2nd year WR Eddie Royal isn’t putting up the kind of numbers he did at WR as a rookie last season as he has only caught 18 passes for 148 yards (8.2 avg) this year.  But, he has found a home as the main return man for the Broncos.  He has returned 8 kickoffs for 222 yards (27.8 avg) with a TD and he has also returned 13 punts for 172 yards (13.2 avg) with a TD this year.  Royal was the main reason that the Broncos beat the Chargers recently as he returned both a kickoff and a punt for a TD against them.  Royal has a wide array of moves to go with his speed as he is a threat to go the distance any time he touches the football.

What an amazing turnaround WR Brandon Marshall has had for the Broncos this season.  They tried the trade him the whole off season and they suspended him right before the year started but he is acting his age and he is performing well lately.  Marshall has caught 29 passes for 332 yards (11.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs and he has also carried the ball 3 times for 25 yards (8.3 avg).  Look for him to have a huge game against the Ravens tomorrow who are having issues with big wide receivers like Marshall this season.

The Denver Broncos (6-0) are taking on the Baltimore Ravens (3-3) on the road Sunday, and it should be an exciting and hard fought game.  Although the Ravens have lost three in a row, the three losses have been very close and the Ravens are better than a .500 club.  The Broncos will have to deal with the tenacious Ray Lewis and the rest of the talented Baltimore defense.   The Broncos and Kyle Orton need to continue their turnover free play, as the Ravens have a very aggressive defense that does a good job of forcing turnovers.  They will need Knowshown Moreno to step it up from last week, where he only got 44 yards on 18 carries (2.4 avg).  Correll Buckhalter should continue to bring some relief to Moreno, as he has been great all season averaging 6.7 yards per carry.

The Ravens are no longer just a team with a good defense.  Their quarterback Joe Flacco has turned their offense around the past two seasons and has 11 touchdowns and only 5 picks so far this year.  He is a big quarterback with a big arm, so the Broncos need to be aware of the deep ball.  Like the Broncos, the Ravens have a two headed running attack, with Ray Rice getting the bulk of the carries and Willis McGahee getting some too.  McGahee has been struggling lately though and will probably get less carries because of it.  If the Broncos can play like they have been all year and not turn the ball over, they should win this game.  I think the Ravens are determined to end their losing streak and will be trying to make a statement, so I am picking them to upset the undefeated Broncos.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Denver Broncos 21, Baltimore Ravens 24

31-year old cornerback Champ Bailey has not lost a step this season as he has been outstanding.  Bailey has played in six games for the Broncos this season and he has 30 tackles, 8 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception.  Teams are still scared to throw the ball to Bailey’s side of the field and that’s why he only has 1 pickoff this season.  Bailey has also been solid in run support this season.  There is no reason to think that Champ Bailey is going to slow down any time soon for the Broncos.

The Broncos have signed 37-year old punter Mitch Berger to replace Brett Kern who was released.  Berger played in 13 games for the Steelers last season and he punted the ball 66 times for 2,728 yards (41.3 avg).  Berger placed 19 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line (28.8%) and he only had 4 touchbacks (6%).  Part of the reason for this move was that Kern often outkicked his coverage which resulted in a lot of long returns.  He punted the ball 27 times for the Broncos this season for 1,245 yards (46.1 avg).  Kern placed 9 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line (33.3%) but he also had 6 touchbacks (22.2%) which is too many.  This was a move that had to be made by the Broncos.

Josh McDaniels’ Denver Broncos (6-0) are looking more and more like the New England Patriot teams that McDaniels was a part of from 2004-2008.  They are a well rounded football team and proved that their 5-0 start was no fluke, beating the San Diego Chargers (2-3) last night in Monday Night Football.  The Chargers put up 20 points in the first half, but the Broncos were able to shut them down in the second half holding them to just a field goal.  The Broncos got a lot of help from their return game, with Eddie Royal returning a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown.  He had a 97-yard kickoff return late in the first quarter and then had a 71-yard punt return late in the second quarter.  Royal was the first player in Broncos history to have a punt-return touchdown and a kick-return touchdown in the same game.

The Broncos once again had great balance in their offensive attack.  Kyle Orton had two touchdowns and 229 passing yards on 20/29 attempts (69%).  Corell Buckhalter and Knowshown Moreno combined for 90 yards on 28 carries (3.2 avg).  The Broncos defense held the Chargers to only one offensive touchdown, when Phillip Rivers hit Vincent Jackson for a 3-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter.  The Broncos D was able to get a ton of pressure on Phillip Rivers, especially later in the game when it was needed the most.  They sacked him five times, with three of those coming in the 4th quarter.  Broncos’ linebacker Elvis Dumervil has been huge all year for the Broncos, and was no different in this game.  He had two sacks, which put his total on the season to an NFL high 10 sacks.  He also forced Rivers into a fumble which set up a field goal for the Broncos.  The only other time the Chargers would reach the end-zone was when Darren Sproles returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown with a little over a minute to play in the first half.  The Broncos really are the real deal and will look to stay undefeated against the tough Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Rookie RB Knowshon Moreno is stepping up for the Denver Broncos this season.  With Correll Buckhalter out of action the Broncos needed Moreno to become more of a lead back and he is doing a solid job.  Moreno has carried the ball 81 times for 337 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has also caught 8 passes for 69 yards (8.6 avg) with 1 TD grab this season.  The Broncos are expecting big things out of Moreno as his running style reminds many of Terrell Davis.

The Denver Broncos (5-0) are on the road Monday night against the San Diego Chargers (2-2) and are trying to stay undefeated.  The surprise team of the season so far, the Broncos are looking to continue their dominant running game and very effective passing offense.  The Chargers have a dangerous offense though, with Chargers’ quarterback Phillip Rivers able to put a lot of points on the board.  They also have LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles attacking in the run-game.  If the Broncos defense can play like they have all year, then they should not have a problem.  This is probably the best offense they are going to face so far this season, so it could be tough game for their defense.  They proved last week that they can beat some of the best, as they took down the New England Patriots.

The Broncos should establish their running game like they always do, which will give Kyle Orton room to work.  Their running game is averaging 139 yards per contest and the Chargers give up over 150 rushing yards a game, so it should be an easy time for the Broncos’ running backs.  Orton has been improving week to week, and the 330 passing yards he put up last week was a nice surprise for the Broncos.  The Chargers offense will be able to put some points up against the Broncos stellar defense, but I think the Broncos will be able to hold them off enough to win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Denver Broncos 31, San Diego Chargers 27

The Denver Broncos (5-0) were able to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit and got 17 unanswered points to take down the New England Patriots (3-2).  Head coach Josh McDaniels was able to to take down his mentor Bill Belichick and keep his team undefeated.  The Broncos defense did good job not giving up in this one, as they came out in the second half and shut Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense down.  They held the Patriots to 305 total yards, but they were somewhat lucky Tom Brady is not playing like Tom Brady.  Brady was erratic with his throws at times, and missed Wes Welker and Randy Moss on two plays that would have been easy touchdowns.

Kyle Orton played great, throwing the ball an uncharacteristic 48 times.  Orton completed 35/48 (73%) and had two touchdowns and one interception.  Down early, the Broncos could not stick to their running game the way they like to, but they still got 88 yards on 21 carries (4.2 avg) from Knownshown Moreno.  Moreno did lose a fumble though and the Broncos lost the turnover battle 2-1 with Orton throwing the first interception of the year on a hail mary.  Orton tied the game with 5 minutes left in the game, when he hit Brandon Marshall for an 11 yard touchdown.  Matt Prader hit a 41 yards field goal to win it in OT.  The Broncos are on the road against the San Diego Chargers for Monday Night Football.

The Denver Broncos’ 33-year-old head coach Josh McDaniels will be facing his former team and mentor Bill Belichick this week at home.  The Broncos defense has been very strong this year and their running game has been even stronger.  They will be without Correll Buckhalter this week though, as he is still battling an ankle injury from last week.  Knowshown Moreno is more than capable though, as he has 249 yards on 60 carries (4.2 avg).  Buckhalter and his 7.2 yards per carry will be missed though and it could be a difference maker in this game.

The Patriots will also be without their top running back, as Fred Taylor has season ending ankle surgery yesterday.  Laurence Maroney will be the starter and is averaging 2.9 yards per carry.  The Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady has looked rusty so far this season, but with Taylor out I am expecting Brady to have a big game.  The Broncos will battle hard in this game, but I think they will fall just short and lose a close one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Denver Broncos 23, New England Patriots 27