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Horse Tracks: The Broncos Simply Are Not As Good As We Thought

By Tim Lynch

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Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Not so unstoppable after all | National Football Post
The good news for Denver – relatively speaking, since the Broncos dropped their first game of the season Sunday night, a 39-33 defeat in Peyton Manning’s emotional return to Indianapolis – is that the team is still on pace to obliterate the NFL’s single-season scoring mark and its four-time MVP quarterback figures to make a mockery of most one-year passing records.

Broncos News & Blogs

Peyton Manning on his neck surgeries rehab and how he almost didn’t make it back - The Washington Post
At first, when Peyton Manning woke up from the anesthesia, he was relieved: The pain in the neck that he had lived with for years was gone. As he came to, he stirred in the hospital bed, took stock of his misery-free condition, and started to push himself upright. Then it happened — his right arm buckled beneath him. Surprised, he struggled again to sit up, and at that moment, he understood his career was in jeopardy.

Champ Bailey injury: Broncos CB ruled out for Week 8 - SBNation.com
The Broncos will be without the Pro Bowl-caliber member of their secondary on Sunday.

Broncos need to show accountability to go from good to great - The Denver Post
Broncos receiver Wes Welker was groomed by "The Patriot Way," this revered approach to winning via mental toughness and accountability, made famous by coach Bill Belichick.

Broncos' Von Miller to make more of an impact as season progresses - The Denver Post
Hochman's Happy Hour: Each weekday near quittin' time, Denver Post sports columnist Benjamin Hochman primes the barstool banter. In this installment, Hochman sizes up the Broncos defense.

Broncos must get back to basics to eliminate mistakes - The Denver Post
Let's put this in kindergarten terms. Simple, simpler, simplest: These Broncos need to learn from their mistakes.

Upon Further Review: Broncos at Colts | DenverBroncos.com
He's listed as a linebacker, but, as has been the case since he broke into the league, Von Miller was all over, working as a standup defensive end on the left and right sides, as a strongside linebacker, and as an outside linebacker who flanked one side of a three-man front, with Shaun Phillips often working on the opposite side.

Broncos-Colts: Week 7 Aftermath | Bronco Planet
It had to happen sometime. The Denver Broncos finally lost a game in 2013. A trip to Indianapolis revealed that the team is human by virtue of a 39-33 loss to the Colts. There was an abundance of hype, mostly generated when Colts owner Jim Irsay decided to make a circus of Peyton Manning’s homecoming and the media ran with it.

Mailbag: What do the Broncos do to beat Cover 2, press man? - It's All Over, Fat Man!
Hey there, Broncos fans. We got an email yesterday from one of our readers by the name of Dave Traveller.

The Bad, the Ugly, and the Silver Lining: Denver Broncos, Week 7 - Predominantly Orange
It has been a sad 72-hour period for the old Houston Oilers family. Iconic head coach, Bum Phillips and owner Bud Adams have each passed away at the age of 90: Phillips on Friday, 10/18 and Adams on 10/21. I dedicate this piece to their memory and contributions to professional football.

O que eles disseram @ Indianapolis " BroncosBrasil.com
Continuando com as novidades, passaremos a trazer, diretamente do site oficial do Denver Broncos, uma transcrição das principais falas de jogadores e técnicos dos jogos do Denver Broncos. Comecemos então com o que eles disseram logo depois da derrota para o Indianapolis Colts

Broncos Media

Coaches film: Testing Manning's arm - NFL Videos
Check out these throws from the All-22 coaches angle by Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning vs. the Indianapolis Colts that tested Manning's arm strength.

Did Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning choke against the Colts? - NFL Videos
Was Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning rattled by the amount of hype that surrounded his return to Indianapolis? The "NFL Total Access" crew debates.

Does Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning have enough around him to succeed? - NFL Videos
Bob Papa and Solomon Wilcots discuss whether Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has enough pieces around him to continue his success and whether he can beat the Indianapolis Colts if they meet again.

AFC West Rival Roundup

Raiders stepping up in run defense - Silver And Black Pride
The Raiders are among the best run defenses in the NFL this season. Yes, you read that right.

