The Broncos have lost rookie safety Darcel McBath for the rest of the year with a broken forearm.  McBath played in 13 games for the Broncos last season and he made 26 tackles, defensed 3 passes and he had 2 interceptions.  McBath was a second round pick last April out of Texas Tech and he appears to have a bright future in Denver.

The Broncos better have their fingers crossed that Kyle Orton’s injury to his ankle is not too bad because if it is the season is pretty much over for them.  Orton has started all 9 games for the Broncos this season and he has completed 181 of 287 passes (63.1%) for 2,031 yards with 11 TD passes and 4 INTs (91.1 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 14 times for 27 yards (1.9 ypc) so far this year.  If Orton is not ready to go on Sunday then the Broncos will turn to Chris Simms.  The lefty has a strong arm and he has blond hair just like his dad (Phil Simms).  It’s too bad that is where the comparison ends as Simms stinks as a QB.  He only completed 3 of 13 passes (23.1%) for 13 yards with 1 INT last week when he replaced Orton.  He was also sacked three times as he was holding the football way too long.  Simms has now played in 21 games in his NFL career and he has completed 295 of 507 passes (58.2%) for 3,107 yards with 12 TD passes and 18 INTs (69.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 30 times for 52 yards (1.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The Broncos will have absolutely no chance of making the playoffs or winning the division if Simms has to start games so they better hope that Orton is ready to go this Sunday.

The Broncos will be without starting RT Ryan Harris for at least the next three weeks due to two dislocated toes on his right foot.  This is bad news for the Broncos with a date with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming up this Monday Night.  Tyler Polumbus will get the start which will be the first of his NFL career.  He has played in 6 games this season for the Broncos and 22 overall in this two years in the NFL.  This is a big loss for the Broncos but the team seems confident that Polumbus can do a decent job so we will see if they are right on Monday Night.

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 Broncos have lost WR Jabar Gaffney for several weeks due to a fractured thumb.  He played in 2 pre-season games for the Broncos as he caught 5 passes for 55 yards (11.0 avg) for the Broncos.  Head coach Josh McDaniels brought Gaffney over from the Patriots with the idea of giving him a good role with the team.