Broncos notes: Von Miller's comeback off to fast start for unbeaten Broncos

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Von Miller took his AFC Defensive Player of the Month honor in stride Thursday.

Not so his BFF.

While the usually loquacious linebacker was on the podium saying things like, “when you have team success, individual awards like that come,” mild-mannered kicker Brandon McManus was doing jumping jacks behind the cameras in a failed attempt to get Miller to crack a smile.

“Yeah, it's cool,” Miller said of his fourth career monthly honor and first since 2016, which he won by getting four sacks and six tackles for loss in the Broncos' 3-0 start.

In his return after missing all of 2020 with a freak ankle injury, Miller had sacks in each of the Broncos' three September games, which included take-downs of the top two picks in the NFL draft, Trevor Lawrence of the Jaguars and Zach Wilson of the Jets.

Miller said he didn't enter his 11th NFL season with anything to prove after missing all of last season with a dislodged ankle tendon.

“No, I'm at peace,” Miller said. “I just be chillin'.”

McManus was bummed when Miller got hurt on the eve of the opener last season because his buddy didn't get to show off his new, buffed physique he'd worked on all offseason.

So, naturally he's thrilled by Miller's comeback.

“Well, make sure you write this: I think dad bods around the world will rejoice because now he's a father,” McManus said of Miller, who became a first-time father last month with the birth of his son, Valor.

Not that Miller has a paunch or beer belly, mind you. On the contrary, he's still fit with a physique that belies his 32 years.

“Whatever he did last year, the muscle he put on, he still looks the same,” McManus allowed. “But now he's a father, so we can consider him a dad bod.”

Best buds can rib each other like that.

“I’m his biggest fan,” McManus said. “I don’t cheer on the sidelines because I try to stay mentally focused. But inside when he gets sacks, I’m always extremely happy for him.”

McManus said he and Miller talked a lot about his comeback in 2021, which is the final season of the star pass rusher's six-year, $114.1 million deal that he signed after winning Super Bowl 50 MVP honors. McManus said Miller was exactly like he said, at peace with it all.

“We talked about that and there's certain freak athletes in this world that can do anything,” McManus said. "You've got Tom Brady and he's not an athlete in the sense where he’s running around and doing this. But there’s players and athletes in this world that can continue to do things at ages that don’t make sense to you and I.

“Von's built that way and he's one of them,” McManus added. "We have the same massage and stretch therapist and Von can do almost a complete split on the ground like a gymnast — at 260 pounds! At that age! And I can barely move and I’m a kicker.

“So, like I said, it’s incredible what someone like him can do, but that’s why I don’t think age is a good marker for him," McManus said. "He’s somebody that will want to go above and beyond.”

Miller, who is godfather to the second-born of McManus's twin sons, came into camp talking about wanting to play several more seasons, preferably in Denver.

“He has a young attitude,” McManus said. "He’s obviously got a new look on life with his son. I saw Peyton (Manning) and all the other guys at training camp, their kids are out playing and throwing the balls and enjoying their father playing. Now that he has a son, Valor, there’s no doubt in my mind he wants his kid to see him play.

"So, he’s got another two, three, four, five years of excellent play," McManus said, “and obviously, I’ll be on the sidelines continuing to watch and enjoy.”

Then, McManus headed back inside the Broncos training facility, turning around to once again offer a suggestion.

“That should be the title: dad bods around the world rejoice!”

Jackson, Ravens provide good gauge for unbeaten Broncos

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos can quell any doubts about their legitimacy Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and their star game-changers Lamar Jackson and Justin Tucker.

The Broncos (3-0) entered October as one of five unbeaten teams in the NFL but their wins have come against the bottom three teams in the league, according to the latest AP Pro32 poll.

In the Ravens (2-1), they'll face a team that lost in overtime to the unbeaten Raiders, beat the two-time defending AFC champion Chiefs when a fourth-down gamble paid off and edged the Lions last week when the longest field goal in NFL history bounced over the crossbar as time expired.

“I'll never discredit a win,” said Broncos tight end Noah Fant, “but I definitely think the Ravens are a good team for us to play against. They've played some really good opponents so far. They've shown what they can do and they've shown that they're a good team.”

