Broncos Survive Jets With 31-17

The Broncos were able to finally finish off the Jets at Metlife Stadium on Sunday 31-17 with the help of a late Aqib Talib pick-six to get the win and stand at 4-1. It wasn't easy at times, and the Broncos almost blew a 24-7 lead in the second half, but they were able to close out the Jets, and as every fan will say "A win is a win," and the Broncos are now 4-1 as they host San Francisco next Sunday night. I broke down the game on film with a little more depth than usual, and here are my extended thoughts and observations on the game....

First Quarter:
-The Broncos hit a big play to from Peyton Manning to Demaryius Thomas to start the game, but the drive stalled and Denver settled for a field goal and an early 3-0 lead. Not a bad start on the road.
-Denver's defense was all over the Jets run game on the first drive and for the entire game. Too much speed on their defense for the Jets.
-Jace Amaro killed Denver on the Jets second possession. Three big catches and a touchdown reception from Geno Smith put the Jets up 7-3 early.
-Broncos offense was awful on second drive of the quarter. Bad snap and miscommunication by Manny Ramirez and Manning got sacked by Muhammad Wilkerson. Just a bad series by the offense.

Second Quarter:
-Manning getting flushed out of the pocket again leads to a shaky throw and another punt. Also, bad holding call on Ramirez, and another sack of Manning leads to another punt. Awful series by the Broncos once again.
-After a Jets fumble on a punt return, Denver squanders the opportunity with another holding call and an awful screen setup from Manning to Ronnie Hillman.
-Denver's defense once again swallows up the Jets offense and forces a key 3 and out.
-Denver gets it going on the next drive with a sweet Manning to Emmanuel Sanders hookup on 3rd and 9. Play of day by Manning so far in the game. Good running by Hillman, who had over 100 yards on the day, sets up a sweet Manning to Demaryius Thomas 2-yard touchdown on a 3rd and Goal. Denver takes a 10-7 lead.
-A huge sack by Demarcus Ware and a great play by Bradley Roby on 3rd down force another Jets punt. The Broncos defense was locked in early on the Jets offense.
- With 3 minutes left in the half, Manning found Sanders on skinny post for a huge pass play. What a throw by Manning to thread the needle. Manning hits Demaryius for another first down, and then finds Julius Thomas on a great touchdown hookup on a skinny post to give Denver a 17-7 lead and all the momentum going into halftime.

Third Quarter:
-Another 3 and out forced by the Broncos defense, and Manning takes advantage. A big run by Hillman was aided by the Broncos recovering his fumble in Jet territory. Demaryius Thomas makes a huge catch on 3rd and 7, and that sets up an easy Manning to Julius Thomas touchdown on a quick slant to make it 24-7. The Broncos are rolling at this point.
-A big sack by Von Miller and Bradley Roby force another Jets punt.
-From here, the Broncos start to play sloppy. A false start, illegal motion penalty and a bad throw by Manning force a quick Broncos punt. They seem to lack the killer instinct in these spots so far this season.
-The Broncos got a ton of pressure on the Geno Smith all game long, but big catches by Amaro and Eric Decker keep the Jets drive alive and a field goal makes it 24-10. A great breakup by Roby forces the field goal attempt there.
-Lamin Barrow gets ejected for throwing a punch on the ensuing kick return and the Broncos start with bad field position.

Fourth Quarter:

-The Barrow penalty gives Denver bad field position, and the Broncos don’t get much on this drive as a result. A curious decision by Manning to dump it off to Juwan Thompson leads on 3^rd and 3 leads to a punt. Weird series by the Broncos offense.

-Geno Smith gets a big first down with a huge scramble that sets up a Smith pass to Greg Salas, who breaks a long run on a 3^rd and 4. Now, the momentum has shifted into the Jets favor, and the Jets cap off the drive with a Smith to Decker touchdown pass to cut the lead to 24-17. Decker’s touchdown came off a pick play that the Broncos made famous in the redzone with Decker last year. At 24-17, the crowd finally gets into the game for the first time, and the Broncos are now in a dog fight.

-Andrew Caldwell tries to take the ball out of the endzone on the ensuing kick and gets dropped at the five yard line with 7:50 left in the game. What the hell was he thinking? What an awful decision, and now the Broncos are in trouble.

-A false start by Orlando Franklin backs up them further, but Manning bails them out with a ridiculous throw to Demaryius on the sideline to set up a 3^rd and 1. It was an amazing throw and an even better catch by DT.

