The Broncos mounted a furious comeback in this game before falling just a tad short.  Kyle Orton completed 24 of 41 passes for 347 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Knowshon Moreno led the way on the ground for the Broncos with 56 yards rushing on 12 carries (4.7 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 6 passes for 62 yards (10.3 avg) in this game.  Lance Ball pitched in with 31 yards rushing on 4 carries (7.8 ypc).  WRs Brandon Lloyd (4 rec, 76 yards, 2 TDs), Eddie Royal (6 rec, 74 yards, TD and 1 carry for 20 yards) and WR Jabar Gaffney (3 rec, 59 yards) led the way through the air for the Broncos in this game.  The Broncos finished up with 119 yards rushing on 18 carries (6.6 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 41 passes for 330 yards.

DT Jamal Williams (8 tackles), LB D.J. Williams (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 passes defensed) and LB Joe Mays (7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Broncos on “D” yesterday.  The Rams finished up with 123 yards rushing on 35 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 37 passes for 308 yards.  The Broncos are now 3-8 on the season.

The Broncos are only 2-3 at Ivesco Field this season but the Rams are 0-4 on the road this year.  That would seem to give the Broncos a big advantage right?  Not so fast my friend, as the Rams’ last two losses on the road came at San Francisco in OT (by 3 points) and they lost by 1 point at Tampa Bay.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos might have to run the ball a little more than usual to keep the Rams’ D honest as they already have 28 sacks so far this year.  That means that Knowshon Moreno will get some carries against a Rams’ D that is allowing 101.8 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  Kyle Orton will be taking aim at a Rams’ D that is allowing 230.5 yards passing per game.  Brandon Lloyd, Eddie Royal & Jabar Gaffney are all likely to be busy this Sunday.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams will probably unleash RB Steven Jackson on the Broncos in this game as they are allowing 143.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  The Broncos better put some pressure on rookie QB Sam Bradford or he’s going to have a good game as the Broncos’ are giving up 232.1 yards passing per game this year. 

PREDICTION:  RAMS 26, BRONCOS 23

The Broncos went right down the field for a TD on the first possession of the game but that seemed to get the Chargers angry.  Kyle Orton was not too good last night as he completed 24 of 38 passes for 217 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Knowshon Moreno pitched in with 58 yards rushing on 13 carries (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 7 passes for 62 yards (8.9 avg).  WR Brandon Lloyd led the way in the passing game for  the Broncos with 6 grabs for 78 yards (13.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Broncos finished up with 63 yards rushing on 15 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 38 passes for 172 yards as they had possession of the ball for 25:41.

LBs Joe Mays (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and Wesley Woodyard (7 tackles) led the way for the Broncos on D in this game.  CB Champ Bailey pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  The Chargers finished up with 147 yards rushing on 38 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 26 passes for 253 yards.  The Broncos are now 3-7 on the season.

The Broncos are coming off a 49-29 win over the Chiefs which broke a 4-game winning streak.  The Chargers have won two games in a row and they had two weeks to get ready Broncos as they are coming off a bye.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos are going to have to stay balanced offensively in this game.  They need to run the ball half of the time in an attempt to keep their defense off the field.  That means Konwshon Moreno needs to have a good game against a Chargers’ D that is allowing only 89.4 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry.  Kyle Orton has been sacked 21 times this year and the Chargers have 27 sacks this year so he’s going to have to get rid of the ball quickly.  That means Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Eddie Royal and Demaryius Thomas are going to have to be willing to catch short passes and take some hits.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to be more balanced in this game due to the fact that the Broncos are giving up 143.1 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  They will likely rotate their backs in this game instead of riding one back.  Philip Rivers is likely going to have time to throw the ball and he’s going to shred the Broncos’ secondary even if Antonio Gates can’t go.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 30, BRONCOS 21

Just because 34-year old head coach Josh McDaniels learned under Bill Belichick doesn’t mean he’s going to be a good coach.  It started out great last season as the Broncos were 6-0 heading into the bye week.  They limped the rest of the year going 2-8 to finish 8-8 on the year.  This year the Broncos are 3-6 on the season as the defense has been pathetic (372.9 yards per game, 28.0 points per game).  The Broncos made two really pathetic trades that have hurt the team.  Trading 2nd year cornerback Alphonso Smith (5 interceptions) to the Lions for a backup TE has been a huge mistake.  An even bigger mistake was dealing two draft picks and Peyton Hillis to the Browns for Brady Quinn!  I don’t think McDaniels has a clue as to what he’s doing as the Broncos are 5-14 since last year’s bye week.  He is 11-14 (44%) overall in his first two years with the Broncos.

