Kyle Orton’s numbers will not blow you away, but the Denver Broncos quarterback is exceeding expectations and has been playing very good, mistake-free football.  Through the first four games, Orton has five touchdowns and has thrown for 906 yards on 69 of 117 (59%) attempts and has zero turnovers.  He is much improved since last year with the Chicago Bears, when he had 15 turnovers, including 12 interceptions.  With the Bears Orton was very inconsistent and did not pose much of a threat as a passer, as he finished the year with a 79.6 QB rating.  So far this year Orton has a 97.7 QB rating and is on pace to throw for nearly 700 more yards then he did last year.  With Brandon Marshall asserting himself as a top-receiver in the league, Orton may throw for 1,000+ more than he did last year.  Running back Correll Buckhalter injured his ankle last week, and although the Broncos are optimistic he will be able to play this week, I don’t think he will since he was last seen on crutches.  That means Orton will probably throw a little more against the Patriots and may have a big passing game.  The Patriots are still the Patriots though, so don’t be surprised if you see the Kyle Orton of 2008.

 The Denver Broncos (4-0) were able to hold on against the Dallas Cowboys (2-2) today with a goal line stand to end the game.  Champ Bailey had a great game for the Broncos’ defense and made the game winning play. With one second left and Dallas on the two-yard line, Tony Romo fired into the end-zone and Bailey broke the pass up to end the game.  Bailey finished the game with eight tackles, an interception, and broke up four passes.

Brandon Marshall had himself quite a play as well, getting a 51-yard go-ahead touchdown with under two minutes to play.  The throw was a little under-thrown by Kyle Orton, but Marshall came back and leaped up for the grab.  He then cut up the middle of the field and when the defense caught up with him, he made a great cut towards the sideline and ran it in for six.  The duo of Knowshown Moreno and Correll Buckhalter were effective once again, as they combined for 102 yards on 20 carries ( 5.1 avg).  Bad news about Buckhalter though, as he left the game on crutches after injuring his ankle.  The Broncos defense proved they can do more than stop weak opponents, as the Cowboys offense has a lot of talent.  The Broncos are 4-0 for the first time since 2003 and look to stay undefeated next week at home against the New England Patriots.

The Denver Broncos (3-0) have played great after their week-one miracle win and are hosting the Dallas Cowboys (2-1) this week.  The Cowboys have been inconsistent this year, especially their quarterback Tony Romo, but they are capable of putting a lot of points on the board.  The Broncos’ first year head coach Josh McDaniels’ and his style of play have fit perfectly with the Broncos and their personnel, and they have been able to control the games.

The Broncos’ Kyle Orton has done nothing spectacular at quarterback with only three passing touchdowns this year, but he has played the position exactly how McDaniels has asked him to.  He manages the game, doesn’t turn it over, and always audibles to a run play when needed.  He has a great duo of running backs to go to with Knowshown Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, who have combined for 414 yards and two touchdowns on 77 carries (5.4 avg) so far this year.

The Cowboys offense can be very dangerous and Tony Romo can make some big plays through the air.  He is very inconsistent though and will take some gambles, so the Broncos may be able to force him into some mistakes like the Giants did in week two.  Romo threw three interceptions in that game, and played very carefully last week because of it.  He will have to be more aggressive in this game though, as their running backs are hurting.  Felix Jones is out and Marion Barber is listed as probably, but I don’t expect him to get a ton of carries since third-stringer Tashard Choice proved he is more than capable at the running back position.  They will most likely split the carries.

The Broncos will look to control the ball and eat up the clock with a strong running game, but the Cowboys defense looked much better last week than in their first two contests.  The Broncos should be effective on the ground, but I don’t expect much out of the mediocre Orton.  I think this will be a tight game but the Cowboys have more weapons than the Broncos and will pull out the victory.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Broncos 24, Cowboys 28

The Broncos are rushing for an amazing 158.7 yards per game this season and 4.7 yards per carry.  They are getting all of this production by splitting carries between rookie Knowshon Moreno and veteran Correll Buckhalter.  Buckhalter is producing eye popping numbers for the Broncos so far this season.  He has carried the ball 31 times for 230 yards (7.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 3 passes for 41 yards (13.7 avg) this year.  The Broncos would be smart to limit Buckhalter’s action like they are right now all season long because he has been hurt a lot in his career.