From a purely business perspective, John Elway has to be banging his head against a wall. Elway’s name has been tossed around as a potential Executive of the Year in the NFL, mostly because of his blockbuster signing of Peyton Manning to a five-year $96 million contract last March.

There’s another notable contract engineered by Elway though. Matt Prater was handed roughly $13 million (four-year deal) for his kicking services. Combine the two and the Broncos invested approximately $110 million in a quarterback to get the Broncos into scoring position, and a kicker to theoretically make the clutch play with a game on the line.

So… how does John Fox justify ignoring these investments with 31 seconds in regulation and two timeouts?

It’s a situation we saw the Atlanta Falcons in on Sunday. Albeit the Falcons were trailing by a point and had no choice but to attempt a drive for a field goal. Nevertheless, they did it and still had seconds to spare.

John Fox’s conservative ways got the best of him Saturday…and now the Denver Broncos will be watching the playoffs from home. (personal photo)

The Broncos were on their own 20, and would need about 40-45 yards to put Prater in position for what would be a miracle kick. Denver’s task would likely have been steeper than Atlanta’s as they would be trying to accomplish it in frigid weather and not a cozy dome.

Still, and this is easy math, you miss 100% of the field goals you don’t try to set up.

That’s exactly what Fox did by ordering Manning to take a knee and force overtime instead of trying to eke out a win in regulation.

So the first question is how does Fox explain himself to Elway? How do you justify not playing to win in the most important game of the year? Manning may have thrown an interception? There could have been a fumble? Three incomplete passes may have given the Ravens one more opportunity with a punt return, or even perhaps one hail mary heave?

The next question is how shrewd of a businessman is Elway? How does he address the fact that he spent more than $100 million on players tapped to be clutch, only to watch his coach not utilize their abilities when clutch was needed? To what extent does Elway perceive Fox’s late game tactics for what they undeniably were…a textbook case of mismanagement?

Fox will keep his job. The reality is he hasn’t done enough to lose it, and there aren’t an abundance of proven names on the market that would be an obvious upgrade. This isn’t to say Fox should be immune to a slap on the wrist, and ultimatum from management. He was given the players to win, yet still insisted on playing not to lose.

Pat Bowlen likes to win. Elway likes to win. If Fox doesn’t spend the offseason reevaluating his competitive philosophy, the clock could be ticking on his tenure in Denver.

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Getting over yesterday’s egg laying courtesy the AFC No. 1 seed Denver Broncos just got a little lot more difficult.

If you watched the waning seconds of Sunday’s divisional round game between the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons, you’re likely irate right now.

Does the word ‘irate’ even do it justice? Probably not.

The Seahawks, down 20-0 at halftime, rallied in the second half, taking a 28-27 lead with 31 seconds remaining.

Wait, 31 seconds? Sound familiar?

The Falcons are now down by one with two timeouts.

Wait, two timeouts? Sound familiar?

Quarterback Matt Ryan connects on two passing plays – 22 and 19 yards, respectively – setting up a Matt Bryant 49-yard field goal to take the lead. Eight seconds later, the game was over.

Cue the frustrated tweets from Broncos fans, including yours truly.

To be fair, there are some key differences between the two games:

1. Host Atlanta plays in a dome, so weather is a non-factor.
2. The Falcons were trailing; the Broncos and Ravens were tied. Atlanta had no other choice but to try and engineer a game-winning drive. Overtime was not an option.
3. The Falcons started the drive on their own 28. The Broncos began on their own 20…and took a knee.

Look, I understand it’s entirely possible Matt Prater would have missed a game-winning field goal attempt in regulation, but he also could have made it. The point is he didn’t get a chance.

I wrote it yesterday and it’s worth repeating: Yes, Rahim Moore made a monumental mistake, and that’s putting it lightly, but John Fox is perhaps even more culpable.

Thanks to the Atlanta Falcons, that culpability is even more glaring right now.

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The fan votes are in…

And right now seven Denver Broncos are in line to be 2013 Pro Bowl starters.  Another ten players are within striking distance.

Fan votes count for one-third of Pro Bowl votes, with coaches and players each making up a third.  Broncos players and coaches will vote Thursday.

The 2013 Pro Bowl roster will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 26 on NFL Network.

Leading the fan vote is quarterback Peyton Manning.  Cornerback Champ Bailey and outside linebacker Von Miller are the AFC’s top vote-getters at their respective positions.

