Posts tagged ranked
Broncos John Elway talks about the upcoming playoff game against the Ravens
Jan 11th
The Broncos finished the season on an 11-game winning streak for a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC going into the playoffs. It was a year that ranked among the best regular seasons in franchise history, but those accomplishments will mean little if they are not followed by a strong postseason run. The players’ incentive for all their hard work throughout the year boils down to what happens over the next few weeks.
“Playoff football is exciting, that’s what you play for,” Elway said. “That’s what you start working out in March for and go through training camp to get in the position that we are right now.”
One of the biggest factors in the team’s success has been quarterback Peyton Manning’s record-setting regular season. With that portion of the year complete, Elway said that looking back, he’s been thrilled to see Manning perform so well after missing 2011 due to injury.
“No. 1, I’m happy for Peyton Manning, with the career that he’s had in the NFL and what he’s done for this game, for him to be able to bounce back like he has, I’m happy for him that he’s reached the level that he has again,” Elway said. “He’s pretty close to the Peyton of old. No. 2, I’m thrilled for us, the Broncos, the fact that he’s playing that well because we’re back in that No. 1 seed, back as one of the elite teams in this league. We’re able to go out and start the playoffs this week and compete for a Super Bowl championship. That’s why we play the game and why we work at this game.”
Denver is set for a rematch with the Ravens Saturday at 2:30 p.m. MST at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. In the first meeting of the season between the teams, the Broncos led 31-3 entering the fourth quarter and defeated Baltimore by a final score of 34-17. A key difference going into Saturday’s game is the health of the Ravens defense, which has welcomed back a trio of key contributors who were injured and inactive in Week 15.
“They’re a lot healthier now than they were when we played them,” Elway said. “(Linebacker) Ray Lewis was down, (Dannell) Ellerbe, their other inside linebacker, was down. So they were really banged up the last time we played them. They’re going to be at full strength, or close to full strength, this time.”
The return of those players has made one of Baltimore’s strengths throughout the season – the team’s red-zone defense – even more formidable. The Ravens’ playoff-opening win over Indianapolis in the Wild Card Round was highlighted by a bend-but-don’t-break defensive effort that yielded 25 first downs and 419 yards of total offense but only nine points.
“One thing that they are, and you noticed it last week also, was the fact that down in the red zone, they’re as good as anybody in the league,” Elway said. “I think they’re top 5, if not the best red-zone defense in the league. Last week they gave up three field goals to Indianapolis even though Indianapolis had the ball for 37 minutes. That’s why it’s going to be important for us to not only be good between the 20s, but when you get down in the red zone, we have to get it into the end zone.”
Another significant difference between Saturday’s game and the Week 15 matchup in Baltimore is the venue. Denver will have the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd that helped the Broncos win seven of their eight home games during the regular season.
“It will be great that we’re playing at Sports Authority Field at Mile High with the fans behind us,” Elway said. “It will bring back that great playoff atmosphere, which is great for the fans. We’ve played better at home. We did a better job this year, we’re 7-1 at home. We’re comfortable there and the fans have been great the whole year. But this is a different atmosphere and they’re going to be a big part of it, especially when (the Ravens are) on offense.”
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Colorado Moves Up Three Spots To No. 20 In AP Poll
Dec 31st
Colorado received 224 votes – up from 156 last week – to make its third-straight appearance and highest ranking since coming in at No. 17 in the final AP poll of the 2003-04 season (March 15, 2004). The Buffaloes are 11-0 and one of only four remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division I – all of which reside in the AP top 25 (No. 1 UConn, No. 3 Duke, No. 13 Oklahoma State).
The Buffaloes have a long history of rankings in the AP poll, dating back to the 1980-81 season. This week’s ranking marks the 161st time Colorado has appeared in the AP poll, trailing only Stanford, USC and UCLA among Pac-12 Conference schools. The current three-week run in the poll is the Buffaloes longest since a four-week stretch from Dec. 24, 2007-Jan. 14, 2008.
The USA Today Sports Coaches poll is scheduled to be released on Tuesday. The Buffaloes haven’t been ranked in that poll since April 2004. CU received 34 votes from the coaches’ poll last week, sitting in the second spot of teams receiving votes outside the top 25.
Colorado will open Pac-12 Conference play this weekend with a pair of top-10 opponents coming to Boulder. The Buffaloes host defending league champion and current No. 4 ranked Stanford on Friday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. and then will welcome in No. 7 California on Sunday, Jan. 6, at 12 p.m.
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Colorado Moves UP Two Spots To No. 23 In AP Poll
Dec 24th
BOULDER – The University of Colorado moved up two spots to No. 23 in the Associated Press Women’s Basketball Top 25 poll, released Monday.
Colorado received 156 votes – up from 99 last week – to make its second-straight appearance and highest ranking since also reaching No. 23 on Jan. 7, 2008. The Buffaloes are 10-0 and one of only seven remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division I – all of which reside in the AP top 25.
The Buffaloes have a long history of rankings in the AP poll, dating back to the 1980-81 season. This week’s ranking marks the 160th time Colorado has appeared in the AP poll, trailing only Stanford, USC and UCLA among Pac-12 Conference schools.
The USA Today Sports Coaches poll is scheduled to be released on Tuesday. The Buffaloes haven’t been ranked in that poll since April 2004. CU received 13 votes from the coaches’ poll last week. CU received votes from the coaches poll during the squad’s four-week AP run in 2007-08, but never reached the top 25.
Colorado will return to action against the University of New Mexico on Saturday, Dec. 29, at 2:30 p.m. at the Coors Events Center. Saturday is a doubleheader with the CU men taking the floor against the University of Hartford at 12 p.m.
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