DENVER -- When the Broncos jogged back to the locker room at halftime Thursday trailing Carolina 17-7, the unease among the 76,671 onlookers -- most of whom were clad in orange -- was palpable. As the 10-point deficit lingered through the third quarter thanks in part to a interception, that discomfort turned to a smattering of boos after one three-and-out.
But in the locker room at halftime and on the west sideline early in the second half, the mood was different.
The Broncos didn't fret or fidget. Fingers weren't pointed. Paint didn't peel in the locker room at halftime.