-On 3^rd and 1, the Broncos get stuffed as Hillman gets knocked back. Awful job by the offensive line in that spot, but give the Jets defense credit for getting off the field.

-The Broncos defense needs to come up big again this season, and they do on the Jets next possession. Good pressure forces a Geno Smith throw away on 1^st down. More pressure forces Smith to throw underneath to Kerley on 2^nd down, and on 3^rd and 6 Aqib Talib makes the play of the game when he breaks up a pass intended for Decker. The Broncos defense has made key stops late in games all year long.

-With 5:10 left, the Broncos take over and a key Manning to Hillman dumpoff produces a huge first down on a 3^rd and 6. On the next 3^rd and 6, Manning throws a bullet to Wes Welker for a huge first down at the two minute warning. Welker had been held without a catch all day, but he saved his only catch for the biggest moment.

-With 1:13 left and no timeouts for the Jets, the Broncos try to end the game with a pass. The problem I have with this is the decision by Manning. Why try to fit in a skinny post to Emmanuel Sanders and risk the incompletion? That is what exactly happens, and it stops the clock. Looking at the game a few more times on replay, you could see Welker open in the flat, and even if he doesn’t get the first down, at least he catches it stays in bounds and runs more time off the clock. As a result of the misfire, the Broncos have to punt, but Britton Colquitt bails them out by pinning the Jets at their own five with 1:06 left.

-The Broncos defense then turned it up on the Jets to finish off the game. They get great pressure once again and knock down a pass on 1^st down. On 2^nd down, they get a sack by pressure from Ware, Miller, and Derek Wolfe. On 3^rd down, Geno Smith forces a throw and Talib picks it off and returns it for the game-clinching touchdown and the 31-17 win. There is nothing sweeter than a pick-six to end a game, and Talib put the finishing touches on this one.

-It was a weird game, and one that the Broncos slept through at times. Once again, they were sloppy at times on offense. Too many penalties and too many mistakes led to some really bad series. Their defense completely shut down the Jets for the most part, but once again they slowly let the Jets get back into the game once they were ahead 24-7. The Broncos traveled across to the East coast, played a really bad team, and had to deal with an early start. They didn’t look great at times, but they did enough to win the game and get to 4-1. Next week, the 49ers come to town and it will be one of the biggest tests of the season.

Broncos Roll Past Cardinals 41-20 and Week 6 Quick Picks

The 2014 Broncos looked like the 2103 Broncos after they dropped 41 points on the then unbeaten Arizona Cardinals in route to a 41-20 win at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday. It was a vintage performance in which the Broncos put up a lot of points, their defense forced some key mistakes, and they ambushed their opponent to finish the game. Here are my thoughts and observations on the victory….

1)    The Broncos decided to forget about the running game early, and let Peyton Manning spread out the Cards defense and pick them apart. That is exactly what he did. Manning finished 31-47 for 479 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He threw his 500^th career touchdown pass to Julius Thomas to give the Broncos the 7-3 lead early. It was vintage Manning and it was about time that the Broncos let him do his thing.

2)    Welcome back Demaryius Thomas! Thomas broke out with an 8 catch 226 yard performance with 2 touchdowns. When Manning and Demaryius are on their game, they are pretty much unstoppable. His 86-yard touchdown reception was just amazing down the sideline to make it 21-13.

3)    The Broncos defense brought the pain on Sunday. We knew backup Drew Stanton would have some trouble against the Broncos defense, but the Broncos made sure he didn’t have too much success. Von Miller added 2 sacks and looked like the 2012 version of Von Miller. Demarcus Ware added another half of a sack. They pressured Stanton a lot on third down, and they forced 11 punts in the game. The Broncos defense was helped a little by some key drops on Arizona’s part, but they cranked it up in the second half and left no doubt that this defense is going to get better and better as the year goes on.

4)    With at 24-20 lead going into the 4^th quarter, the Broncos didn’t let the Cards hang around, and they finished them off in style. A Brandon McManus field goal made it 27-20, then a sweet Manning to Julius Thomas 12-yard fade made it 34-20, then Juwan Thompson capped it off with an 8-yard touchdown run to put it away at 41-20.

