DENVER -- It was midway through the second quarter Monday night, and the Broncos were as frigid as the 16-degree air that made this night the third-coldest at home in team history.
The offense had punted on each of its first two possessions, and spent a good chunk of its second series skidding backward thanks to consecutive penalties. The defense had been gashed in a way it had rarely experienced before, allowing consecutive touchdowns that perpetuated the woes of last week's second half in Pittsburgh.
The Broncos were down 14-0, and had allowed 38 unanswered points in their last three-plus quarters of play.