Other “fan starters” include outside linebacker Wesley Woodyard, who trails his teammate.  AFC’s No. 2 defensive end is Elvis Dumervil.  Tackle Ryan Clady and guard Zane Beadles are also in second place at their positions.

Here’s the rest of the list:

3rd Place –

• ST David Bruton
• MLB Keith Brooking
• PR/KR Trindon Holliday
• C Dan Koppen

4th Place –

• P Britton Colquitt
• WR Demaryius Thomas

5th Place –

• S Mike Adams
• FB Chris Gronkowski
• FS Rahim Moore
• K Matt Prater

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With the dust now settled on Sunday’s thorough plucking of the Baltimore Ravens, here are a few additional thoughts on the Denver Broncos latest win.

Dare to Dream - The Broncos definitive victory paired with the New England Patriots’ loss puts Denver in the driver’s seat for a first round playoff bye. The talk right now is focused on Denver winning out and finishing as the two-seed.  I still think heading into Week 16 the focus should remain on the coveted No. 1 seed, given the remaining competition for the Houston Texans.

The Texans’ Week 16 foe, the Minnesota Vikings, are as much on the NFC playoff bubble as a team can get.  Combine that with Adrian Peterson’s very real shot of setting a significant NFL record, and the Vikings truly have everything to play for right now.  If Minnesota gets Peterson going and pulls out a victory in Houston, and the Broncos take care of business against the Cleveland Browns, it sets up Week 17 as the deciding week for seeding.

Denver hosts the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston travels to Indianapolis to play the Colts.  A Colts win this week guarantees them a playoff spot, but don’t underestimate Indy’s desire to win what will likely be the home finale of an amazing season.  The Colts remain hopeful head coach Chuck Pagano will return just in time for the regular-season finale.  The young Colts have exceeded expectations all season long – not to mention re-engerized a fan base.  The culmination of the Chuckstrong movement is not a situation any team would want to walk into if it needed a big road win.

The Broncos must take care of the schedule in front of them, but until Sunday proves otherwise, I still think there’s a better than average chance Denver finishes as the AFC’s top team.  In all likelihood, such a scenario would move the Patriots into the two-seed.

Welcome back, Knowshon! (personal photo)

Back to/of the Future? - Something has happened to Knowshon Moreno.  His solid performance in Baltimore has already spurred talk that the Broncos may not need much from Willis McGahee should he return while the Broncos are still playing.  (McGahee is eligible to return AFC championship weekend.)  Moreno still needs to show he can carry the momentum through more games and continue to run hard, secure the ball, and avoid injury.  It appears he has in fact changed, and the simplest observation as to how is that he’s gotten bigger and more powerful. Perhaps Moreno’s biggest disadvantage until now was that he entered the league as an in-between back…not quite bulky enough to be a power runner, and not quite quick enough to be a finesse rusher.  Realizing he was bouncing off, rather than running through NFL defenders, Moreno tried to make his bones as an agile speedster, and just didn’t have the tools for it. Now he’s bulked up, gotten patient, and appears more focused on finding holes than trying to avoid defenders.  Welcome, Knowshon.  Here’s wishing you all the best.

Power Source - It seems like every week I’m writing this, but it has to be mentioned time and again: The Broncos defense is the true key to this team’s success.  The defense turned in another outstanding effort limiting Baltimore running back Ray Rice and rendering the Ravens offense ineffective until the game was well in hand.  Cornerback Chris Harris’ 98-yard interception return was an electric moment, and a major momentum swinger.  Certainly defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio deserves major credit in his defense planning and schemes, but the players make the plays.  It’s interesting how the Denver defense received little talk, and even some criticism as a questionable unit before the season began.  What can very well be said now is the Broncos defense most definitely kept the team viable last season, and has turned Denver into an elite outfit this season.

Eric Decker’s line from Sunday: 8 REC, 133 YDS, 1 TD (personal photo)

Less than Special - The biggest “needs improvement” takeaway from this game is on special teams.  Trindon Holliday encapsulated his polar risk/reward tendencies by fumbling yet another punt return (luckily out of bounds) but also breaking along the sideline for what was nearly another return TD.  Come playoff time he could very well be the guy who wins a game for Denver, or loses it.  Tackling was also an issue for Denver special teams.  Matt Prater had two touchdown saving tackles while Britton Colquitt added one of his own. Great to see that efforts out of the kicking staff, but not great that the kicking staff had to make those types of efforts.

