Broncos Beat Bucs to Clinch AFC West!

Last year, the Broncos won the AFC West because the Raiders were upset by San Diego in Week 17. Denver backed into the playoffs, and there were no cigars and champagne in the locker room. This year it is different-vastly different. The Broncos defeated the Buccaneers 31-23 on Sunday to clinch the AFC West for the second straight year. At 9-3, the Broncos wrapped up the division by the first weekend of December, and now the Broncos can set their sights towards playoff seeding and positioning. We will talk about how Denver can move up in the AFC standings, but Sunday's win is the focus here. The Broncos trailed 10-7 at halftime, but the third quarter was the key in this game. Peyton Manning began to systematically pick apart the Buccaneers secondary on back-to-back drives to  start the quarter. An 8-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas gave Denver a 14-10 lead. After a Tampa Bay punt, Manning hit Thomas once again on a 10-yard hookup to give Denver a 21-10. Just like that the game was out of reach. Von Miller put the nail in the coffin with a 26-yard interception return to make it 28-10. The Bucs did close the gap late in the game, and they scored a garbage time touchdown late to make it a 31-23 game. Denver recovered the onside kick, and Peyton Manning survived a Greg Schiano kneel down attack to put the finishing touches on the division clinching win. After everything that happened in the offseason, the Broncos were able to accomplish their first goal. If anyone had doubts about the acquisition of Peyton Manning, then I think this season vindicated that move completely. Congratulations to the 2012 Denver Broncos on their AFC West title. Now, the Broncos head to the next step in their journey. Here are my thoughts and observations about the game....

1) Once again the Broncos offense started slow. Although they scored a touchdown (Manning to Mitch Unrein!) on a well-executed first drive, the Broncos went into a slump for the rest of the half. I still don't know why the Broncos can't get a first down on a third and short. It didn't work in the first half, and it won't work the rest of this year. Also, I still don't understand why Manning still checks into a run play on third and long. It hasn't worked all year, and it didn't work again in the first half on Sunday.

2) The best play of the first half for the Broncos was when Manning hurried the offense to the line on a third and long as the Buccaneers were trying to sub defensive backs in for defensive linemen. Manning snapped the ball right away and handed it to Knowshon Moreno. Moreno only gained a few yards, but Denver challenged and caught Tampa with 12 men on the field. The penalty gave the Broncos a cheap first down. Great play by Manning.

3) The defense continues to impress. After allowing 10 points in the first quarter, they clamped down and got key stops in the second and third quarter. They held Doug Martin to 56 yards rushing, Vincent Jackson to 3 catches for 55 yards, and they got after Josh Freeman all day long. The Bucs offense had been on fire the last month, and Denver's defense was up to the task. They held Tampa to 3-12 on third down conversions, and they added another defensive touchdown with Von Miller's pick-six that put the game out of reach. Forget about the 10 points scored in garbage time, this defense was stout on Sunday and it is definitely for real.

4) Peyton Manning shook off an average first half and came out in the second half and was on fire. He finished the day 27-38 for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He took what the Bucs gave him and he cut them up in the middle of the field. His two touchdown throws to Demaryius Thomas were really sweet plays. Manning is just incredible, and he broke John Elway and Jake Plummer's record for touchdown passes in a season. Manning has 29 and he still has four more games to go. It is just enjoyable to watch him play every week.

5) Knowshon Moreno added 69 yards on 20 carries. It wasn't a great day, but it was enough. It is obvious how much better Willis McGahee is but you'll take what you can get from Moreno at this point.

6) Demaryius Thomas has firmly entrenched himself as the number one receiver on this team. He had a big day on Sunday with 8 catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. It seems like Thomas and Manning have really figured each other out, and they have become a nightmare for opposing secondaries. Interestingly, Eric Decker continues to be a non-factor in the passing game. Decker only caught two passes on the day, and it just seems that Decker is not the top option in this offense right now. It think it could still change by the end of the season, but the Broncos passing game goes through Thomas and whoever else gets hot in that game. That could be Jacob Tamme, Joel Dreessen, Brandon Stokley, or Decker.

7) Von Miller gets my vote for Defensive Player of the Year. He added a sack and a forced fumble to his interception return. He is unbelievable, and if you watch him on every play, he impacts the game somehow.

8) The refs were awful in this game. They called so many ticky-tack penalties that it completey ruined the flow of the game.

9) Matt Prater continues to struggle and he missed another field goal. He has missed at least one kick in each of the last four games. He has to get straightened out because his leg will decide a big game or playoff game down the road.

10) The feeling of this division title is so different than last year. Last year, it felt cheap to win the division by backing in, but I accepted it and moved on to the playoffs. This year, we had taken control of the division, and finished off the division on the first opportunity that we could do it. A lot of people didn't think the Broncos would make the playoffs in Peyton Manning's first year, but they were able to prove those people wrong. Last year, I didn't even buy the division championship t-shirt and hat because  there is really no reason to do that when you win your division at 8-8. This year, the Broncos clinched so early that I can get the t-shirt and hat as a Christmas gift. Also, I am happy that the Broncos won the division-only the second time in franchise history that they won back-to-back division titles-but it isn't the ultimate goal. You know that the Broncos have a real shot to go to the Super Bowl this year, so the division title is nice but there are other goals to accomplish.

11) The Broncos, 9-3, now head to Oakland to take on the Raiders on Thursday night. The Broncos will be fighting for seeding now, and they look to win their eighth game in a row.