• John Fox says he’d make the fourth-down call again next week. [Predominantly Orange]
• So do the players. [Denver Post]
• Mathematically, settling for a field goal just wasn’t feasible. [Max Denver]
• Woody Paige: right choice, wrong call. [Denver Post]
• Chris Kuper blames himself. [Denver Post]
• Kyle Orton‘s performance surely merits discussion. [Denver Post]
• Naturally some fans are calling for his benching. [Mile High Report]
• The loss by the numbers (some really interesting numbers). [Max Denver]
• Mike Klis reads a lot from the team’s locker room silence. [Denver Post]
• Game highlights [DenverBroncos.com] [NFL Network]
• No matter your take on the fourth down call, or Kyle Orton, or the defense, one thing is certain — the season’s short. No time to dwell. Time to get back to work. [Predominantly Orange]

Matt Hasselbeck #8 of the Tennessee Titans looks downfield for a receiver against the Denver Broncos at LP Field on September 25, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos had several opportunities to put the Tennessee Titans away in the fourth quarter. They just simply could not get it done.

The first near game-clincher was a bold fourth down call by head coach John Fox early in the fourth quarter. Fox called Willis McGahee‘s number on 4th and Goal from the one yard line, but McGahee was stuffed for the third straight play. The Broncos could have taken a seven-point lead with a field goal — all other things being equal, that would have sent the game to overtime.

Instead McGahee was stuffed. The turnover on downs gave the home team just enough momentum to make the difference.

While they had a lot of trouble on third downs, the defense played a phenomenal game overall, holding Chris Johnson to 21 yards on 13 carries (1.2 avg.). But the chinks in the armor were found with minutes left in the game as Matt Hasselbeck followed a 54-yard completion with a five yard touchdown toss to former Broncos tight end Daniel Graham. The Titans took the lead.

Then Kyle Orton‘s fourth quarter drive ended with a tipped ball being picked off. Orton executed a game-winning drive in Tennessee with 1:33 left in the game a year ago — he was picked off with nearly the exact same game clock this time around.

Kickoff: 11 a.m. MT
GameBlog: 10:45 a.m. MT
Coverage: CBS, Bill Macatee, Steve Tasker (map)
Broncos inactives: Royal, Bailey, M. Thomas, J. Thomas, D. Thomas, Dumervil & Hills.
Titans inactives: QB R. Smith, S C. Hope, CB C. Hawkins, C K. Matthews, T B. Stingily, DT Z. Clayton, DT M. Sheppard

The Tennessee Titans are 7-point favorites at home against the Denver Broncos in Week 2. Here are how the experts from ESPN, CBS, FOX, and Yahoo! pick the winner:

Judge Beall	Allen Golic Hoge Jaworski Mortensen Schefter Schlereth Wickersham Accuscore ESPN Users Prisco Freeman Richard Brinson Fowler Halpin Harmon Cole Yahoo! Users

Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, rear, during training camp at the Denver Broncos football training facility in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

We sift through the weeks’ transcripts and handpick one quote sheet from a Denver Broncos player or coach to pass on to you. This week: on Thursday, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen broke down his defense’s Cincinnati Bengals stop and what to expect from the Tennessee Titans. Quotes courtesy Denver Broncos.

On the final defensive series against Cincinnati

“I think you have to play every situation as it plays out. We were in a situation there where they had the ball around midfield. They needed a field goal to win the game, so we had to be more aggressive to win the game. I think you play every situation out, and that was situation that we felt as a coaching staff that called for us to bring some pressure and luckily we had the right one called up and were able to get to the quarterback.”

On the defensive mindset against Tennessee

“I think it’s always got to be to stop the run. That’s where we have to start. They have a very explosive back and at any time could break one loose, so you have to be perfect on your run fits on every single snap. We have to make sure we’re consistent in that, and then, obviously, playing a veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. We faced him with the Saints last year and didn’t fare so well against him. We’ve got our work cut out for us against this team.”

On stopping Tennessee CB Chris Johnson

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Injury Report for the Week 3 NFL game between the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans on Sunday, September 25, 2011.

Titans report and key after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

After a productive preseason, Dumervil hasn't played in the regular season since seeing a limited role in Week One due to injury. (Photo by Rick Wilking/Reuters Pictures)

After being limited in practice since Wednesday, Broncos sixth year defensive end Elvis Dumervil has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, coach John Fox announced on Friday.

The Broncos traveled to Tennessee on Friday afternoon for their upcoming match against the Titans.  Joining Dumervil on the inactive list is wide receiver Eddie Royal (groin) defensive tackle Marcus Thomas (groin), wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (finger) and tight end Julius Thomas (high ankle sprain).

Meanwhile, cornerback Champ Bailey (hamstring) linebacker D.J. Williams (elbow) and running back Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) are all listed as questionable for Sunday’s game with receiver Brandon Lloyd listed as probable. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

• Matt Hasselbeck threw four touchdowns and boasted a 113.0 passer rating the one time he faced a Dennis Allen-coached defense — the NFC Wild Card playoff game last year. [First and Orange]
• Having Champ Bailey back would certainly help Allen exact revenge. Bailey won’t rule out a return but is playing it cautious. [Max Denver]
• Wide receiver Kenny Britt is practicing through a tight hamstring. [The Tennessean]
• Tennessee Titans‘ LP Field is a venerable nightmare for opposing offensive lines. [Denver Post]
• Tim Tebow disagrees with the notion that helping the team in other positions in a pinch would stunt his development at quarterback. [Yahoo! Sports]
• A fascinating look at other position changes in NFL annals. [Denver Post]
• Knowshon Moreno says he’s ready to start. But will he? [First and Orange]
• The Broncos are leaving for Tennessee a day early to deal with the early kickoff. [Predominantly Orange]

The Denver Broncos‘ depth wasn’t only thin at receiver; with Julius Thomas expected to miss two weeks, they were hurting at tight end as well.

The Broncos addressed that today by signing tight end Dante Rosario, a Carolina Panthers veteran who spent the 2011 training camp and preseason with the Broncos.

To make room for Rosario on the 53-man roster, rookie LB Mike Mohamed, the Broncos’ 2011 sixth round draft pick, was waived.

The Broncos are deep at linebacker, especially with D.J. Williams returning, so Mohamed became the odd man out. If he clears waivers, expect the Broncos to stash the California product on their practice squad.

Denver Broncos punter Britton Colquitt punts during NFL action in 2010. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Broncos rookie cornerback Chris Harris was probably beating himself up for his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that cost his team 45 yards of field position in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Although head coach John Fox got the rookie’s back later in the week, questioning the call, Harris has to be relieved it didn’t cost the Broncos the game.

The penalty did have a steep cost to one of his teammates, though. Punter Britton Colquitt could have been in the NFL record books.

Or, more accurately, higher in the NFL record books.

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