One Win Away

The Broncos will try to clinch the AFC West in Charlotte, NC Sunday against perhaps the number one rushing duo in the NFL. Carolina Panthers Rookie Jonathan Stewart(28) and DeAngelo Williams(34) on the sidelines during training camp in early August 2008.

The Denver Broncos are one win away from clinching the AFC West and returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.  Their first opportunity to clinch will be this weekend against the division leading NFC South, Carolina Panthers (10-3).

The Panthers have one of the league’s top rushing attacks with dual threats, DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart.  The duo has combined for over 1,800 rushing yards and have a total of 18 touchdowns.

Backing up the Panthers rushing attack is dynamic receiver, Steve Smith, who already has over 1,000 yards receiving and five touchdowns through 13 games.

The Denver Broncos will look to continue their impressive play on the road and come away with their fourth straight win outside of Denver.

However the Denver Broncos defense will once again be short-handed,  with  players who had hoped to be back last week still nursing injuries.   D.J. Williams and Champ Bailey both hoped to return to play against the Chiefs last week but were ruled out on game day.

The only starter that was able to make a return to the field was middle linebacker Nate Webster and he only recorded one tackle.

The Broncos have some big decisions to make in the next few weeks in regards to returning injured players, most importantly Champ Bailey.

As long as the Broncos win one of their next three games they are in the playoffs, but they also have playoff seeding on their minds.  Do they play for a higher seed, and try getting an extra home game in the playoffs by risking Bailey or Williams re-aggravating their injuries in the last three weeks?  Or wait to return them in the playoffs wild card weekend in early January?  Some tough questions for the Denver coaching staff to answer.

Broncos Stage Comeback At Home

Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall is stopped by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Ricardo Colclough after a catch in the fourth quarter of the Broncos' 24-17 victory Sunday.

The Denver Broncos did not start the game how they wanted to at home Sunday against the 2-10 Kansas City Chiefs, going down by 10 points twice in the first half.  However the Broncos were able to pull off the comeback and save themselves from being upset at home for the second straight game.

An interception thrown by Jay Cutler was returned for a touchdown, and the Chiefs were shocking the Broncos, up 10-0 in the first quarter.  The Broncos battled back with a Peyton Hillis touchdown to cut it to 10-7, but the Chiefs ansewered with their first offensive touchdown from Tony Gonzalez.

Time was winding down in the first half and it looked like the Broncos were going to be down 17-7 until Cutler made an amazing pass in the corner of the end zone to Brandon Masrhall.  He hauled it in, and tiptoed in bounds by dragging his left foot in order to get both feet in to make it a 17-14 game.

The Broncos would add another 10 points in the second half and blank the Chiefs to come away with the 24-17 victory.

The Broncos once again saw players going down with injuries, including Peyton Hillis, a fullback who was already replacing a plethora of running  backs who have been injured this year.  Hillis has a torn hamstring and joins four other running backs on the injured reserve, who are out for the season.

It was left up to Tatum Bell to carry the load at running back for the rest of the game, but most of the offensive burden was put on the arm of Jay Cutler and his many targets.

Cutler completed 32 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns to Brandon Marshall extend the Broncos record to 8-5.  THe Broncos now lead the division by three games with three left to play, which means they only need to win one more game to win the division and secure a playoff spot.

However getting that win will not be easy this weekend with a matchup with the 10-3 Carolina Panthers.  The Panthers secured first place in their division Monday night by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-23.

Defensive Starters Eyeing Return

D.J. Williams is one of three players expecting to get back on the field Sunday after being out with a MCL injury.

Denver’s defensive starters Champ Bailey, D.J. Williams and Nate Webster are expected to make their return to the field Sunday at home against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Champ Bailey has not seen action since the Monday night game in New England, while Webster and Williams have missed the last four games.

It is not entirely certain how much game action any of them will see if they make a return to the field Sunday according to Mike Shanahan, saying he will evaluate their progress over the next couple of practices.

The Broncos have gone 3-1 during the absence of key defensive players, and are looking to make a good run in the last four games to carry momentum into the playoffs.

“If we can go 3-1 in the last four games with multiple players out,” Williams said, “who knows what we can do with a full team.”

Broncos Defeat Jets In The Rain

The Broncos Vernon Fox returns a fumble for the first touchdown of Sunday's game between the Broncos and Jets.

It was a cold and rainy day in the Meadowlands on Sunday for a battle between two AFC teams that are leading their respective divisions.  The Broncos came out on top though and shut down one of the hottest teams in the NFL.The New York Jets had won their last five games until their 34-17 loss on Sunday which drops them to 8-4.

The Broncos flew to their seventh win on the year behind the arm of QB Jay Cutler, who threw for 357 yards and two touchdowns.   Cutler had running back Peyton Hillis at his side and he was the first player this year to go over 100 yards rushing against the Jets defense with 129.

The Jets were never able to get a rhythm going on offense, and their only two touchdowns came early in the game from running back Thomas Jones.

Brett Favre, an undisputed hall of famer, was unable to throw for a touchdown in the loss. He also threw one interception to Dre Bly which eventually led to Broncos points.

It was only a 10 point game, 27-17, with plenty of time remaining, until Cutler found Brandon Stokely wide open for a touchdown to seal the victory.

The Broncos have left fans and critics confused about just how good this team is.  They have lost to division foes Oakland (3-9) and Kansas City (2-10) while defeating the Jets and Falcons on the road who are both 8-4.

The last four games may show if this team is a pretender or a contender as they will face Kansas City (2-10), Carolina (9-3), Buffalo (6-6), and San Diego (4-8).