ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Five games ago, the Denver Broncos defense was in a full spiral after a 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins, when Mike McDaniel's offense put up 10 touchdowns, 350 yards rushing and 726 yards worth of total offense.
"After Miami,'' Broncos safety Justin Simmons said, "there was a lot of self-reflection.''
While nobody is saying the Broncos have found the magic elixir, the defense has somehow pushed its way far closer to even-keel headed into the team's bye week. The Broncos have won three of the five games since the disaster in South Florida, and with Sunday's 24-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, they have surrendered 19, 17 and 9 points over their last three games and held two of their last three opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing.