Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on December 30, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images)

Editor’s Note: How Big Pete’s Instant Reactions is something beyond “OMG WE #1 SEED GOOOOOO BROOOOONCOOS WOOOOOO” — is beyond me. That is the only thing my head is currently capable of processing.

The quick and dirty reaction to today’s game is simply this…. WOW!!! Who watching didn’t utter those words on more than a few occasions today? Wow, the Colts did it! Wow, we just made the Chiefs look like a pee wee football team on our opening drive. Wow, what a catch by Decker for a TD. WOW, did you see DT’s TD catch?!?!!! Yes my friends, the word wow sums up this game nicely.

This game had an exciting feel to it from the opening kickoff. When was the last time you saw Champ so pumped after a routine stop on the Chief’s opening drive? He knew that they were one play closer to not having to travel again until New Orleans! Our offense and defense showed up to play, and they made that known from the very start.

Moreno looked dominant today, even though he had a small scare when he was slow to get up, and then could barely even limp through the next play. However, before you knew it, Moreno was back in and scoring on a short, but fantastically patient run. Our Defense did what they were suppose to do; they made the 32nd ranked team look very  much like the 32nd ranked team. Aside from some good running early, KC had no hope to even threaten the scoreboard.

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(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Can the Broncos beat the Patriots if when we meet them in the playoffs?

A few weeks back, I wrote an article diving into the all important playoff question… Can the Broncos beat the Patriots? Today, I’m re-examining that very question.

Eleven weeks ago, we played the Patriots in Foxboro, and after a rash of self inflicted wounds, we ended up in the 4th quarter with the chance to tie the game after we snared the game’s momentum into our favor. Our offense was still trying to find their way while Peyton Manning knocked the rust off after missing the entire 2011 season. Our defense was just plain horrible (ranked 30th) as Joe Mays and Tracy Porter were still in the starting lineup. Our special teams were vanilla and boring in every sense of the word. Yes my fellow Broncos fanatics, we were a middle of the pack team trying to find their way.

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When the Broncos (12-3) take on the Chiefs (2-13) this weekend, offensive guard Chris Kuper could be on the field.  Kuper is listed as “questionable” after being limited in practice this week.

The most likely scenario seems to be Denver resting Kuper this week, giving him two weeks to rest in preparation for the divisional round of the playoffs (assuming Denver secures a first round bye this weekend).  If all goes well, the Broncos should have both Kuper and running back Willis McGahee back in time for the postseason.

Full injury report, courtesy of DenverBroncos.com, below:

When Kuper does return, it will be great news for Denver’s offense.  The Broncos are 5-0 in games Kuper has started this season.

(Photo: CBS4 Denver)

For more updates on the statues of McCoy and Del Rio, check out our homepage.

Update (1/1/13): It sounds like Jack Del Rio is not interested in leaving Denver at this time, a big relief for those of us closely following the coaching carousel.

Update (1/1/13): The Buffalo Bills have asked permission to interview McCoy.  The Broncos are expected to grant Buffalo permission after giving the go-ahead to both Chicago and Arizona on Monday.

Update (1/1/13): The Chargers wanted to interview Broncos’ director of player personnel, Matt Russell, to be their next G.M., but Russell turned them down, as he already holds G.M.-like duties in Denver.

Update (1/1/13): Per reports, McCoy will not be traveling for his interviews; teams will come to Denver.

Von Miller celebrates a touchdown in early December when the Broncos faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images)

We’ve known for years that the Denver Broncos would draw the AFC South and NFC East in 2013, but did not know until last week that by finishing first in the AFC would also have the Broncos playing the AFC East champion, New England Patriots and AFC North champion, Baltimore Ravens.

That is a complete schedule, my friends, but oh what things are to come in 2013.

It is as great a feeling as a fan can have, to be discussing 2013 while still having the rest of what your favorite team had accomplished in 2012 still ahead.

With the 2013 opponents, Denver has so many story lines to work with, it is hard to imagine any of their games outside the AFC West not being in prime time. Peyton Manning’s former team the Indianapolis Colts and their phenom sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck will welcome Manning back to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time. That won’t be the only outstanind second-year quarterback that the Broncos will face, they will also draw RG3 and the return of Mike Shanahan, this time in Washington Redskins’ gear, to Denver.
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(Photo: Ron Chenoy, US Presswire)

It has been a tough season for Broncos cornerback Tracy Porter.

