Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos passes the ball to Runningback Willis McGahee #23 against the San Diego Chargers during their NFL Game on November 27, 2011 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

At this point, the ability for Tim Tebow to construct a fourth quarter game-winning drive isn’t the thing of legend; it’s trivial.

You know the Denver Broncos quarterback is going to put his team in a position to win the game. It’s only a matter of time.

But with minutes remaining in overtime, even Broncos fans had their doubts: there was no time left. And there Tebow stood, another stretch of football field to traverse, where a handful of drives in the fourth quarter and overtime had fallen short. Had the magic run out?

Maybe it did. Maybe the Broncos’ defense had to supply some magic of their own. Their clutch play through five periods of football deserves more praise than any one player alone. Maybe Willis McGahee, newly-named team captain, decided to put the team on his shoulders. Because after San Diego Chargers kicker Nick Novak missed a game-winning 53-yard field goal attempt, it was McGahee’s 24-yard run that put the Broncos in position to win. Matt Prater sealed the deal to topple the Chargers in San Diego, 16-13.

Give Tebow credit for the ability to tie the game late in the fourth quarter all the same.

The defense was dominant: Philip Rivers was held to 188 passing yards and a dismal 77.1 passer rating. Tebow, for a change, had a decent day of passing. He went 9 of 18 for 143 yards and a 95.4 passer rating.

The Broncos move to 6-5 and remain a game back in the AFC West. The Chargers, losers of six straight, fall to 4-7.

Six in a row… can the Denver Broncos force the San Diego Chargers into their worst losing streak in nearly a decade? Can Tim Tebow rally from behind again? … More impressively, can he perform well for four quarters? Week 12 NFL action in San Diego starts at 2:15 p.m. MT — BT GameBlog starts at 2!

Quarterback Kyle Orton arrived in Kansas City on Friday afternoon, joining his new team — the Chiefs.  Before he left Denver however, Orton recorded a farewell video to Denver, which can been seen below:

Hilarious!  Great job by the LandlockedPioneers.  Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, Broncos Country.

Brandon Lloyd, #83 of the St. Louis Rams, scores a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints at the Edward Jones Dome on October 30, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams beat the Saints 31-21. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Since the Broncos traded receiver Brandon Lloyd to the St. Louis Rams, Denver has turned to the ground game and gone 4-1 while the previously winless Rams have gone 2-3, getting 322 yards and three scores out of Lloyd in the process.

It seems safe to say that to date, the trade has worked out quite nicely for all parties involved.  And it’s about to get a little nicer for the Broncos.

Denver traded Lloyd to St. Louis for a conditional sixth round draft pick in 2012, which would turn into a fifth rounder if Lloyd catches 30 or more passes with the Rams this season.

Through five games, Lloyd has caught 26.  He’s on pace to record over 50 catches for the Rams in 2011, which would give the Broncos a higher draft pick next April.

In Lloyd’s absence, the Broncos have emerged as the league’s fourth-best rushing team.  When they do go to the air (and quarterback Tim Tebow can hit his receiver), second year receiver Eric Decker has been a reliable target for the team.

The Broncos did not have a fifth round selection in 2011, but selected cornerback Perrish Cox (2010), receiver Kenny McKinley (2009), running back Ryan Torain (2008), and offensive guard Chris Kuper (*2006, the team did not have a fifth round selection in 2007) in the fifth round over the past six years.

Some notable players that Denver has drafted in the fifth round or later since 1990 include fullbacks Spencer Larsen and  Mike Anderson, running backs Orlandis Gary and Terrell Davis, center Tom Nalen and tight end Shannon Sharpe.

Lloyd is doing well in St. Louis (which is good for the Broncos) and Denver is having no trouble replacing him with Decker and the running game.  No complaints here.

Quarterbacks Matt Cassel, Kyle Orton and Jay Cutler will always be connected, thanks in part to Josh McDaniels. (Photos courtesy of Getty Images and the Associated Press)

In March of 2009, former Broncos Coach Josh McDaniels tried (unsuccessfully) to trade for former New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel.  The news broke and former Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler wasn’t a happy camper.  Cutler asked for a trade and Cassel ended up in Kansas City.

With Orton out of the picture, the Broncos will likely stick with Tebow for the rest of 2011, even if the team hits a few bumps in the road. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The Broncos then agreed to trade Cutler and a late round draft pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for quarterback Kyle Orton and several draft picks.

