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 red areas will receive the Broncos/Ravens game on your local CBS station this weekend.  Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. (MT) and we’ll have complete coverage of the game here on the blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.  See you at kickoff!

(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Big Pete on the commissioner’s plans to expand the playoffs… 

Today, Roger Goodell said that they are discussing the expansion of the NFL playoffs to either 14 or 16 teams. While I don’t know what is going through his brain, lets take a quick look at how this impacts the playoff structure as we know it.

As it stands, 6 teams in each conference make the playoffs with the #1 and #2 seeds having bye rounds. This leads to the #3, #4, #5, and #6 teams playing in the wild card round, with division winners enjoying home field advantage. The winners advance to the teams with the bye weeks.

If the playoffs are expanded, in order to keep conferences (AFC/NFC), they have to add a multiple of 6 to the playoffs, meaning 18 teams. That would mean that the top 3 seeds have bye weeks, and an extra 2 wildcard teams playing each other; the 3 winners in wild card weekend will advance.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Big Pete provides Part 2 of his latest article…

Yesterday, we jumped into the Broncos / Patriots talk with a quick examination of their match-up in Week 5. Now, we’re going to talk about how the game would go if they met today! There is one thing that we automatically know going into any Manning versus Brady match-up; the game will be close, and more than likely be decided by a pivotal conversion late in the game. Which team will give them the Clint Eastwood stare, and which team will blink? That is the question at hand!

Currently, the Broncos are the only team in the NFL ranked in the top 5 in each Offense (4) and Defense (3). This means that the Broncos are the NFL’s most complete and balanced team. We aren’t a team that has a ridiculous offense, but a leaky defense, and we aren’t a team that has a stellar defense, but a squeaky offense. No, we are strong on offense, strong on defense, and strong on special teams. We are the epitome of “balanced”.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

(Photo: Stew Milne, US Presswire)

Big Pete provides yet another guest piece.  Expect Pete to officially join the BT staff in the coming days…

The 700 lb purple elephant is in the room this week around Denver. After witnessing the thorough thrashing that went down in New England against a then 11-1 Houston Texans team, people are wondering, “can the Broncos beat the Patriots?” and “what seed should the Broncos hope for to avoid the inevitable Broncos/Patriots showdown in the playoffs?” Well my friends, I’m here to talk “Can the Denver Broncos beat the New England Patriots”, week 14 edition.

Before we know where we can go, we must first know where we’ve been. We’ve been to Foxboro already. Yes, our 8 game winning streak started after our week 5 loss to the Patriots. However, while the Patriots seem to be the same team, we are much, much different. Lets take a closer look shall we?

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Broncos 26, Raiders 13 — you know what a victory means, fellas. Big Pete provides this week’s BT Game Balls below!

Von Miller: The stat line reads 3 tackles, 1 assisted tackle, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, but what the stat sheet doesn’t list, and why after last night’s Texans’ showing indicates is that Von Miller is the most dominant defensive player in the NFL. Miller had a handful of offensive holding penalties called because he is so unstoppable. Why do I mention that? Because without those holding calls, Miller has 5+ sacks by the start of the 4th quarter, and the game is even more one sided. Miller plays his best when the moment is the biggest. That is why he gets a game ball.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Following his solid performance on Thursday Night Football, Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno has been nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week award on NFL.com.

Against the Raiders, Moreno (5′-11″, 200 lbs.) rushed a career-high 32 times for 119 yards and a score on the ground while adding four pass receptions for an additional 48 yards.

Moreno figures to be the Broncos feature back moving forward.

“(Moreno) was very patient for his opportunity and he’s making the most of it,” said Coach John Fox.  “(Against Oakland), I thought he ran the ball very physical, very smart.  He protected well, so all in all I think he had a winning performance.”

Over the past three weeks, Moreno has rushed 52 times for 273 yards while also catching 16 passes for 88 more yards.  This week, Moreno will face a 25th-ranked Ravens run defense that has allowed 129.3 yards on the ground per game this season.

Fans can vote for Moreno at NFL.com/FedEx.  After voting for Moreno, vote for the rest of the team for the 2013 NFL Pro Bowl!

As the graph from NFL.com shows, the Denver Broncos would be the second seed in the AFC Playoff race if the season ended today.

This week, however, everything could change.

The Broncos, who played on Thursday Night Football two days ago, have played one more game than all of the other AFC teams in playoff contention. With 10 wins, the Broncos are the No. 2 seed by default.

On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens (9-3) will take on the Washington Redskins (6-6), who have played better than their win-loss record would suggest.  On Monday, the New England Patriots (9-3) could leapfrog the Broncos with a win over the Houston Texans (11-1).

Denver’s best bet to secure the No. 2 seed would come with a Texans victory on Monday and a Broncos win over Baltimore in Week 15.  Stay tuned…

During NFL Network‘s broadcast of Denver’s 26-13 win over Oakland on Thursday Night Football, commentators Mike Mayock and Brad Nessler stumbled and and mis-pronounced players’ names throughout the game.

Nessler made a mistake other announcers have made this season by referring to return specialist Trindon Holliday as “Hall-a-way.”

But even more noticeable, and far more annoying, was Mayock constantly pronouncing wide receiver Demaryius Thomas as “Dee-mAR-e-ous,” eliminated the “M-ary” sound in Thomas’ first name.

Mayock knows football, and he called the game well.  But for future reference, we suggest that networks have their crews study the following pronunciation guide:  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Running back Knowshon Moreno had a big night.

Big Pete provides some post-game thoughts on tonight’s game…

Has a complete and utter domination by one team over another had such a close score? This felt like a 50-7 football game, yet there we were, giving the Raiders hope when there really was none. Like I said in my nit-pick article, we need to crush the souls of our opponents, not let them linger around only to eek out a win.

I know this wasn’t a nail-biting win, but c’mon man! We should have won by 40! Is a win a win? Sure, but we need to make a statement! We need to beat Oakland down so bad that even the Ravens get sore! Again, while we completely DESTROYED the Raiders, the score was way, way too close!

Click here to read the rest of this entry »