Stopping the Broncos' bleeding

One of the Broncos' worst all-time starts came in 1994, when they stumbled to an 0-4 September that included three one-score losses, two of which came to the previous year's AFC champion (Buffalo) and that season's eventual AFC winner (San Diego).

Desperate after a bye week to stew over the poor start and seven-game losing streak dating back to the previous December, the Broncos trudged to Seattle, where Atwater single-handledly got the Broncos out of their funk and started a 7-2 run that nearly saved their season.

In the first quarter, Atwater intercepted Seattle quarterback Rick Mirer's third-and-11 pass, stopping a scoring drive and returning it 24 yards to Denver's 33-yard line. The theft ignited the Broncos, who subsequently drove 58 yards in nine plays to a Jason Elam field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

The Broncos lurched around for the next 15 minutes before Atwater came to the rescue again, recovering a fumble forced by Randy Hilliard at the Denver 13-yard line. Atwater returned it to the Denver 30, and the offense seized the momentum from there, driving to their only touchdown of the day.

Knocking you off your feet

Believe it or not, the usually-hapless Buccaneers were a tough foe for the Broncos in the 1990s, beating them in two of their three meetings. The exception was in 1996, when he broke up two passes and notched seven tackles in a 27-23 win on "Sunday Night Football."

But one jarring hit stands out.

With the Bucs leading 13-10, running back Reggie Brooks plowed up the middle. Atwater raced into the box to the right of Brooks, who appeared to have a clear shot at reaching the second level. But Atwater accelerated and drove his right shoulder squarely into Brooks, knocking him completely off of his feet.