Several years and broken thumbs/hands later, Orton’s bouncing around again.  After being demoted in favor of second year quarterback Tim Tebow, Orton found himself sitting on Denver’s bench through Week 11.

When Bears quarterback Jay Cutler broke his hand last week, Orton and his agent, David Dun, asked the Broncos to waive Orton, in hopes that he could return to Chicago and help them reach the playoffs in Cutler’s absence.

The Broncos and Bears did their parts; Denver waived Orton and Chicago placed a waiver claim on him.  Then the Chiefs came into the picture.

The Chiefs had placed their starting quarterback, Matt Cassel on injured reserve on Tuesday after learning that he broke his hand against the Broncos in Week 10.  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Quarterback Kyle Orton #8 of the Denver Broncos greets his teammates as they enter the field to face the Kansas City Chiefs at INVESCO Field at Mile High on November 14, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 49-29. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Kyle Orton, waived by the Denver Broncos Tuesday, has been awarded off waivers to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Per multiple reports, the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys were the other teams to place claims.

The Broncos close their 2011 regular season by playing the Chiefs at home on January 1, 2012. Tim Tebow vs. Kyle Orton. Happy New Year, indeed.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) and defensive end Ryan McBean (98) celebrate after a sack of New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez in the second quarter of an NFL football game Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)

There are 16 teams in the AFC. There are 11 starters on the Denver Broncos defense. It had been 38 weeks since one of them had a performance deemed worthy of Defensive Player of the Week Status.

Von Miller changed that last Thursday night.

The Broncos’ sensational rookie outside linebacker has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the NFL announced today.

In prime time, Miller was a force against the New York Jets offense and Mark Sanchez, tallying a career-high 10 tackles (9 solo), including 1.5 sacks (12 yds.) and three tackles for a loss. He also registered four quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one pass defensed in Denver’s 17-13 win against the N.Y. Jets in Week 11.

Miller leads all rookies with 9.5 sacks on the year.

Champ Bailey was the last Bronco to net the award, an honor received following Week 4 in 2009.

This weekly award could be a sign of things to come: while Miller is a frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, he is also making noise in overall Rookie of the Year circles. But it gets even better — he’s gaining buzz as a legit Defensive MVP candidate as well. It seems impossible, but if Miller somehow continues to improve, we could be talking about the league’s best defender in 2011, rookie or veteran.

• Lindsay Jones looks at how the trade involving Kyle Orton and Jay Cutler worked out for both teams. [First and Orange]
• The Chicago Bears plan on putting in a waiver claim for their former starter. [ESPNChicago]
• But will he be available? [Shutdown Corner]
• Andrew Mason takes inventory on Orton’s career in Denver, calling the news of his release “shocking.” [Max Denver]
• CBS’ Mike Freeman applauds Denver‘s release of Orton and “doing the right thing.” [CBS Sports]
• John Elway talks Tim Tebow and playoffs in his podcast. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Steve Atwater, Karl Mecklenburg, and Terrell Davis are semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [Denver Post]
• Broncos schedule looks less daunting than it did earlier. [Denver Post]

What started as a school project, literally living on the small box in my Computer Science professor’s office, has become my favorite hobby. More than that, it’s grown into one of the biggest Denver Broncos sites, and one of the largest network-independent sports team fan blogs, on the web. In five years, I’m damn proud of what this little website has become.

But we’re not satisfied. We have big, big plans for BroncoTalk in the year or two to come… things that will change the scope of our blog and, we hope to some degree, the way you receive Denver football news and analysis. We hope to become your preeminent source for Broncos news and analysis, and we’re taking steps now to see that hope come to fruition.

In the meantime we’re simply thrilled to be celebrating five years of covering the Broncos. We’re thrilled to have spent it with you.

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And without you we wouldn’t be looking forward to the next five, ten, fifteen years of BroncoTalking as we are so very much now. On the day before Thanksgiving, thank you for making BT everything it is now and for shaping its future.

The Denver Broncos have released statements on the release of veteran QB Kyle Orton, which was reported earlier in the hour.

HEAD COACH JOHN FOX:

“I spoke with Kyle earlier today and thanked him for everything he did for the Broncos. He was a true professional throughout this season. I’ve got a great deal of respect for him as both a player and as a person.

“This was the right decision for our football team. We feel good about our quarterback group, and this gives Kyle an opportunity to help another team and showcase his talents.

“I wish Kyle and his family all the best going forward.”

Click here to read the rest of this entry »