The Broncos have cut 26-year old OLB Jarvis Moss and they have signed 24-year old LB David Veikune.  Moss played in 9 games for the Broncos this year and he had 5 tackles.  He played in 34 games for the Broncos in his four years with them and he had 29 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 3.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble.  Moss was a complete bust for the Broncos.  David Veikune played in 10 games as a rookie for the Browns last season but he didn’t make any tackles.  He was a 2nd round pick in 2009 by the Browns out of Hawaii.

The pep talk that John Elway gave to the Broncos before this game much have inspired the troops because they destroyed the Chiefs yesterday.  The Broncos led this game 42-10 with 9:24 left in the third quarter!   Kyle Orton was outstanding for the Broncos in this game as he completed 22 of 34 passes for 296 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Tim Tebow also got in on the action as he completed his only pass attempt and it went for a 3-yard TD.  Tebow also carried the ball 2 times for 2 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run in this game.  Knowshon Moreno played by far the best game of his NFL career yesterday.  He carried the ball 22 times for 106 yards (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 50 yards (16.7 avg) with a TD grab.  FB Spencer Larsen got in on the fun for the Broncos too with 2 carries for 17 yards (8.5 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 3 yards (it went for a TD).  Brandon Lloyd led the way in the passing game for the Broncos yesterday with 6 catches for 90 yards (15.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  WRs Jabar Gaffney (3 rec, 57 yards, TD), Demaryius Thomas (3 rec, 51 yards) and Eddie Royal (5 rec, 39 yards and 2 carries for 20 yards) also helped out on offense for the Broncos in this game.  The Broncos finished up with 153 yards rushing on 31 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 35 passes for 299 yards. 

The defense was pretty solid yesterday despite giving up 29 points.  CB Champ Bailey (10 tackles, 1 pass defensed), LB Joe Mays (7 tackles) and LB Mario Haggan (6 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 3 QB hits) led the way for the Broncos’ D in this game.  OLB Jason Hunter had a huge play in this game as he recovered a Matt Cassel fumble that he returned 75 yards for a TD.  The Chiefs finished up with 51 yards rushing on 22 carries (2.3 ypc) and they also completed 33 of 53 passes for 433 yards.  The Broncos are now 3-6 on the year.

The Broncos have lost four games in a row and the last time they played at Invesco Field they were getting trounced 59-14 by the Raiders.  The Chiefs are only 1-3 on the road this year so maybe the Broncos have a chance tomorrow.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Broncos have the football:  The Broncos are going to come out of the locker room throwing the ball.  They need to get a quick lead to get the Chiefs away from their running game on offense.  To do this the O-Line must protect Kyle Orton which has been a issue this season as he has been sacked 21 times already this year.  If Orton has time to throw the ball he has the weapons to get the offense on a roll.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are going to give the rock to Jamaal Charles & Thomas Jones early and often in this game as the Broncos are giving up 154.6 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  If the Chiefs get the running game going they will likely be deadly on play action passing which Matt Cassel excels at.  TE Tony Moeaki and WR Dwayne Bowe are the guys he targets the most.

PREDICTION:  CHIEFS 31, BRONCOS 23

The Broncos have signed 26-year old TE/FB Daniel Coats.  Coats played in 6 games earlier this year for the Bengals but he didn’t get to touch the football.  Coats has now played in 53 games in his NFL career and he has 30 catches for 291 yards (9.7 avg).  Coats is a good run blocker and that’s likely why the Broncos inked him.

27-year old QB Kyle Orton had been outstanding again for the Broncos this year.  He has started all 8 games at QB for the Broncos so far this year and he has completed 195 of 316 passes (61.7%) for 2,509 yards with 12 TD passes and 5 INTs (92.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 18 times for 90 yards so far this year.  If Orton keeps playing like he has been this year it might be a long time before Tim Tebow gets a legit chance to play QB for the Broncos except in their version of the Wildcat Formation.