Look! Eric Decker! - Decker delivered one of his best performances in weeks. It was a good thing too as Demaryius Thomas was largely blanketed and blanked from the game. There was some speculation that Thomas may be hurting more than he or the Broncos are letting on.  If that’s the case, it will be imperative Decker, Brandon Stokley, and the tight ends continue to step up in the passing game.  Then again, if the Broncos can continue to run the ball effectively, the receiving corps may have little trouble making an impact.

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Fan voting for the 2013 Pro Bowl ends today.

As of last week, seven Denver Broncos were either first or second in the AFC at their respective positions.  Another eight Broncos rank in the top five.

VOTE HERE FOR 2013 PRO BOWL SQUAD >>>>

Here are the fan voting results as of last Wednesday, courtesy DenverBroncos.com:

Position – Player – Rank

• CB Champ Bailey – 1st
• QB Peyton Manning – 1st
• OLB Von Miller – 1st
• G Zane Beadles – 2nd
• T Ryan Clady – 2nd
• DE Elvis Dumervil – 2nd
• OLB Wesley Woodyard – 2nd
• ST David Bruton – 3rd
• KR Trindon Holliday – 3rd
• C Dan Koppen – 3rd
• P Britton Colquitt – 4th
• WR Demaryius Thomas – 4th
• FB Chris Gronkowski – 5th
• FS Rahim Moore – 5th
• K Matt Prater – 5th

At last check, quarterback Peyton Manning led all players with more than 823,000 votes.

Fan voting ends at the conclusion of tonight’s Monday night football game between the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.  There is no limit on how many times you can vote.

Fan voting counts for one-third of Pro Bowl votes, with coaches and players each making up a third.  The 2013 Pro Bowl squad will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 26 on NFL Network.

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Read more about the Baltimore Ravens on Aerys Sports >>>>

The Denver Broncos will be no lower than the AFC’s No. 4 seed in the NFL playoffs.  At this point, it’s looking more and more likely the Broncos will either be the No. 2 seed or the No. 3 seed.  A win against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday will go a long way toward securing the No. 2 seed.

The Broncos are riding an eight-game win streak, and if they are to make that nine, Denver will need to do something never done before: win in Baltimore.

And speaking of eight wins, that’s how many games quarterback Peyton Manning has won against the Ravens; he’s 8-2 all-time.

The Ravens have dropped two straight games, their first losing streak in more than three years.  A Baltimore win clinches the AFC North title, and a spot in the playoffs.  Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who targeted the Denver game in his comeback from a triceps injury, will not play.  Baltimore is giving the 37-year-old at least another week to heal.  The Ravens are 4-3 without their defensive leader.

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice ranks fifth in the league in net yards from scrimmage. (courtesy Keith Allison)

When Baltimore has the ball: Two words: Ray Rice.  The running back is the nucleus of Baltimore’s offense.  In last week’s loss to the Washington Redskins, Rice had a season-best 121 rushing yards.  He ranks fifth in the league in net yards from scrimmage, and is one of those can’t-have-the-ball-too-much type of players.  Make no mistake; Rice will be the key to Baltimore’s success if for no reason other than to control the clock and keep Denver’s offense on the sideline.

It’s believed Cam Cameron, who was fired as offensive coordinator earlier this week by Baltimore, was let go in part because he didn’t utilize Rice as much as he should have.  Cameron’s replacement is Jim Caldwell, who coached Manning in Indianapolis.

For a team known primarily for its defense, and well, the Ravens are just that, Baltimore’s offense excels at home.  The Ravens average about 34 points a game in Baltimore where they are winners of 23 of their last 25.

Baltimore’s offensive line is big, sturdy, and difficult to outmuscle, allowing Rice to get big gains.  The O-line also enables quarterback Joe Flacco ample time to hold onto the ball and look downfield in passing situations.  Flacco’s downside, however, is his tendency to fumble, so expect Elvis Dumeril and Von Miller to apply the pressure early and often.  Denver’s pass rush has served the Broncos well all season long, and there’s no reason to think that will change come Sunday.

Miller is one sack shy of the team’s record (17) set by teammate Dumervil back in 2009.

When Denver has the ball: Assuming the Broncos have yet another slow start, here’s the good news: Baltimore has blown fourth-quarter leads in back-to-back weeks.  Denver has outscored opponents by 71 points in the fourth quarter this season.

In their Week 14 game against the Oakland Raiders, the Broncos offense stalled on multiple drives – drives that ended in Matt Prater field goals.  Sure, three points are better than no points, but Denver settled for 12 points when the Broncos could have had 28.  Denver needs to do a better job of finishing drives in the end zone…not through the uprights.

