The Broncos made enough big plays last night to defeat the Steelers pretty handily.  Kyle Orton started at QB and he completed 9 of 14 passes for 80 yards with 1 INT.  Tim Tebow seems to have jumped Brady Quinn on the depth chart.  Tebow completed 5 of 10 passes for 72 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Brady Quinn only completed 1 of 2 passes for 2 yards last night.  Lance Ball (10 car, 75 yards) and LenDale White (12 car, 34 yards, TD) led the way on the ground for the Broncos last night.  WRs Matt Willis (3 rec, 55 yards), Brandon Lloyd (4 rec, 40 yards) and Eric Decker (1 rec, 3 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game last night.  The Broncos finished up with 128 yards rushing (4.6 ypc) and 140 yards passing last night.

The D might have got pushed around a bit in the running game but the secondary was outstanding all night long against the pass.  Linebacker D.J. Williams led the way for the Broncos’ D in this game with 7 tackles.  OLB Robert Ayers finally started to show some life last night with 4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits.  CB Andre Goodman was solid with 4 tackles, 2 passes defensed and he picked off a Dennis Dixon pass which he returned 77 yards for a TD.  Rookie 7th round pick Syd’Quan Thompson also was a standout last night with 2 tackles, 2 passes defensed and a pickoff of a Charlie Batch pass that he returned 48 yards for a TD.  The Steelers finished up with 175 yards rushing (5.8 ypc) and 180 yards passing in this game.  The Broncos are now 1-2 on the pre-season.

The Broncos have cut 30-year old linebacker Akin Ayodele and 25-year old OT Tyler Polumbus.  Ayodele played in the first two pre-season games for the Broncos and he made 8 tackles.  He played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he had 71 tackles and 1 forced fumble.  I don’t think the Broncos’ D is good enough to be cutting guys like Ayodele who will likely hook on with another team soon.  Tyler Polumbus also played in the first two pre-season games for the Broncos.  He played in 31 games (8 starts) in his two years in Denver. 

The Broncos looked o.k. offensively in this game but they were awful on D and it cost them this game.  Kyle Orton was really solid as he completed 16 of 22 passes for 177 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  Brady Quinn was light years better than he was in the pre-season opener as he completed 11 of 17 passes for 115 yards.  Bruce Hall led the way for the Broncos on the ground in this game with 43 yards rushing on 5 carries (8.6 ypc).  Lance Ball (5 car, 17 yards and 3 rec, 25 yards, TD) was very busy and effective for the Broncos in this game.  Justin Fargas pitched in with 9 carries for 13 yards (1.4 ypc) in his debut with the Broncos.  WRs Jabar Gaffney (6 rec, 98 yard) and rookie Eric Decker (5 rec, 66 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Broncos.  TE Marquez Branson pitched in with 3 grabs for 20 yards (6.7 avg) with a TD.  The Broncos finished up with 75 yards rushing (3.8 ypc) and 264 yards passing in this game.

Linebacker Akin Ayodele led the way for the Broncos’ D in this game with six tackles.  The Lions finished up with 151 yards rushing (5.0 ypc) and 241 yards passing in this game.

The Broncos have signed 26-year old DE Jason Hunter who was just released earlier this week by the Lions.  Hunter played in 14 games for the Lions last season and he had 34 tackles, 5 sacks and he defensed 3 passes.  He has now played in 56 games in his four years in the NFL and he has 66 tackles, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 3 passes defensed.  This was a good signing for the Broncos who need help rushing the passer.

The Broncos’ offense looked pretty good as they only had possession of the ball for 21:19.  Kyle Orton was razor sharp for the Broncos last night as he completed 8 of 13 passes for 84 yards with 2 TD passes.  Brady Quinn only completed 6 of 16 passes for 68 yards and he threw a pick six as Bengals’ CB David Jones returned it 24 yards to paydirt.  Tim Tebow looked pretty good in his first taste of NFL action as he completed 8 of 13 passes for 105 yards last night.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 10 yards including a 7-yard TD scamper.  Lance Ball led the way for the Broncos last night with 6 carries for 27 yards (4.5 ypc).  WRs Brandon Lloyd (3 rec, 23 yards, TD) and Eddie Royal (1 rec, 12 yards, TD) looked solid in the passing game.  The Broncos finished up with 36 yards rushing (2.4 ypc) and 251 yards passing in this game.

The Broncos’ D was pathetic last night as they couldn’t stop the running game or the passing game.  CB Alphonso Smith (6 tackles, pass defensed) and LB Welsey Woodyard (6 tackles) led the way for the Broncos’ D last night.  The Bengals finished up with 191 yards rushing (4.8 ypc) and they also passed for 218 yards last night.