Denver's first three opponents, the Giants, Jaguars and Jets, are a combined 0-9.

“We didn't pick our schedule,” Denver receiver Tim Patrick said. “So, we're just going out there and getting ‘dubs.’ We've got the Ravens this week and we've got to go out there and get another ‘dub.’”

The Ravens matchup, Fant said, “is a good measuring stick for us. I think they're a good team. But I also think we're a good team. I'm excited to play them.”

And show everybody — maybe even themselves — that their perfect start is no mirage.

Denver's defense, which is first in the league in points allowed, second against the run and third against the pass, will be stress-tested by Jackson, the unconventional dual-threat QB who's hard for anyone to stop.

“If we're going to win on Sunday,” suggested Broncos safety Justin Simmons, “the defense is going to have to be extraordinary.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio compared Jackson to “Barry Sanders playing quarterback,” and another day, he marveled, "This guy is so special and the thing that gets lost because he's so spectacular running the ball is this guy can throw it.

“He's a complete quarterback and he's tough,” Fangio said. "He's one of a kind, thank God.”

Fangio's not hedging his bets with Baltimore backup Tyler Huntley, either, even though Jackson (back) for just the second time in his four-year NFL career missed consecutive practices in the regular season.

“No. 1, I'm pretty damn sure he'll play,” Fangio said, adding, “they would run a similar offense with the other guy” anyway.

Von Miller, who won the AFC Defensive Player of the Month after a monster September, said he's telling his Broncos teammates, “This is a playoff game early in the season. ... It will be good to see what type of team we are versus a worthy opponent."

Other subplots Sunday when the Ravens can tie the NFL record with their 43rd consecutive game with at least 100 yards rushing, a mark set by the Steelers from 1974-77:

BROWN NOT DOWN

Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown dropped three long touchdown passes from Jackson last week, and the flubs totaled a whopping 97 air yards — not counting the yards he'd have gained had he hauled in the throws.

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh is confident the 2019 first-round pick will bounce back and show the Twitter trolls what he's really all about.

“People can write the Twitter account all they want, but Marquise is going to write his own story and his testimony is going to belong to him and him only," Harbaugh said. “So, how he responds is really what matters. I know that's what he's focusing on."

OLD PALS

Jackson and Broncos QB Teddy Bridgewater may be polar opposites on the field, but they have several similarities: They’re both from South Florida, both are Louisville alumni and both were the 32nd pick in the draft.

“I’ve been following him since he got to Louisville,” Bridgewater said. “I’m looking forward to just watching him compete against our defense. I’ll be rooting for him, but at the same time rooting for us to come away with a victory.”

M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H UNITS

The game pits the NFL's two most banged-up teams.

Baltimore lost star CB Marcus Peters and RBs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to knee injuries before the season.

“You can't allow” the rash of injuries “to define what you're trying to accomplish,” Harbaugh said. “And we've got other players here that are very confident and are excited about their opportunity.”

The Broncos have lost seven starters so far, including WR Jerry Jeudy and OLB Bradley Chubb to ankle injuries, WR KJ Hamler to a season-ending knee injury and ILB Josey Jewell to a season-ending torn pectoral muscle.

“We feel we have good players behind these guys," Fangio said. "We feel we'll weather this storm and come out good.”

TUCKER'S RANGE

If Tucker's range is 66 yards, what might it be at high altitude?

“We don’t know," Ravens special teams coordinator Chris Horton said, chuckling. "Hopefully, we’re not in those situations where we need to be setting records on field goals to win football games. So, we’ll just play it by ear, and if they call us, they put us out there, we’ll be ready to go.”

Ravens can tie record with 43rd straight 100-yard rush game

The Baltimore Ravens have a chance to tie an NFL record with their 43rd consecutive game of at least 100 yards rushing when they visit the unbeaten Denver Broncos on Sunday. Pittsburgh set that mark from 1974-77.

The Broncos will have to contain elusive quarterback Lamar Jackson to keep the Ravens' ground game in check. They do have the credentials to get it done. The Broncos are second in the league against the rush and third in the NFL against the pass.

They're also the league's stingiest defense in terms of scoring. They've allowed just 26 points so far.