Who would have ever thought that 27-year old QB Kyle Orton would outplay the guy he was traded for (Jay Cutler)?  Certainly not me but he did.  Orton played in all 16 games for the Broncos and he completed 336 of 541 passes (62.1%) for 3,802 yards with 21 TD passes and 12 INTs (86.8 QB Rating).  Orton also carried the ball 24 times for 71 yards (3.0 ypc) this year.  Orton has now played in 49 games in his NFL career and he has completed 841 of 1,454 passes (57.8%) for 9,121 yards with 51 TD passes and 39 INTs (76.9 QB Rating).  Orton has also carried the ball 77 times for 163 yards (2.1 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  Orton was awful in the last game of the year when the Broncos really needed him to step up but he played hurt for at least half of the season which evens that out quite a bit.

29-year old Chris Simms is one of the worst QBs I have ever seen.  If his daddy wasn’t Phil Simms he would have been out of this league a long, long time ago.  Simms played in 3 games for the Broncos this season and he completed 5 of 17 passes (29.4%) for 23 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (15.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 3 times for -4 yards (-1.3 ypc) this year.  Simms has now played in 23 games in his NFL career and he has completed 297 of 511 passes (58.1%) for 3,117 yards with 12 TD passes and 18 INTs (69.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 33 times for 48 yards (1.5 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career.  The Broncos need to cut Simms and bring in a legit veteran back-up to Orton.

31-year old RB Correll Buckhalter has been solid all year long for the Broncos.  He has played in 13 games for the Broncos this season and he has carried the ball 114 times for 624 yards (5.5 ypc) with 1 TD grab.  He also has caught 29 passes for 237 yards (8.2 avg) this season for the Broncos.  Buckhalter even helps out on special teams once in a while as he has returned 7 kickoffs for 164 yards (23.4 avg) but the Broncos were smart not to use him too much in that role due to his injury prone past. 

25-year old DE Elvis Dumervil is still playing at a very high level for the Broncos.  He has played in 11 games for the Broncos this season and he has 37 tackles, 14 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and he defensed 3 passes.  Dumervil has now played in 56 games in his 4 years with the Broncos and he has 117 tackles, 8 passes defensed, 1 interception, 9 forced fumbles and he has 40 sacks.  The Broncos need Dumervil to finish strong and help them make the playoffs which are in reach.

Brandon Marshall is once again the #1 WR for the Broncos.  He has quit picking fights with management and he is focusing on playing the game.  Marshall has caught 33 passes for 356 yards (10.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs and he has also carried the ball 3 times for 25 yards (8.3 ypc).  Look for the Broncos to really start getting the ball in Marshall’s hands more starting tonight in Pittsburgh.

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.