Baltimore is tied for 15th in the league with 30 team sacks in 2012.  Defensive end Arthur Jones has 4½ sacks in three games, and linebacker Paul Kruger has recorded a sack in five consecutive games.  The Ravens will likely apply pressure on Manning, especially in third-down situations deep in Baltimore territory.

Peyton Manning is just 188 yards short of 4,000 yards passing this season.  The 4,000-yard milestone will be the 12th of his career, a record in the NFL.

Prediction

Denver 24, Baltimore 20

This is one of those “something has to the give” games. Under head coach John Harbaugh, Baltimore is 10-1 versus the AFC West, but the red-hot Broncos have the league’s longest active win streak.

I like the Broncos chances of leaving Baltimore victorious for the first time.

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With the dust now settled on Thursday’s rocking of the Oakland Raiders (and a full weekend of other games), here are a few additional thoughts on the Denver Broncos’ latest win.

What Could’ve Been – It seems the general feeling is that Denver could’ve won by much, much more.  This is true, but kind of meaningless. Had the Broncos put four more touchdowns on the board instead of field goals it would only prove the Raiders are not a good team right now…which we already knew.  Yes, a full dismantling of Oakland is always something to savor, but a double-digit margin of victory is just fine.  Whether it’s 10 points or 35, it proves the game wasn’t that close, and this one wasn’t.

Confidence Game – It’s worth reiterating the Oakland game did provide an important boost for the recent struggles of kicker Matt Prater.  While Prater still needs to put a little more distance between himself and his slump, he can enter the remainder of the season on a better trajectory.

Work to Win – It’s been interesting to watch a trend emerge within Denver’s defensive philosophy.  The Raiders were able to put together some sustained drives (one after the outcome of the game was well in hand) that led to touchdowns.  The Broncos defense can be scored upon, but nowadays its taking opposing offenses a lot of time to do so.  While it can be frustrating to watch opposing quarterbacks pick their way down the field in short passes, the one thing the Broncos aren’t easily allowing are big play touchdowns.  All in all it’s proving to be a successful tactic, because hey, why not make offensive tackles worry about Von Miller as much as possible.

Holliday Stress – Trindon Holliday should still be considered a good addition to this team, but his play remains uneven.  Thankfully the speedy Tony Carter was able to bail the Broncos out after another Holliday miscue.  It was apparent Holliday got an earful from coaches when he signaled for a fair catch on the next punt which was massively returnable.  If Holliday can sure up his ball security and judgment he’ll be all weapon and zero liability.  There will be opportunities for him to make big special teams plays…he just needs to be patient enough to not force the issue.

Horse Race – Finally, some interesting results from around the league on Sunday setup an exciting finish to the regular season as playoff implications abound. We’ll get into this more throughout the week, but the bottom line is Denver is mostly in control of its destiny for a first round bye.

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With the dust now settled on Sunday’s sinking of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, here are a few additional thoughts on the Denver Broncos’ latest win.

Define elite – The annual debate on who can be classified an elite quarterback is really a debate about the definition of “elite.”  Wins, championships, and stats are all important, but for me the real definition is one of those, “know it when you see it” things.  There were two plays this past Sunday that defined why Peyton Manning is regarded as one of the all-time best.

• Demaryius Thomas Touchdown: Not only was the accuracy in placing the ball at the back of the end zone staggering, but the fact that Manning basically saw the play unfold before it actually did. The touchdown required perfect targeting, velocity, and timing.  Manning delivered and the result was a play that truly was impossible to adequately defend.
• Knowshon Moreno Sit Catch: This play showed Manning’s mind just operates differently.  It’s just common sense that when a potential receiver is on the ground he ceases to become a target.  Yet, Manning saw that although Moreno was seated he was still in a position to locate a pass and also happened to be beyond the line of gain for a first down.  Absolutely stunning recognition, and all while on the run.

Remember Champ - With so many members of the Broncos defense being lauded for excellent performances its almost becoming easy to gloss over the impact of Champ Bailey.  We don’t hear a lot about him because per usual, he’s just not allowing much of an option for offenses. With Von Miller deservedly getting big attention, and other Broncos (Wesley Woodyard, Chris Harris, Tony Carter, Elvis Dumervil) making notable plays it’s still worth giving Champ a shout-out for his continued dominance at the league’s most difficult position.