5)    This was probably the most complete game the Broncos played all year. Both units, the offense and defense, played at a high level, and it was the type of game that they should play like at home. The receiving corps finally clicked with all four big-play guys (Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Wes Welker, and Emmanuel Sanders) having really good games. The Broncos are now 3-1 and head to the Meadowlands to take on the Jets next week.

Here are my quick picks for Week 6....

Last Week's Record: 6-7-2

Overall Record: 32-40-4

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

CLEVELAND (-1) over Pittsburgh

Jacksonville (+5) over TENNESSEE

Chicago (+3) over ATLANTA

Green Bay (-3) over MIAMI

Detroit (+2) over MINNESOTA

CINCY (-5) over Carolina

New England (-2) over BUFFALO

Baltimore (-3) over TAMPA BAY

OAKLAND (+7) over San Diego

SEATTLE (-7) over Dallas

Washington (+4) over ARIZONA

NY Giants (+3) over PHILLY

San Francisco (-3) over ST. LOUIS

NY JETS (+8.5) over Denver: I think the Broncos are going to get a really tough test with the Jets this week. On the road, early start, and the Jets season is basically on the line. We know the Broncos won't be able to run the ball on them, so that will give Rex Ryan a chance to get after Peyton Manning. I just have a feeling that the Jets will somehow, someway pull the upset.

Final Score: Jets-24 Denver-22

Thursday Night Pick: Texans/Colts

Indianapolis (-2) over HOUSTON: Normally, you take the home team in these Thursday night games, but I have a feeling that Andrew Luck and the Colts are going to take down the Texans on the short week. It is a very intriguing matchup involving two teams at 3-2, but I'm not so sure the Texans are ready to challenge the Colts.

Week 5 Picks!

This NFL season is going to be topsy-turvy. Make no mistake about it every year we hear about how "Crazy" and "Wild" the current NFL season is, but this season seems just very unpredictable. The last two undefeated teams heading into Week 5: The Cardinals and the Benglas. The Patriots are 2-2 and look very vulnerable. The Saints are struggling at 1-3. The Broncos and Seahawks are 2-1, but look like they have some weak spots. Detroit leads the NFC North over the Packers and the Bears. The Colts are 2-2. Right now, if someone said that the Chargers and Bengals would be playing in the AFC Championship Game, and the Cardinals and Lions would be squaring off in the NFC Championship, then that wouldn't be so far fetched. This year the top teams seem to be closer to the middle of the pack than in past years. It is a long season and there is still a lot of football left to be played, but it just feels like this year is going to be more unpredictable then it has been for a long time. On to the picks for Week 5....

Last Week's Record: 5-8
Overall Record: 26-33-2
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

Chicago (+3) over CAROLINA: The Bears are 2-2 after getting thrashed at home to the Packers, and the Panthers are 2-2 after starting the year 2-0. I'll take the Bears on the road in this spot because I think the Bears are the better team, but the Panthers defense against the always unreliable Jay Cutler does scare me a bit.

TENNESSEE (-2) over Cleveland: It looks like Jake Locker will be back for the Titans-who desperately need him to return. At 1-3, the Titans need a win here, and look for them to get at home over the Browns.

PHILLY (-6) over St. Louis: Easy game to pick. The Eagles are 3-1 but aren't very impressive the first four weeks. The Rams are 1-2 and coming off a bye. Look for Philly to handle their business this week.

Atlanta (+4) over NY GIANTS: I still don't trust the Giants even after they evened their record at 2-2 after a blowout win over the Redskins. Atlanta comes in 2-2 and their offensive line is in such shambles that this game could worry you. I see a close game going either way, but I'll take the Falcons as a road underdog.

NEW ORLEANS (-8) over Tampa Bay: No way the 1-3 Saints lose at home to Tampa Bay. Give the Bucs credit for coming back to beat the Steelers on the road last week. I just can't see the Saints losing at home after they were embarrassed on Sunday Night Football to the Cowboys last week.

Houston (+7) over DALLAS: Give the Cowboys credit for their 3-1 start. They absolutely dominated the Saints last week on Sunday night. They have rebounded really well after their terrible loss to the 49ers at home in Week 1. One thing about the Cowboys: They suck at being a home favorite. They should find a way to win this game, but I'll take the Texans to cover.

DETROIT (-6) over Buffalo: You have to think that Detroit will win this game at home-especially since the Bills panicked and benched E.J. Manuel for Kyle Orton this week. I'll take the Lions in a landslide.

