Denver Broncos' Correll Buckhalter (28) is stopped in midair by San Diego Chargers' Kevin Burnett, right, and Ian Scott during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Two teams took the field Sunday in Denver, but neither even remotely resembled the squads that played in San Diego just 34 days earlier.

The Broncos looked beaten, and they were beaten. Injured QB Kyle Orton came in relief of Chris Simms, but neither did enough to win. The defense allowed the Chargers to rush for over 200 yards (a season high), and San Diego left INVESCO Field at Mile High with a dominating 32-3 win.

With the win, the Chargers move to 7-3 and take sole possession of the AFC West, while the Broncos drop their fourth straight for a 6-4 record — and a mountain of questions.

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vs.
Broncos (6-3) vs. Chargers (6-3)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
INVESCO Field at Mile High
2:00 p.m. MT
GameBlog starts at 1:45 p.m.

The Denver Broncos (6-3) and San Diego Chargers (6-3) will meet for the 100th time on Sunday with the winner moving into sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Kickoff at INVESCO Field at Mile High is set for 2:15 p.m. MST.

Chargers 32 – Broncos 3 FINAL

The GameBlog

RULES: Keep it clean and be respectful. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Kyle Orton tested his ankle Sunday morning but wasn’t ready for starting duties, so backup Chris Simms will get the start as expected, the Denver Post reports. Both Orton and third-string signal caller Tom Brandstater are expected to be active, though.

UPDATE: Orton is active, Brandstater is the inactive/3rd QB.

The rest of the team needs to lift up its play to support their quarterback, while obviously Simms needs to play better than last week. The Broncos’ issues during the last few weeks have gone well beyond that of quarterback, and if they make the right adjustments, they can still come away with a victory. Don’t ask Simms to win the game, ask him to not lose it.

Orton tests ankle; Simms to start [Denver Post]

Injury Report for the Week 11 NFL game between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers on Sunday, November 22, 2009.

DNP – Did Not Participate; LP – Limited Participation; FP – Full Participation; NL – Not Listed

Changes from Thursday’s report in bold. Chargers report after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

While it’s hard to take Josh McDaniels‘ claims that, if he feels up to it, QB Kyle Orton will start on Sunday against San Diego despite missing a week of practice seriously, the coach continues to insist this is the case.

The New York Times’ Fifth Down Blog wonders aloud what type of message this sends Chris Simms.

The Josh McDaniels dossier is still being written, so it’s hard to tell how the Broncos will react after scoring only 34 points in the past three weeks and losing their edge on defense. McDaniels must show he can lead his team through its first rash of injuries. Kyle Orton has not been ruled out for Sunday despite his bad ankle, showing that the coach has little faith in the shell-shocked backup Chris Simms.

It’s an interesting point. We think Simms will certainly play better this week than he did under fire last week, but does McDaniels feel the same? Is McDaniels showing a lack of faith in his backup by dragging Orton’s name along, or is he reaffirming Orton as the starter, who was coming under fire before his first half heroics at Washington? Or, is McDaniels simple playing injury report Patriots games? What do you think?

Quarterback Kyle Orton has been held out of practice for a third straight day with a severely sprained left ankle, but that hasn’t kept him and head coach Josh McDaniels from hoping Orton can play Sunday.

“Absolutely,” McDaniels told reporters before practice Friday. “We’ll continue working with him and hopefully we’ll be ready to go on Sunday.”

McDaniels said Orton will be listed as questionable, and the plan is to test out Orton’s ankle before the game on Sunday. If he can’t go, Chris Simms will get the start.

In the Mike Shanahan days, missing a week of practice meant there was zero chance of playing Sunday. While we find it unlikely McDaniels would give the keys to his offense’s Camaro Camry without a test drive all week (hey — scoring 34 points in three weeks downgrades your offense’s vehicular metaphor), we’ll just have to wait and see.

Orton will miss practice again [Colorado Springs Gazette]

If you didn’t watch the Dolphins beat down the Panthers last night you may have missed the halftime interview.  Here is Rich Eisen and Deion Sanders interviewing Brandon Marshall on the status of Kyle Orton, his terms with Josh McDaniels,  the status of the team, and his relationship with Jay Cutler.  He’s a pretty good sport throughout the process.

Our weekly perusal around the Interwebz for water cooler fodder.

ESPN: 9th
Unraveling at the wrong time, facing a rematch with San Diego and with backup QB Chris Simms at the helm.

CBS: 8th
It’s amazing how quickly their season has turned around. Now they play the Chargers with a gimpy Kyle Orton and first place on the line.

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• Frank Schwab is reporting that Chris Simms is making strides in practice this week and will be ready if needed.  [CS Gazette]
• Why he is ready for his first NFL start since 2006.  [Boulder Daily Camera]
• An excellent piece: This decade’s Charger/Bronco rivalry tops the AFC West.  [DPO]
• Rumors of Mike Shanahan taking the CU Buffs job with Kyle in tow?  Not likely, but it’s broken down here.  [KDVR.com]
• Speaking of Shanny, how he could be using the Bills interview as leverage against other potential suitors.  [ESPN NFL Nation]
• Robert Ayers admits he is still adjusting to the NFL game, but getting plays in real games helps.  [Longmont Times]
• Pro Bowl center Nick Hardwick will not dress for San Diego this weekend.  [Boulder Daily Camera]
• The Broncos are thin at running back and Champ Bailey praises Colorado native Vincent Jackson.  [CS Gazette]
• Andra Davis says he’s happy to be out of Cleveland and Brian Dawkins has been brought on to commissioner Roger Goodell’s player advisory forum.  [DPO]
• The Broncos show a real lack of commitment to the run.  [Broncos Zone]
• Lindsay Jones highlights rookie safety David Bruton.  [DPO]
• An interview with Broncos hall of famer Gary Zimmerman.  [Predominantly Orange]
• Eddie Royal has landed himself an endorsement deal with Gameday Passion.  [PRWeb]

Around the NFL

• Jared Allen harnesses the power of his bad ass mullet.  [FanDome]
• The Bears have denied franchise access to NBC for coverage of Sunday Night’s game.  [FanHouse]

Thursday Injury Report for the Week 11 NFL game between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers on Sunday, November 22, 2009.

DNP – Did Not Participate; LP – Limited Participation; FP – Full Participation; NL – Not Listed

Changes from Wednesday’s report in bold. Chargers report after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »