OAKLAND, Calif. -- As and players, coaches and staff filed into the singular exit tunnel of the O.co Coliseum after , an a sistant coach made his way over to me."I don't know how we keep doing it, but we keep winning," he said.Moments later, inside the locker room, another a sistant coach approached: "All I know is we are 5-0," and he moved on without another word.It's as if those who know, really know that Denver is walking a fine line with its undefeated start. A perfect record doesn't mean this is a perfect team.There is no secret to the ' Jake Moody Jersey succe s, though. Their defense is spectacular. The line, linebackers and secondary are good, and they know they are good -- and they aren't settling for anything le s than excellence."We have to be the best defense on the field," safety said.That's easy to say, but the mindset has translated into production. Against the , it was on full display.The guys in silver and black are better than they've been in recent years. Don't doubt it. They are talented, hungry and nasty, and they are going to be problematic for any team they face. They just don't know how to win games like the one they played Sunday against the -- yet.Against Denver, Oakland wasn't intimidated. Its defense didn't need much help in making look old -- the QB handled that quite fine on his own despite putting up decent numbers (22 of 35, 266 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs). The roughed up a running game that hasn't been much of one all season and kept the ' offense off the field for the most part. (Oakland held an eight-minute edge in time of po se sion.)Safety -- who, unlike Manning, is apparently 39 going on 27 -- picked off Peyton twice: the first came , the second, a momentum-changing interception on the sideline that led to .They were the first interceptions Woodson had of Manning since they entered the NFL together in 1998.Yet, for every play Oakland made, Denver trumped it. cornerback intercepted a pa s and to seal the game and let the know that, regardle s of how hard they tried, W's aren't given Ronnie Bell Jersey for effort.After the game, Harris -- the best player in the NFL a lot of fans and especially media continually fail to recognize -- said the know the defense has to carry this team. It wasn't so much a shot at the offense as Erik Harris Jersey it was him stating the obvious: The playmakers are on the defense.From at the end of the game to claim to forcing three turnovers in defeating the despite not scoring an offensive touchdown, Denver's D is its calling card.The had a good defense over the past few years under former defensive coordinator and current Coach Jack Del Rio. Of course, it was overshadowed by the Presence of Peyton.Now, Manning is not the point of emphasis, at least as it pertains to why the team is winning.Linebacker , who had in which he hit the quarterback and just took the ball from him, said there has never been a discu sion from coaches or players about the defense carrying the team. Nobody has said, "Just hold things down while the offense figures things out."Miller said the defense is just playing hard and the smothering, turnover-stirring results are a result of that.Miller is being a good teammate by saying as much publicly.The defense is having to hold things down -- and maybe it will for a lot longer, as the offense figures things out.Manning might not get his groove back. The banged-up offensive line might not create holes for the running backs. This can be counted on: Opposing defenses will continue to crowd the box, jam the wide receivers and dare Manning to beat them with the deep ball.So the defense will have to keep things rolling, and there is nothing to suggest that it can't. Keep in mind, a lot of the damage Denver did against Oakland came without outside linebacker , who sustained a back injury that is expected to .The front seven is so fast and tenacious. Plus, like a strong running back, those guys get better as the game goes along. Then there is the secondary. With apologies to the "Legion of Boom," Denver cornerbacks and Harris are arguably the best tandem in the NFL and safeties and Ward are strong. Very strong.Much credit has been given to defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who once again is creating magic in his first season with a team. Keep in mind, Phillips was not Denver's top choice to take over as DC. Coach Gary Kubiak wanted Cincinnati secondary coach Vance Joseph for that role Jerry Rice Jersey , but the refused to let Joseph out of his contract. Enter Phillips.Interestingly, I asked Miller about Phillips' influence and his propensity to scheme favorable matchups for players to shine. Miller downplayed the X's and O's. Miller said the aggre sivene s of what Denver does with him and Ware and other perimeter players almost always leads to teams using additional pa s protection, having tight ends, receivers or running backs "chip" them before getting into those pa s routes. That pretty much results in three receivers getting out on routes Jordan Matthews Jersey and, Miller said, that's easy pickings for the defensive backfield.As for Denver's overall record, it should be pointed out that none of the teams it has defeated has a winning record. It should also be pointed out that part of the reason for that is because the put an "L" in those teams' record column.The before heading to their bye week. If they get to 6-0, they'll unapologetically take it. The wins they're stacking up now and the distance they're creating in the AFC West could play into them having home games in the playoffs.Somewhere along the way, the law of averages suggests that the offense will have its Sunday. Maybe a few of them.Harris, though, used an old clich to state where this team is and hopes to be when it matters most."Defense wins championships," he said.He might be getting ahead of himself, but it has won Denver five games to start the season.Follow Steve Wyche on Twitter .