Champ Bailey has had another solid season…quietly this time around. (personal photo)

Poor Timing Prater – Um, is this going to get fixed?  Luckily, Matt Prather’s most recent botch came at a point when the Broncos already has the Bucs substantially in the rear view.  However, I don’t think any Broncos backer would want a game to come down to a Prater field goal right now.  I’m not saying he needs to be benched immediately, but he’s definitely entered a slump at the exact time of season where its a big problem to be slumping.

Clinch a Cinch – Amazing Denver has locked up a playoff spot and the division with a month of football left.  It’s also a welcome departure from the past several years.  With the exception of the atrocity that was McDaniels Year 2, Denver was generally playoff poised this time of year only to see meltdowns in December.  While there’s something to be said for facing strong competition to get a team seasoned for a playoff run, it’s kind of nice to get that box checked early.  Plus, weak divisions haven’t really hurt the New England Patriots too much.

Fixable Issues – The third quarter wiped away a lot of worries, but there were still some moments of frustration that again seemingly prevented Denver from being an efficient team.  Penalties on both the offensive and defense sides were most notable as they suggest a lack of razor sharp focus.  That same lack of focus appeared in other ways as well from a bad snap to missed assignments on both the offensive and defensive lines.  On a 3rd-and-16, boos rained down from the stadium crowd after a Broncos run play gained no yardage.  Perhaps the boos were directed at the play call, but they shouldn’t have been. The fact that the five members of the Broncos offensive line allowed three defensive linemen to blow up the line of scrimmage was the true disappointment.  The Bucs were playing intermediate pass all the way so the give to Knowshon Moreno was a good strategic call.  It probably wouldn’t have resulted in a 16 yard gain, but even six of seven yards could’ve put the Broncos in field goal range.  It’s play like we saw in the third quarter that makes these types of issues aggravating because we’ve seen this team deliver some great performances.

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With the dust now settled on Sunday’s victory, here are a few more thoughts on the Denver Broncos sixth straight victory.

Start the copier – Kansas City showed why it is a single win team: the Chiefs just can’t score. Aside from a severe lack of scoring the Chiefs did deliver a blueprint to the rest of the league for how to beat Denver.  It largely comes down to taking away an intermediate game – on both sides of the ball.  The Chiefs took away the middle of the field, forcing Peyton Manning and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy into check downs, quick outs, and bubble screens.  While Manning is fine with a dink-and-dunk offense at some point a receiver must be able to break coverage enough to open up the defensive set.  And so far this season Denver’s pass-catchers have largely been unable to do just that.

The Chiefs kept things simple offensively by not playing outside themselves.  They ran the ball efficiently, used basic passing concepts, and it appeared quarterback Brady Quinn was instructed to get rid of the ball within three seconds.  That attack didn’t lead to touchdowns, but it did take Denver’s defensive strengths out of the game.

Denver Broncos TE Jacob Tamme is reliable, but he’s no mismatch. (personal photo)

Separation anxiety – I’ve said it before, and it may sound overblown or my being too picky, but are we really sure Denver has a talented receiving corps?  Demaryius Thomas is a weapon.  Is Eric Decker?  Brandon Stokley does yeoman’s work, but I’d characterize him more as a safety valve than a weapon.  Tight ends Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen are solid, but are not mismatches for opposing defenses.  Most of all, this team seems to go through stretches in which no one can get open. That’s a problem, not to mention a great way to put your quarterback’s surgically repaired neck into contact with defenders.  I understand every receiver can’t be open on every play, but there are too many plays where all of them fail to get any kind of separation.

Earned a week – Running back Knowshon Moreno had a solid game. He was patient in finding holes, and showed extra care in protecting the ball.  His performance should earn him another week as a starter.  A demerit does go to McCoy for seeming reluctant to call Moreno’s number despite the fact that Denver’s best drives were the ones that heavily involved Moreno.  While I get the need of not giving Moreno too much to think about at once, this offense can ill afford to become one-dimensional.  If you name a guy a starter he needs to be treated as such, not as a band-aid.

D Not “bully-proof” – The Broncos defensive front got manhandled.  It’s been a long time since that happened, but the Chiefs proved this Denver defense can still be pushed around.  The front four were dominated so thoroughly that the Broncos safeties were in on most running play tackles as Chiefs linemen were steamrolling linebackers at the second level.  This game showed despite the Broncos’ recent dominance on defense, the unit still has issues up front. That’s a big problem if the road to the Super Bowl goes through Houston.