The 26-year-old defensive back signed a one-year, $4 million deal with Denver in March, entering the season as Denver’s No. 2 cornerback across from Champ Bailey. After four up-and-down games to start the season, Porter was ruled out of Denver’s Week 6 game against San Diego due to seizure-like symptoms.

In Porter’s absence, second-year cornerback Chris Harris won the starting job, and kept it long after Porter had been cleared to play again.  Last week, the Broncos finally dressed Porter for a game—for the first time in nine weeks—and the cornerback saw action on the first defensive series.

On the third play of the game, Porter collided with Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon and collapsed to the ground, regaining his poise and trotting to the sideline a few moments later.  Putting an explanation point to a rough luck story that has lasted all season for Porter, the cornerback was diagnosed with a concussion and did not return to the game.

When the Broncos (12-3) take on the Chiefs (2-13) this week, Porter will miss his tenth game of the season while recovering from the concussion, after not participating in practice all week.  If all goes well, Porter could be back in time for the Divisional Round of the Playoffs in January.

It’s sad to see a player have such a tough season, but John Elway and the Broncos look pretty smart now for only signing Porter to a one-year deal.  Best of luck in your recovery and future endeavors, Tracy.

(US Presswire Photo)

The Denver Broncos will have to make a big decision regarding their backfield in the offseason.

Will veteran Willis McGahee return for the 2013 season?

In 2011, McGahee signed a four-year, $9.5 million deal with Denver.  In his first season, McGahee ran with authority and benefited from Denver’s zone-read offense, rushing for 1,119 yards on the ground.

It was a different story in 2012, as McGahee was productive (167 carries for 731 yards) but also plagued by turnovers (fumbling five times in nine starts). Those kind of mistakes from a 31-year old veteran are not acceptable, and the Broncos haven’t exactly missed McGahee since he went down with an injury and landed on injured reserve.

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In an effort at a practical joke Jay Cutler stole Peyton Manning's helmet and replaced it with Reggie Wayne's. (AP Photo)

The NFL announced their annual Pro Bowl voting results yesterday and to little surprise fan favorites Peyton Manning, Von Miller and Champ Bailey have all be voted to Hawaii. Joining them will be Ryan Clady and Elvis Dumervil. Manning has been voted to the Pro Bowl for a twelfth time which is a record for an NFL quarterback, Bailey will also be joining Manning for his twelfth Pro Bowl– which gives him the record for most Pro Bowls by a defensive back in history. Somewhere Patrick Peterson still considers himself the best corner in the NFL.

“I’ve done my thing over the years, but when you’re on a team like this and you play well, people are going to notice. It’s really just part of my team and what we’ve done. That’s pretty much why I’m in there. It’s definitely a team thing,” Bailey said, giving the credit humbly back to the team he plays on. Denver fans will remember that there have been plenty of teams that Bailey has played on that weren’t quite like this, yet he still made the Pro Bowl.

Bookends on opposite sides of the ball Clady and Dumervil were both voted to the Pro Bowl for the third time in their careers. Dumervil is the second player since 2000 to be voted to back-to-back Pro Bowls after missing an entire season. He gave credit to his coaches and his co-workers for  the achievement, “It’s a blessing. It wasn’t all pretty all year but I give thanks to the coaching staff, the fans, the guys I play with — my teammates. I‘m not just representing myself but I’m representing guys that have been a part of it, from everybody in the building, the turf guys to equipment — everybody.” Click here to read the rest of this entry »

For those who live outside of Colorado and do not have DirecTV, we present this handy-dandy broadcast map, courtesy of the506.com:

Those of you who live in the blue areas will receive the Broncos/Chiefs game on your local CBS station this weekend.  Kickoff is scheduled for 2:25 p.m. (MT) and we’ll have coverage of the game here on the blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.  See you at kickoff!

Five #Broncos have been named to the AFC Pro Bowl team: dbron.co/1fh.

— Denver Broncos (@Denver_Broncos) December 27, 2012