HT: Wow, that felt good!

Holy crap, that was fun! I don’t know about you guys, but I was nursing more than a little dread in advance of last night’s game. A loss vs the Cardinals would’ve signaled a slew of bad times and hard feelings in Broncos Country. Fortunately, we’re waking up today in a brighter world than that. So let’s continue the party this morning.

I’m not sure this game could’ve gone much better than it did. Keenum did, yet again, leave quite a bit of room to improve. But he had some bright spots, and that wide open deep shot to Sanders is a touchdown we’re going to remember for a while. And outside of Keenum? Wow!

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

I can’t say enough about Von Miller and Bradley Chubb right now. Chubb, after managing just 1.5 sacks through the first 5 weeks of the season, was starting to inspire a little worry in some corners of Broncos Country. Miller started hot & then seemed to fade. Well, no more! Chubb has 5.0 sacks in the last 5 days, and Miller added 3.5 more. And let’s not forget the little detail of 3 of those sacks involving tearing the ball straight out of the hapless quarterback’s hands!

Chubb is on course for one of the best rookie years for a Bronco ever. He’ll certainly be right up there with the very best Denver pass rushers’ rookie campaigns. In fact, he already is. At 6.5 sacks on the season, Chubb has surpassed Derek Wolfe & is now tied for 4th most sacks for a Broncos rookie. Shane Dronett also notched 6.5 sacks his rookie season, but I have a strong suspicion that Dronett will soon be the solo holder of 5th place. As for who Chubb has yet to match?

1. Von Miller: 11.5 rookie sacks (2011)
2. Mike Croel: 10.0 (1991)
3. Elvis Dumervil: 8.5 (2006)

That’s some excellent company. Frankly, I’d be shocked if Chubb doesn’t surpass Doom’s rookie mark. And even Von’s may be in danger.

Random Stat: In the last week, Chubb has risen from 125th(T) on the Broncos’ career sacks leaderboard up to 46th(T). He’s tied with another active player, Brandon Marshall, and together they’re 5th among active Broncos for sacks in orange & blue. Not bad, rookie!

Now, about Von Miller. The man, the myth, the legend. The chicken farmer. The geek. The badass. The leader. The prophet?

So it seems. Miller offered a rare boast this week, and he led his team in delivering on it. The Broncos handed the Cardinals a thrashing they won’t soon forget, and Miller edged further into historic numbers in the process. He’s now one of just 45 players to officially surpass the 90 career sacks mark, improving from a 47th place tie with Ken Harvey to a 43rd place tie with fellow Broncos All Pro Trevor Pryce. He’s also, for the moment, the NFL’s sack leader for the 2018 season.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Having begun the season at 83.5 sacks, Miller needed 14.0 more to tie Simon Fletcher’s 97.5 for the most sacks as a Bronco. And after 7 games, he’s on schedule to do it. Now sitting at 91.0 sacks, he’s got just 6.5 to go.

There are a ton of other deserving Broncos to be celebrated this morning, more than I could reasonably mention here. Go check out the MHR Staff’s Game Balls and let’s celebrate the rest of the team’s accomplishments!

Horse Tracks

John Elway has no one to blame for the ‘soft’ Broncos but himself - SBNation.com
The man who built the Broncos’ roster has called the team soft and says the "coaches have to coach better."

Chandler Jones won’t let you ignore the Cardinals - SBNation.com
Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White wants to enlighten you about one of the NFL’s best rushers you’re not paying enough attention to.

Broncos clobber the Cardinals, trot to 45-10 victory in Week 7 - Revenge of the Birds
The Cardinals suffer their sixth loss as they continue to be winless at home.

Does Alabama have a more talented offense than the Bills? - SBNation.com
No, Bama wouldn’t beat Buffalo head-to-head. Yes, the Tide still have a better offense. You can’t prove me wrong.

Broncos dominate against turnover-plagued Cardinals - NFL.com
The Denver Broncos caught holy fire early and never looked back in Thursday night's 45-10 mega-slaughter of the floating Cardinals. Marc Sessler breaks down what we learned.

Drew Brees has chance to be 3rd QB to beat all 32 clubs - NFL.com
New Orleans Saints signal-caller Drew Brees is one win away from becoming the third QB in league history to beat all 32 teams. Brees has a career record of 0-4 against the Ravens.

QB Index, Week 7: Finally, it's Philip Rivers' year - NFL.com
Gregg Rosenthal updates his quarterback rankings heading into Week 7, but first, he professes his undying love for Philip Rivers, which is being rewarded this season.

NFL to celebrate 100th season in 2019 with 'NFL 100' events - NFL.com
The National Football League will celebrate its 100th Season in 2019 with a year-long series of "NFL 100" events, initiatives and programming centered around fans, players and communities.

Unpopular Opinion: Adam Thielen's about to rewrite record book - NFL.com
Adam Thielen has opened the 2018 campaign with six straight 100-yard games, but is he only getting started? Adam Rank says the Vikings wideout will hold the single-season records for catches AND yards by season's end.

Vontaze Burfict is in trouble for his play against the Steelers, again - SBNation.com
Burfict’s conduct is being reviewed after Sunday’s loss to the Steelers