Baltimore (+4) over INDY: A very interesting game in the AFC. The Ravens come in at 3-1 and look very impressive the last three games. The Colts come in at 2-2, but they beat Jacksonville and Tennessee in the process the last two games. I'll take the Ravens slightly over the Colts at this point.

Pittsburgh (-5) over JACKSONVILLE: I'm worried about this pick because the Steelers just don't seem right to me. How the hell did they blow that game at home to the Buccaneers last week? I'll take them this week, but I can definitely see Blake Bortles helping the Jags get their first win of the year on Sunday.

Kansas City (+7) over SAN FRANCISCO: You have to respect how the Chiefs have responded after the 0-2 start. They just manhandled the Pats on Monday night. Look for the Niners to win, but this has all the makings of a really close game.

SAN DIEGO (-6) over New York Jets: This is the easiest game of the week to pick. The 1-3 Jets head all the way out to San Diego to face the red-hot Chargers. Look for Phillip Rivers to pick the Jets apart all afternoon. The chants for Michael Vick will grow louder after this one.

Cincinnati (-1) over NEW ENGLAND: I can't pick the Pats just yet. Normally, I would take them in this spot, but I am worried about them. I think they will bounce back and win the AFC East, but I think they will take their lumps in this game. Don't get me wrong because this game will be competitive, but I think Cincy finds a way to get it done on Sunday Night Football.

Seattle (-7) over WASHINGTON: What crummy Monday Night Football game this is. I can't see Seattle laying an egg here even though they are on the road. Look for Seattle to take care of business and get out of there 3-1.

DENVER (-6) over Arizona: The Broncos comes off the bye week at 2-1 and with some more questions about their team than anticipated. They also made some news with the release of K Matt Prater, putting a whole lot of confidence in Brandon McManus. Denver also comes in healthy on defense, as they get LB Danny Trevathan back from a preseason injury. Arizona will start Drew Stanton at QB in place of the injured Carson Palmer for the third week in a row. This has all the makings of a close game, but you have to be confident in a few things if you are a Broncos fan. First, Denver and Peyton Manning had two weeks to really dig into that Arizona defense. Secondly, the Broncos defense is facing the weakest QB they have played all year long. Third, they are at home and rested and healthy. In my mind, that all adds up to a victory.

Final Score: Broncos-27 Cardinals-17

Packers-Vikings TNF Pick

GREEN BAY (-6) over Minnesota: The Teddy Bridgewater injury and uncertain status for Thursday night's game really makes me lean towards the Packers. All the Thursday night games have been awful, blowout games, so hopefully this one will be at least close and entertaining.

Week 4 Picks!

I went 12-4 last week, so I got myself back in the race as far as picking games is concerned. Tough week with four really good teams on a bye (Seattle, Cincy, Denver, and Arizona). I think a few teams are in worry mode: San Francisco and Green Bay. I still think both of those teams can recover even if they lose this week and stand at 1-3. This week also features the first starts for Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater and it infuses some life in two franchises that desperately need it. Let's get to the picks for Week 4....

Last Week’s Record: 12-4
Overall Record: 21-25-2

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

OAKLAND (+4) over Miami (In London): Right now, who do you have more faith in: Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins or Derek Carr and the Raiders? I'm leaning towards the Carr and the Raiders on that one. Also, it isn't a good sign when your head coach doesn't openly support you during the week leading up to the game like Miami head coach Joe Philbin did with Tannehill this week. I'll take the Raiders as an underdog in London in another one of these dopey International Series games. 

CHICAGO (+3) over Green Bay: I agree with Aaron Rodgers and I think the Packers will be fine, but I'm not really happy with what I have seen over the first three games.  Chicago has been on fire since falling behind 17-0 at SF in Week 2. Big game in the NFC North, and I am going with the Bears as a home underdog.

Buffalo (+3) over HOUSTON: After last week's loss at home to the Chargers, the shine is a little off of the Bills and their hot start to the season. At 2-1, they head to Houston to take on the 2-1 Texans, who got buried by the Giants last week. One of these teams will be 3-1 after this game, and I am a little worried about taking E.J. Manuel on the road, but I will in this spot.

INDIANAPOLIS (-7) over Tennessee: What a surprise to see Jake Locker on the injury report for Sunday's game! The Colts got back to business last week as they destroyed the Jags to improve to 1-2, and I don't see any scenario that has the Titans upsetting them at home this week. Colts will get to 2-2.

