncos when they had to, beating Denver to raise their record to 7-1 in the NFC East. The Broncos fell to 7-1, suffering their first loss in their last ten games, ending a nine-game winning streak dating back to last year. They still lead the AFC East over the Jets by at least a game.
The second half was a litany of missed opportunities for the Broncos until the final minutes as the Jaguars displayed the epitome of a bend-but-don't-break defense. They had three excellent drives but got nothing out of them. Opening the second half with a hard-fought 3-0 lead, the Broncos drove 56 yards in 13 plays and took over seven minutes off the clock, but when a draw play on third down was stuffed, the Broncos tried to settle for a 42 yard field goal, but Mason Crosby's attempt was wide right.
With the Jaguars taking over at their own 31 on their first possession of the second half, the Broncos put veteran running back Ladainian Tomlinson out of the game, but the Jaguars scored a touchdown to take the lead at 7-3 when Donald Brown, Tomlinson's backup, came off the bench to punch it over on a fourth-and-goal from the Bronco one.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.08)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS RALLY TO BEAT BILLS, 24-20
One of Two Remaining Undefeated Teams
October 9th, 2011: The Broncos scored on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Josh Freeman to Dwayne Bowe with 57 seconds left on the clock, then withstood a Bills assault that included a timing snafu when the Denver home-town officials failed to give the Bills a much-needed time-out with about 40 seconds left in the game. Instead, the clock kept running and the Bills could only get off a screen pass and, after their first recognized timeout, a desperation heave into the endzone by Tom Brady that fell incomplete.
The timing foul-up marred what was otherwise a great game, with the Broncos going ahead 17-3 in the second quarter before the Bills rallied back to take the lead at 20-17 late in the third quarter. The fourth was filled with a variety of big plays before the Broncos made the biggest of all, with Josh Freeman hitting Dwayne Bowe on a short crossing route from the Bills 40, and Bowe turning upfield and out-racing the Bills defenders to the end zone.
Buffalo started the game off with an excellent drive (at least at the beginning), moving from their own 20 to their 48 in seven plays, picking up two first downs in the process. But two penalties from the hurry-up and B.J.Raji's first sack of the year pushed the Bills back to their own 31, and the driv wound up netting only 11 yards in nine plays.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.07)Box Score (complete stats)
DENVER SHUTS DOWN BROWNS IN WIND, RAIN, 28-6
Freeman Three TD Passes Leads Broncos
October 2nd, 2011: The Broncos pitched a 60-minute shutout, but surrendered a touchdown to the Browns after time had expired to spoil their first shutout opportunity under Hank Sienzant as the Broncos beat division-rival Browns, 28-6. With the Bronco scrubs in the game, Cleveland, which had twice earlier in the fourth quarter failed to score from inside the Denver 20, finally got on the board with no time remaining on the clock when Joe Flacco hit wide receiver David Gettis from eight yards out for the Browns only TD of the game.
The final Cleveland drive started at their own 35 after the Broncos had failed to run out the clock after taking over with 1:49 remaining in the game. On the final drive, Flacco completed six of 67 for all 65 yards, with the big play a long completion to David Gettis for a 20 yard gain to the Bronco eight yard against the Broncos prevent defense, with the Browns burning their final timeout with nine seconds to go.
A incomplete pass to Gettis followed, leaving three seconds on the clock. On the final play, time had expired with Flacco still holding the ball from the shotgun snap, and with no time left on the clock, Flacco finally found Gettis open in the end zone for the score to spoil the Broncos shutout bid. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and the Broncos went home 28-6 winners.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.06)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS STUN JETS, 31-20
Four Turnovers Key to Victory
September 25th, 2011: "Denver is for real!"
That was the assessment of the New York Jets head coach, Roberto Tosco, after the Broncos downed the Jets 31-20 on the strength of four takeaways by the Broncos defense. The Jets won most of the stats, but the four turnovers led directly to 21 Bronco points and helped decide the contest in the Broncos favor.
With the win, the Broncos moved to 5-0 on the season, remain undefeated and now have a two-game lead over their closest challengers in the AFC East.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.05)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS DOMINATE TEXANS, 38-13
One of Two Undefeated AFC Teams
September 18th, 2011: The Broncos are for real, it appears. Despite talk that the Broncos 3-0 start was a chimera, and they would be exposed soon, the Broncos got the better of the Houston Texans for a second time already this season, beating them decisively, 38-13. They are now one of two AFC teams remaining undefeated (Dallas is the other). The Texans fell to 2-2, with both losses at the hands of the Broncos.
The Broncos looked good in all phases of the game. The Broncos had over 400 yards of offense for the third time this season and the defense allowed only one touchdown for the sixth consecutive game - dating back to last season. Even special teams got into the act, forcing a fumble that led directly to the Broncos second touchdown.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.04)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS EDGE STEELERS 13-10
Denver Alone in First Place
September 9th, 2011: The Denver Broncos moved to 3-0 on the season by narrowly beating the Steelers, 13-10. the Broncos took over sole possession of first place in the AFC East when the Jets were beaten by the Green Bay Packers. The Steelers fell to 1-2 in the AFC Central. All three of the Steeler games have been decided by three points or less.
In the tight defensive struggle that saw both teams almost evenly matched in yards from scrimmage, the difference in the contest came down to the legs of the kickers. The Broncos Mason Crosby (2 of 3 on field goals) outdueled Ryan Lindell of Pittburgh, who missed two of his three field goals. Josh Freeman was the offensive star of the contest and won his third consecutive MVP of the game award, completing 17 of 25 (68%) for 221 yards and one touchdown. He finished with a 108.9 passer rating. For the Steelers, Marshawn Lynch picked up 70 yards on 17 rushes against the Denver defense, and added another ten yards on one catch.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.03)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS BEAT COLTS, 26-7
Defense Stars Again
Denver, August 31st, 2011: The Broncos shut out the Indianapolis Colts for the first three quarters, taking a 16-0 lead into the fourth quarter, and won 26-7 in their home opener. The Broncos are now 2-0 for the first time since 2002 and the Colts, 12-4 last year, fell to 0-2 to start the 2011 season.
The Broncos once again started fast - in the first 25 minutes of the contest, the Colts had no first downs and only 30 yards from scrimmage. The Colts were outgained from scrimmage over those first 25 minutes by 150 yards. The Bronco run defense was stellar, holding the Colts to just 52 yards on the ground in 12 rushes. They sacked Aaron Rodgers twice, hurried him frequently, and picked off two of his passses.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.02)Box Score (complete stats)
BRONCOS STUFF TEXANS, 38-10
Defense Holds Houston to 15 Yards Rushing
Houston, August 24th, 2011: The Denver Broncos stormed into Houston and took no prisoners, holding the Houston Texans to just 15 yards on the ground and picked off two Eli Manning passes to dominate the Texans from the second quarter on.
The game started slowly, with four punts, followed by one turnover by each team. The Texans picked off second-year quarterback Josh Freeman two plays after Peyton Hillis turned the ball over to the Broncos on a fumble. Safety Kerry Rhodes returned the Freeman interception 33 yards to the Denver four. With excellent field position, it still took the Texans four plays to score, with Hillis pounding it over from a yard out on fourth down to give the Texans a 7-0 lead with 43 seconds left in the first quarter. It would prove to be their sole lead and lone touchdown of the game. Their next score would be a field goal after the Broncos had scored 38 unanswered points in the second and third quarters.
Complete Story (Bronco Newsletter Issue 02.01)Box Score (complete stats)
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