In-game adjustments; End-game results - Arrowhead Pride
After 7 weeks of watching the Kansas City Chiefs climb to 7-0 (Sounds good eh?) it seems we are slugging it out on a weekly basis.

LIVE Gennaro-ly Speaking: 2013 San Diego Chargers, Bye week - Bolts From The Blue
John Gennaro takes to the virtual airwaves to talk about the 2013 San Diego Chargers so far, and what we can expect from the team following their bye week.

NFL News & Blogs

Andrew Luck outduels Peyton Manning in memorable Broncos-Colts contest | The MMQB with Peter King
The heir to Peyton Manning didn't believe the hype. To Andrew Luck, Sunday night's showdown wasn't about storylines, just football. And with the world focused on the other QB, he delivered a gem. Plus, more Week 7 thoughts

The Daily Win: best fantasy waiver claims for Week 8 - SBNation.com
Has the injury bug hit your fantasy team? Check out The Daily Win's list of the best waiver claims (or free agents) to target before your Week 8 matchup.

The impossible riddle that is the St. Louis offense - SBNation.com
You can't run well. You have Kellen Clemens as your quarterback. What do you do? (Other than punt. We know you're gonna punt plenty.)

Live from 'The Peyton Hillis game' - SBNation.com
The Monday Night Football Game between the Giants and Vikings is already being described as an all-time dud. It was a good deal worse if you were there, give or take a member of Anthrax.

NFL power rankings, Week 8: A new team on top - SBNation.com
That's three underwhelming performances in a row by the Broncos, the last one resulting in their only loss of the season. Indianapolis exploited a banged-up offensive line, sacking Manning four times.

Fumblr: In celebration of Andy Reid, Alex Smith, and the undefeated Chiefs - SBNation.com
In this week's Fumblr: the Chiefs sit atop the NFL, Peyton gets a turn at Manningface, Greg Schiano is still an ass, and a helpful guide to whether you should mess with Steve Smith.

Power Rankings -- And Then There Was One Undefeated | Fanspeak NFL Blog
The Broncos finally got a loss, and while they shouldn't be too worried a couple questions did arise. Can their secondary cover anyone? and Can they protect Manning? The Broncos are still one of the elite teams in the NFL, but there are a couple cracks that got exposed.

Is Jimmy Graham just scratching the surface? | National Football Post
Jimmy Graham may have emerged as the best tight end in football, but the 6-7, 265-pounder is still figuring out the nuances of the game.

The NFL's most underpaid players | National Football Post
The NFL salary structure is imperfect because a player’s salary doesn’t always match his production. This is especially true with draft choices since their compensation is dictated by draft position. Teams are also reluctant to sign highly productive older veterans, except quarterbacks, to lucrative long-term deals because they are afraid of a drop-off in play as said players continue to age.

The Seahawks Effect, ELO Ratings, and Rex Ryan | Football Perspective
As a result, NFL teams are 0-6 this year in games played the week after facing Seattle. Surely this is because of the physical style employed by the Seahawks, and not a quirky stat aided by the fact that four of those games came against the 49ers and Colts.

NFL Power Rankings - WalterFootball.com
Couldn't have said it better myself. The Chiefs are a solid team, but they're not elite, despite their record, because they just don't have the quarterback to win a Super Bowl. The seven teams above them do, and I would take any one of them over Kansas City on a neutral field.

The Chicago Bears and Phil Emery Can Reload Defense in 2014 - NFL Mocks
Sadly there isn’t much to do about the 2013 version of the Chicago Bears defense. GM Phil Emery set the roster up well but injuries and age have made short work of it. However, 2014 will offer multiple opportunities to get it back on track.

32 Observations, Week 7 | ProFootballFocus.com
Denver Broncos: Defensive tackle Malik Jackson had a negative rating in both run defense and pass rushing as a rookie, but this year has a positive rating in both. He had a stop on just 1.6% of plays he was in last year, and that is up significantly to 4.3% this year.

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