BALTIMORE (-2) over Carolina: Tough game to call and here is why: Can't you see the Panthers defense just giving Joe Flacco and the Ravens fits all game long. This has a 16-13 kind of feel to it, but I'll take the Ravens at home to be on the winning side of this.

NY JETS (+3) over Detroit: I expect to see the following in this game: Matt Stafford getting harassed by the Jets defensive line, yet Stafford somehow battling it off to make a few big plays to Calvin Johnson to give the Lions a late lead. I also see Geno Smith shaking off Monday night's shaky performance against the Bears and leading the Jets down the field for the game-winning score. 

Tampa Bay (+8) over PITTSBURGH: The Steelers will win but this game has the classic back-door cover written all over. Pittsburgh's defense is banged up, but you figure they should be good enough to handle the Bucs.

Jacksonville (+13) over SAN DIEGO: The Chargers will win this game outright, but I'm banking on the debut of Blake Bortles to at least cover the double-digit spread. 

SAN FRANCISCO (-4) over Philly: Everyone will be picking the Eagles, but don't count out the Niners just yet. I can't see them going to 1-3 with another loss at home.

MINNESOTA (+4) over Atlanta: Just like I took Blake Bortles to cover the spread in his first start, I am going with Teddy Bridgewater here. I think the Falcons will win the game, but this game seems like it will come down to the wire.

New Orleans (-3) over DALLAS: Drew Brees and Sean Payton head to Dallas to take on that Dallas secondary. Did you see what Austin Davis did to them last week? I'll take the Saints laying only three on the road.

New England (-3) over KANSAS CITY: Interesting game on Monday Night Football. I can see KC being very dangerous here, but I have the feeling that the Pats are due for a breakout game, and this is the perfect spot for them. They were very underwhelming in their 16-9 win over the Raiders last week, but look for the Pats to bounce back on the road in Arrowhead. 

Seahawks Hold Off Broncos 26-20 in Super Bowl Rematch (No Moral Victories Allowed)

It was an instant classic on Sunday as the Broncos and Seahawks battled it out in a Week 3 rematch of last year’s Super Bowl. This time the Broncos and Seahawks played a classic, but once again the Seahawks came out on top-this time 26-20 in overtime on a Marshawn Lynch 6-yard run. It was a great game and it had an edge to it-something you don’t see this early in the season. The Broncos proved that they were better than last year’s Super Bowl performance. They battled back from a 17-3 hole, and Peyton Manning pulled off one of the great drives to end a game that you will ever see to tie it at 20, but it was to no avail as Seattle behind Russell Wilson and Lynch got the ball first in overtime, and nickel and dimed their way down to field and won it on the Lynch touchdown with Manning standing on the sideline never even getting a touch. It was a classic game, and the kind of game that the NFL desperately needed in this Ray Rice-Adrian Peterson-Roger Goodell era of craziness. It is a game that  the Broncos can take something from, but they still didn’t win the game, and the loss drops them to 2-1 heading into the bye week. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game……….

1)    The Super Bowl started out with the infamous safety on the first play, and Denver’s first offensive play in this game was a Montee Ball fumble which led to a Seattle field goal and an early 3-0 lead.

2)    The story of the first half in my opinion was the play of the Broncos defense and the erratic nature and conservative play of the Broncos offense. Give the Broncos defense credit. They came ready to play. They held Seattle on a goal to go situation after the Ball fumble to make it only 3-0. Then, they did a terrific job on getting some pressure on Wilson, shutting down the impact of Percy Harvin and containing Lynch. The defense was constantly put in tough spots in the first half, and they did about as good of a job as you could ask a defense to do in that situation. They did give up the long touchdown pass from Wilson to Ricardo Lockette to give Seattle a 10-3 lead, but that was the only real big play they gave up. The touchdown pass from Wilson to Lynch to give Seattle a 17-3 lead was a killer, but at that point the Broncos defense was getting gassed out.

3)    The Broncos offense was very perplexing in the first half. Great second drive of the game, and Manning and the Broncos moved the ball effectively through the air to get the game tied at 3. I bet Manning wishes he had that pass to Julius Thomas back on 3^rd and goal because Thomas was open and Manning led him just a little too much.

