22-year old rookie LB Von Miller had surgery to repair torn ligaments in this thumb.  He is still going to try to play this weekend against the Vikings, but I think he will miss the game.  Miller has played in 11 games for the Broncos so far this year and he has 58 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 10.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 4 passes defensed.  The Broncos hope that Miller gets well soon, because he’s the one defensive player that they can’t replace.

30-year old RB Willis McGahee has been really solid for the Broncos this year.  He quickly pushed Knowshon Moreno aside this year and assumed the starting RB job for the Broncos.  McGahee has played in 10 games for the Broncos so far this year and he has carried the ball 162 times for 775 yards (4.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 11 passes for 49 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD grab.  McGahee has rushed for over 100 yards in a game five times already this year.  McGahee deserves a lot of respect for the rebound the Broncos have had lately and he will be a key the rest of the way if they are going to make a legit playoff run.

The Broncos have lost 24-year old cornerback Cassius Vaughn for the rest of the season as he has been placed on I.R. due to a broken fibula.  Vaughn played in 8 games for the Broncos this year and he had 20 tackles, 4 passes defensed, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and a interception that he returned for a TD.  He has now played in 21 games in two years with the Broncos and he has 28 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception (TD), 4 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  The Broncos are going to miss Vaughn’s work on special teams as well as in the secondary the rest of this year.

The Broncos got a little lucky when Nick Novak of the Chargers missed a 53-yard field goal late in O.T. to set up Tim Tebow and his gang to work their magic.  Matt Prater then connected on a 37-yard field goal with only 29 seconds left in the overtime period to give the Broncos another hard fought road win.  Tim Tebow completed 9 of 18 passes for 143 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs in this game.  He also carried the ball 22 times for 67 yards (3.0 ypc) today.  Willis McGahee led the way on the ground for the Broncos with 23 carries for 117 yards (5.1 ypc).  He had a huge run in O.T. to set up the game winning FG for the Broncos.  WR Eric Decker led the way in the passing game for the Broncos with 3 grabs for 65 yards (21.7 avg) with a TD.  The Broncos finished up with 208 yards rushing on 51 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 18 passes (50%) for 141 yards as they had possession of the ball with 37:08.

The defense was solid against the pass but awful against the run today.  LBs D.J. Williams (12 tackles) and Von Miller (10 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Broncos today.  DE Elvis Dumervil was also solid today with 5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits.  The Chargers finished up with 185 yards rushing on 36 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 36 passes (52.8%) for 159 yards in this game.  The Broncos are now 6-5 on the year.

These are two teams going in opposite directions.  The Broncos have won 3 games in a row and they are 4-1 with Tim Tebow as the starting QB.  The Chargers have lost five games in a row and their last win was against the Broncos, 29-24 in Denver.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos are going to run the ball a lot this weekend against a Chargers’ D that is allowing 124.4 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Willis McGahee should be in line for a big game running the ball.  Tim Tebow is also going to get his fair share of carries this weekend.  The Chargers don’t have a good pass rush, so Tebow should have time to throw the ball when he wants to.  WR Eric Decker has been the favorite of Tim Tebow, but he’s starting to develop confidence in other receivers.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to come out throwing the ball in an effort to jump to a quick lead on the Broncos.  The Broncos are going to have to get pressure on Philip Rivers, or he could be in line for a big game.  WR Vincent Jackson gives the Chargers a huge advantage due to his size and speed combo.  TE Antonio Gates and WR Vincent Brown give Rivers a couple of more targets in the passing game.  RBs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert are threats both in the running and passing game for the Chargers.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 30, BRONCOS 17

The Broncos have waived 29-year old QB Kyle Orton.  Orton played in 5 games (all starts) for the Broncos this year and he completed 91 of 155 passes (58.7%) for 979 yards with 8 TD passes and 7 INTs (75.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 17 yards (3.4 ypc) for the Broncos this year.  Orton played in 34 games (33 starts) in his three years with the Broncos and he completed 720 of 1,194 passes (60.3%) for 8,434 yards with 49 TD passes and 28 INTs (85.7 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 53 times for 92 yards (1.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs for the Broncos.  This puts a lot of pressure on Tim Tebow, who now doesn’t have to look over his shoulder anymore.  Plus, Brady Quinn will have to step up as the new #2 QB of the Broncos.  The Broncos should have dealt Orton before the season started as they won’t get anything for him now.