Please get out of your slump, Matt Prater. (personal photo)

Deep breath – The Broncos struggled in Kansas City, but that’s the NFL. Division games are difficult, especially on the road.  Yes, the Chiefs are 1-10 and the game probably shouldn’t have been that close, but a win is a win. The Broncos still have much to iron out, but again, two uninspired performances in two weeks still resulted in two division victories.  If this team is hitting a lull, at least it’s happening now rather than four weeks from now, and at least the Broncos are still finding ways to win.

Bonus take – Matt Prater is in a bit of rut right now.  He caused the Broncos to leave six points on the field this week.  No kicker is flawless, but Prater’s $14 million contract makes him too expensive to be a liability. Another miss or two and the Broncos should be more than happy to take his bloated contract off the books in the offseason. Plenty of guys can miss a half dozen kicks for a tenth of what Prater is making to perhaps do just that.

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Welcome to Quarter Calls, DHF’s quarter-by-quarter breakdown of each Denver Broncos game. Instead of a live game thread, Quarter Calls is a quick-hit summary of the big story of each quarter. It can be a general mood or theme, play, penalty, injury, whatever.

If you prefer real time analysis and commentary, follow Denver Horse Force on Twitter. As always, I’ll be tweeting throughout the game.

Go Broncos!

1st Quarter

(11:44 a.m.)  The 1-9 Kansas City Chiefs are simply outplaying the Denver Broncos through one quarter.  The Chiefs are executing their game plan: win time of possession to keep Peyton Manning on the sidelines and run the ball effectively.  The Chiefs defense is putting pressure on Manning, and Denver’s receivers aren’t getting open.

Even with generous field position thanks to Trindon Holliday’s kickoff return, the Broncos were unable to generate any momentum.  A Zane Beadles holding penalty drove the team backwards, and Matt Prater’s 47-yard field goal attempt was no good.

On the defensive side, the Broncos aren’t doing much better.  The defensive schemes are struggling to contain the Chiefs rushing attack.

 2nd Quarter

(12:21 p.m.) A Denver Broncos halftime lead: I’ll take it.

And just like that, after being outplayed for the majority of the half, the Broncos string together a late-quarter scoring drive to take a 7-6 lead.

Knowshon Moreno has played well, showing patience and following his blocks.  Moreno, who’s been inactive for eight game this season, has 26 yards on six carries.  Moreno’s ability to pick up good chunks of yardage on Denver’s final drive of the half appeared to be the spark the offense needed to sustain itself.  Judging by the first half, Moreno and the Broncos rushing attack will need to continue to be productive as the Chiefs defense has already recorded two sacks of Manning, largely due to coverage.

If the Broncos can make use of getting the ball first in the second half they could be a defensive stop away from taking control of the game.

3rd Quarter

(1:13 p.m.)  It took until the 3rd quarter, but the Denver Broncos finally made a big offensive play, the type of play we’ve grown accustomed to this season.  Manning connected with Demaryius Thomas on a gorgeous 30-yard touchdown play.  It capped off what was easily the team’s best drive this game.

The Broncos defense hasn’t truly asserted itself or looked particularly flashy, but the unit is doing just enough to keep the Chiefs out of the end zone.  It also doesn’t hurt that Kansas City continues to stall drives because of penalties.

Moreno has 53 rushing yards, but has proved especially valuable in passing situations, with 26 receiving yards.  And it’s the latter that could help Moreno solidify his role in the offense; Ronnie Hillman doesn’t have that skill set to his game.

One last thought: Denver could have an even bigger lead…if only Matt Prater wasn’t in an Arrowhead slump today.  Those are six lost points.

4th Quarter

(2:02 p.m.)  I feel silly now for predicting the Denver Broncos would score 33 points today.

How’s 17 instead?

Nonetheless, the Broncos held the Kansas City Chiefs to field goals, winning 17-9.  Denver is now 4-0 in the AFC West and 8-3 on the season.

But let’s be honest: Didn’t you expect more?

The Broncos defense’s best friend today was the Chiefs knack for penalties.  Von Miller had one of his quietest games in ages – not something you want for a player who’s a serious contender in the Defensive Player of the Year race.  Meanwhile, the Broncos receivers struggled all day to get any separation, aside from a few nice grabs by Stokley, Thomas, and tight end Jacob Tamme.

But the bright spot is perhaps the most surprising of all: Moreno, who finished the game with 85 rushing yards and 26 receiving yards.  I like this Knowshon Moreno.

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