Big Pete of the comments has a guest piece for your reading pleasure this morning. Thanks Pete for volunteering to do this! Let him know what you think in the comments!

Since earlier in the week seemed to be “Nit-Pick Day”, here is a list of the things I nit-pick the Broncos about.

#1. We seem to always play down to our opponent’s level.

What is it with the Broncos for the last 15 years that makes us play either up, or more frustrating, down to our opponent’s level? It seems that since Elway rode out on his white horse, the Broncos can’t seem to dominate the teams they are suppose to dominate, and regularly lose to teams that they are suppose to dominate.

Whether it’s Brian Griese, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, or Peyton Manning, we seem to make games far closer than they should be. Who remembers us losing to woeful Dolphins teams when we were still coached by Shanahan and in the playoffs yearly? Who remembers late season meltdowns against horrible, horrible teams like K.C. last year, the Bills and Panthers in 2008 (the slide that got Shanahan fired), and pretty much the entire 2007 season when we lost to pathetic teams such as the Jags, the Lions, Bears, Texans, and Raiders?

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On Sunday, wide receiver Brandon Stokley (hip) sat out as the Denver Broncos overcame the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23.

With just four days to continue his recovery, Stokley is not expected to play on Thursday against the Raiders. Limited in practice throughout the week, Stokley is officially listed as “questionable” on the team’s injury report.

In Stokley’s place, Matt Willis will be the third wide receiver.  In actuality, tight end Jacob Tamme will receive most of the targets that would have been directed Stokley’s way.  Willis is expected to see limited action.

On the defensive side of the ball, outside linebacker Wesley Woodyard (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday’s game after not traveling with the team to Oakland.

In Woodyard’s place, we expect veteran linebacker D.J. Williams to get his first start of the season after being suspended for a majority of the year. Rotating with Williams will be Danny Trevathan, who performed well against the Bucs on Sunday.

The Broncos will miss both Stokley and Woodyard, but they have the depth at both positions to fill the respective voids.  As John Fox says, “Next man up.”

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/Raiders game on NFL Network this weekend.  Kickoff is scheduled for 6:20 p.m (MT) and we’ll have complete coverage of the game here on the blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.  See you at kickoff!

(Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images)

On Sunday, the 6-foot, 4-inch tall, 291-pound Mitch Unrein proved that he can do more than merely play on the defensive line.

In the second quarter, Unrein lined up at fullback in Denver’s goal line formation and caught a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Peyton Manning.

Seeing Unrein in the backfield was not surprising, he has provided the Broncos with a beefy fullback option on short-yardage situations several times this season.  Seeing him catch a pass undoubtedly caught Tampa Bay off guard.

“Yeah, he [caught] a couple of deep balls today,” a laughing John Fox said on Monday afternoon at Dove Valley.  Although sarcastic about catching running deep routes, Fox did hint that we could see more of Unrein on offense this season.

“He has good hands, so that helps,” Said Fox. “He can be a dual-threat, a blocker, you never know he might be able to run it a little bit.”

How about a fullback pass?

“I haven’t had much success with that.  (Kicker) Matt Prater is 0-for-1.”

So we probably won’t see Unrein slinging the ball around anytime soon.  But we could see him carry the rock.  Stay tuned…

(Reuters Pictures)

The Denver Broncos are the 2012 AFC West division champions!  Cue the party, we’ve made the playoffs!

Not so fast, says Coach John Fox.

“(At team head quarters) it’ll be business as usual,” said Fox after Denver’s 31-23 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.

The Broncos, now 9-3, are headed to the playoffs and have a chance to improve on their fourth seed placing in the AFC Playoff race.  Winning the division is just one piece of the puzzle Fox is hoping to assemble this season.

“Anytime you win, I enjoy it for a minute.  At least a few minutes tonight. Then we turn it around and get right back at it the next day so that part won’t change.”

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Broncos 31, Bucs 23 — you know what a victory means, fellas. Give out your BT Game Balls!

Von Miller and Mitch Unrein, two Defensive players score touchdowns! — Scott Rockhold

Demaryius Thomas! Dude went beastmode out there. — Dustin Gale

Von Miller and Peyton Manning get my balls (no homo).  That pick-six by Von was hella exciting, and Peyton for rallying in the third. — Jireh Rowden

Can’t forget Britton Colquit. Amazing job today. — Kyle Obergfell

The whole team! — Richard Larcom

We did something a little different this week, asking our Facebook fans to provide the Game Balls.  Unless it receives an overwhelmingly positive acceptance, this method will only be temporary.

(AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

Starter Peyton Manning is healthy.  The division is wrapped up.  Is it time for the rookie?

The Denver Broncos are guaranteed a playoff spot at seasons’ end, so will we be seeing rookie quarterback Brock Osweiler this year?

Maybe, but probably not until Week 17—if he is given a chance to start.

With four games to go, the Broncos (9-3) are ranked as the fourth seed in the AFC playoff race.  Trailing the Texans (1st, 11-1), Patriots (2nd, 9-3), and Ravens (3rd, 9-3), the Broncos have a key match-up against the Ravens just two weeks away.

If the playoff seeding has been decided by either Week 16 or 17 of the season, the Broncos may choose to give Osweiler the first start of his career against either the struggling Browns or Chiefs.  Osweiler has appeared in two games this season, executing a pair of kneel downs.

Osweiler, 22, is the tallest player in franchise history at 6-foot-7-inches tall. Dubbed Denver’s quarterback of the future by V.P. John Elway, Osweiler may get a chance to gain experience before seasons’ end if Denver’s winning streak continues and lands them a top playoff seed.

(AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

Following their seventh consecutive victory, a 31-23 win over Tampa Bay, the Denver Broncos have clinched an AFC West title for a second consecutive season.

The win over the Buccaneers was highlighted by defensive tackle Mitch Unrein and outside linebacker Von Miller, who accounted for two combined scores on the afternoon.

Early in the first quarter, Unrein lined up at fullback and caught a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Peyton Manning, marking Denver’s first score of the game.  Careful to not neglect his day job on the defensive line, Unrein would later record a tackle and force a QB hurry that resulted in an interception.

Fox is the 3rd coach since ’70 to take over a team with a losing record and lead it to consecutive division titles. #Broncos

— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) December 3, 2012

That interception was recorded by Miller, who returned it for a score in the third quarter.  Miller finished the day with a team-high six tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and an interception.

On offense, Manning went 27-of-38 for 242 yards and three touchdowns while passing John Elway for the most touchdown passes in a single season in franchise history (29).  Manning’s go-to-guy was Demaryius Thomas, who caught eight passes for 99 yards and a pair of scores.

The Broncos (9-3) will travel to Oakland to take on the Raiders in Week 14 on Thursday Night Football.  Manning has a 93.3 career passer rating against the Raiders and has helped the Broncos go undefeated in division play this season.

The Buccaneers had a lead at halftime and mounted a mini-comeback near the end of the game, but Denver’s 21 third quarter points proved too much for Tampa Bay to overcome.  It feels great to earn another victory.  Who gets your Game Ball this week?

Caldwell's only action this season came on an end-around against the Raiders in Week 4, which went for a 14-yard gain. Â (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

If you started Denver Broncos slot receiver Brandon Stokley as a flex this week, you need to adjust your lineup—quickly.

Stokley is inactive this week, as he is recovering from wrist/hip injuries, according to the Broncos’ game day inactives list.

In Stokley’s absence, watch for fifth-year receiver Andre “Bubba” Caldwell to see more playing time. Caldwell signed with the Broncos in the offseason but has been active for only five games this season, seeing no receptions in those five games.

This may be the week Caldwell finally gets the chance to haul in a pass from quarterback Peyton Manning. Stay tuned.

As kickoff approaches this Sunday, we provide a quick review of the week that was in Dove Valley leading up to game day.

Today, defensive end Robert Ayers (non-injury related), wide receiver Brandon Stokley (wrist/hip), and tackle Chris Clark (illness) are questionable to play.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Ayers and his family as he mourns the loss of his father.

Game day broadcast map here.

Hall of Fame Update:  Former Broncos John Lynch, Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis, and Karl Mecklenburg were announced as 4-of-the-27 modern-era semifinalists for the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

On Friday, quarterback Peyton Manning met… Peyton Manning.

On Thursday, outside linebacker Von Miller was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month of November.

On Wednesday, news came out that the Broncos are bidding to host Super Bowl LII in 2018.  Additionally, cornerback Chris Harris replaced Tracy Porter as the Broncos’ No. 2 cornerback on the 2013 Pro Bowl ballot.

On Tuesday, free agent defensive end Jason Babin hit the waiver wire.  And the Broncos showed zero interest.

On Monday, we noted that left tackle Ryan Clady has played exceptionally well this season.  Going into today’s game, Clady has only allowed one sack this year.

We are just a few hours away from kickoff.  Check back for a post-game review and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates throughout the game!