4)    From there, the Broncos offense was bad. Too many runs on 3^rd and long, and too many questionable calls. You have Peyton Manning. When it is 3^rd and long, don’t get cute, just let Manning go out there and make a play. Running a draw to Virgil Green on 3^rd and 10 is not going to work against the Seahawks. Too conservative in the first half put them behind by two touchdowns.

5)    In the second half, was a different story all together. The Broncos defense once again deserves the credit for the comeback in the second half. The key play though was actually the missed field goal by Steven Hauschka in the 3^rd quarter. By keeping it 17-3, Denver was still only two scores down and they got a break when they tackled Lynch in the endzone for a safety to make it 17-5. That was a big momentum shift, and even though the Broncos punted on the next drive it changed field position and made Seattle play out of their own end. If you are looking for a turning point that whole sequence there was it.

6)    Aqib Talib makes a great play by reading Wilson and breaking on a pass that he then deflects into Chris Harris’ arms for a huge interception deep in Seattle territory. That was the break the Broncos needed, and they got it early in the 4^th quarter. Talib broke off his coverage and jumped in front of the Wilson pass, and set up the interception. Just a brilliant play.

7)    The Broncos offense finally got going and Manning started to get hot a little here. Up until this point, Manning didn’t really do anything outside the first drive, but he made up for it here, and his little shovel pass to Julius Thomas for the 3-yard touchdown was a sweet play. At 17-12, you had to feel good about the Broncos chances of maybe stealing this game.

8)    After another big stop by the Broncos defense, Manning and the Broncos take over at their own 19 with 6:07 left. All of a sudden this becomes the Manning to Wes Welker show as Manning hits Welker for three big passes and the Broncos are on the move. On a 3^rd and 11 at the Seattle 24, Manning threw an interception to Kam Chancellor in what appeared to have clinched the game for Seattle. He was trying to hit Welker down the seam, but Welker wasn’t open and Chancellor read it the whole way. I haven’t seen that play work for Manning and the Broncos in about two years, so it was surprising to see them go for that in that spot. Why not think about running two plays to get 12 instead of going for it all right there?

9)     Anyway, once again the Broncos defense doesn’t give up and after the long run back by Chancellor they force a Seattle field goal and a 20-12 lead.

10)  What took place next was one of the most impressive drives you will ever see in NFL history. Down eight points with no timeouts and 80 yards to go with just 59 seconds left, Manning engineered one of the greatest drives ever. It took six plays and just three completions, but Manning hit Jacob Tamme on a beautiful 26-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-18. It was the same out and up route that Manning hit Emmanuel Sanders on to start the drive (Also, it was the same play that Manning hit Julius Thomas with to clinch the San Diego playoff game). It was just an amazing moment and probably Manning’s finest as a Bronco. On the road, in Seattle, against the best defense in the NFL and Manning goes 80 yards in just six plays with no timeouts. In my mind, that drive just solidified Manning as the best ever-no question about it. What might have been even better was the play and execution for the two-point conversion. It was a great play design, and Manning waited and waited, but he found Demaryius Thomas in the back of the end zone for the conversion. Give credit to Thomas for jumping up and grabbing the ball out of the air and getting his two feet down for the catch to count. What a great play and what a moment for the Broncos and Manning.

11)  Unfortunately, the momentum from that ending was not able to carry over for the Broncos in overtime. Seattle won the toss, marched down the field on the legs and arm of Wilson, and put the game away with the Lynch touchdown run. It just seemed that the Broncos defense was just out of gas by the time the Seahawks started moving the ball in the extra period. I can’t kill the defense on that one, but you just wanted them to somehow just give up the field goal and give Manning a chance with the ball. I like the new OT rules, so I have no problem with the fact that Denver never got the ball. Their defense should have been able to stop Seattle, and they didn’t so they don’t deserve to win the game.

12)  As far as games go, this one was one of the better regular season games I’ve seen in a while. It was a classic game with all the key players and elements that you would want in a big-time matchup. It is certainly the signature game of this young NFL season, and the type of game the NFL needed badly.

13)  I don’t feel so bad after this loss. Yes, it hurts-especially the way that Manning drove them down the field, but I do think that Denver can take something out of this. After this game, I would feel a lot more confident in Denver's chances if these two teams happened to me up in the Super Bowl, and I think Denver feels the same way.

14) At 2-1, the Broncos need to regroup, focus on getting more consistent on offense, get healthy in spots, and get ready for a tough Arizona team coming to Denver in two weeks after their bye in Week 4.