UPDATE:  The Broncos might not have cut Kyle Orton loose if they knew the Chiefs would claim him.  The Broncos have to play the Chiefs on January 1st in Denver.

The Broncos were floundering earlier this year as they were 1-4 under Kyle Orton.  That is when head coach John Fox decided to take a look at 24-year old QB Tim Tebow….as he didn’t have anything to lose.  Somehow, the Broncos have reversed their course and they are actually right in the playoff hunt at 5-5, 1 game behind the Raiders in the AFC West.  Tebow has played in 8 games for the Broncos so far this year and he has completed 56 of 125 passes (44.8%) for 709 yards with 7 TD passes and 1 INT (78.4 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 56 times for 388 yards (6.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs so far this year.  Tebow might not be the best passer around but he’s a winner and no one can judge a man’s heart.

The Broncos didn’t do anything offensively until the last time they had the ball, and that’s when the magic started.  The Broncos took the ball over down 13-10 at their own five yard line with 5:54 left in the game.  That’s when Tim Tebow led the Broncos on a 12-play, 95 yard TD drive that took up 4:56, leaving the Jets with only 58 seconds….in which they did nothing!  Tim Tebow completed 9 of 20 passes for 104 yards last night without a TD pass or INT.  He also carried the ball 8 times for 68 yards (8.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  His TD run was the game-winning 20 yarder to cap off the Broncos’ last drive of the game.  Willis McGahee didn’t do much in this game as he carried the ball 12 times for 18 yards (1.5 ypc).  Lance Ball pitched in with 5 carries for 18 yards (3.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 26 yards (13.0 avg).  WRs Demaryius Thomas (2 rec, 37 yards) and Eddie Royal (3 rec, 15 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Broncos last night.  The Broncos finished up with 125 yards rushing on 34 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 21 passes (42.9%) for 104 yards as they had possession of the ball for 27:48.

The defense was very solid for the Broncos last night.  OLB Von Miller was a beast last night with 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 4 QB hits and 1 pass defensed!  LB Wesley Woodyard pitched in with 8 tackles in this game.  CB Andre Goodman (3 tackles, 2 passes defensed and a interception that he returned 26 yards for a TD) and DE Elvis Dumervil (3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits) also made big plays for the Broncos last night.  CB Cassius Vaughn pitched in with a fumble recovery in this game.  The Jets finished up with 83 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 40 passes (60%) for 235 yards.  The Broncos are right in the thick of things in the AFC West with a 5-5 record now.

The Broncos are 3-1 with Tim Tebow as the starting QB, but all of the wins have come on the road.  The lone home game that Tebow started in this season was the 45-10 beating at the hands of the Detroit Lions.  The Jets are likely to be an angry bunch coming into tonight’s game after getting thumped at home by the Patriots last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos are averaging 158.2 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry this year, so they are going to come out running the ball against a Jets’ D that has had issues stopping the run this year.  Willis McGahee is likely to miss this game with his broken hand, putting pressure on Lance Ball and Tim Tebow to be the featured runners tonight.  The Jets are not the best pass rushing team around, so Tebow should have time to throw the ball in this game.  But, he will have to be careful with the ball as Darrelle Revis will likely be locked up with Eric Decker.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Jets have turned into a run first team with Shonn Greene carrying most of the load.  He is a straight ahead power runner, so the interior of the Broncos’ D is going to get tested big time tonight.  The Broncos will need OLB Von Miller and DE Elvis Dumervil to get after Jets’ QB Mark Sanchez in an effort into forcing him into making some mistakes.  TE Dustin Keller is Sanchez’ go-to man in the passing game this year, so the safeties will have to know where he’s at all of the time.  WRs Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress give Sanchez two more solid targets in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  JETS 27, BRONCOS 13

29-year old linebacker D.J. Williams missed the first three weeks of the season due to injury.  But, he’s making up for lost time now.  Williams has played in six games so far this year for the Broncos and he has 39 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 113 games in his first 8 years with the Broncos and he has 759 tackles, 18.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries, 46 tackles for a loss, 36 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  The Broncos’ defense is a lot better now that Williams is back in action.