Down the Stretch for the Broncos!

Denver's 24-17 win over Kansas City at Mile High on Sunday moved the Broncos one step closer to an AFC West Division Crown. After Jay Cutler throw a Pick Six, KC led 10-0 in the first quarter. Denver looked like they were headed for another disaster at home to a shit team. From that point on, Denver really took control of the game and got the win. Some good points about the game were that Cutler played great and Brandon Marshall was fantastic -including two touchdown catches. Also, the defense didn't allow a point in the second half, and they stopped KC when they needed to in the fourth quarter. The negative part of the game was the fact that Peyton Hillis was lost for the season with a hamstring injury. Denver lost their sixth tailback this season. Hillis was really running well for Denver in their one back set. He was physical, and he was constantly moving the chains. It will be a big time loss for the Broncos. Now we turn to Tatum Bell and hope that Selvin Young can come back this week. The problem is that both of them are basically the same type of back. This will play a role down the stretch for sure. As far as this week, Denver goes back on the road against a tough opponent. Carolina looked great against Tampa Bay on Monday Night, and the Panthers are just a physical team. Denver could be in trouble, but they have played well on the road against the Jets and Falcons, so maybe they have a little "Road Warrior" mentality going for them. As far as the playoff picture is concerned, Denver's magic number is at 1. Now that the Jets have come back to the pack, the Broncos can hopefully win the West and maybe even move up a seed to number 3. All that doesn't matter if they can't take care of business this week in Carolina.

Playoff Projections (After 13 games)
AFC
1-Tennessee (12-1)
2-Pittsburgh (10-3)
3-Denver or SD
4-Jets (8-5)
5-Indy (9-4)
6-Baltimore (9-4)

NFC
1-Giants (11-2)
2-Carolina (10-3)
3-Arizona (8-5)
4-Minnesota (8-5)
5-Tampa Bay (9-4)
6-Dallas (8-5)