Dre Bly forces Tyler Thigpen to the ground on a fourth and goal late in the fourth quarter Sunday. (A.P. Photo)

Fourth-and-goal with 4:44 left on the clock, from the Denver one-yard line Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen launched himself towards the end-zone… He was met with by cornerback Dre Bly with lightening quickness and slammed face-first into the ground. Bly took off towards the sideline leaving a primal scream in his trail.

It conjured a scene from 2000′ film Gladiator,

“Are you not entertained? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?“

Rod Woodson? Was that not enough for you? Some of you may have heard it, some of you may not have. On the NFL Network’s Total Access and in reference to the announcement that Peyton Hillis had won both the Rookie of the Week and FedEx Ground Player of the Week and Jay Cutler had won the FedEx Air Player of the Week,

“Maybe the fans should be drug tested.“ Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Jay Cutler and the offensive line deserve Pro Bowl accolades. (AP Photo)

Get those last minute Pro Bowl votes in, folks – the fan ballot ends at 10am MST Tuesday!

Here are my top five worthy Broncos Pro Bowlers:

5. Ryan Harris, OT – Right tackles don’t get the limited pub even their left-side counterparts get, but Ryan Harris has been outstanding in his first year as a starter.  He’s allowed only one half sack this season while starting all 13 games thus far, one of only three players in the entire NFL that can claim the same or better.

4. Casey Wiegmann, C – Most people know how HUGE of a Tom Nalen fan I am – well, Wiegmann has lessened the blow of Nalen missing his second straight season with injury, and then some.  The way he dominated Pro Bowl-bound Kris Jenkins of the Jets alone nearly deserves a trip to Honolulu.  What’s more impressive is that Wiegmann has made all the line calls for one of the least-sacked offenses in NFL history, all in his first season with the team. If your’e watching closely, you’ll see the holes he opens up for the running game get bigger and bigger as the year goes on. The veteran deserves a trip overseas. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The Broncos have a lot to celebrate with their first division title in three years within sight. (Reuters photo)

Week #14 is in the books, folks. We beat KC at home in an impressive manner and now we look at our remaining three games left in the season. It doesn’t look good…. With the Chargers dominating the division, we would need San Diego to lose two of their last three games and us to sweep our remaining games in order to make the playoffs.

Oh, wait… that was last year…

Fast-forward to Week #14 in 2008 and we just finished off KC at home again; however, this time DENVER is leading the division by three games and San Diego is now working hard to come up with the higher math necessary to give them post season life.

What a difference one year makes, huh?

There have been some major changes since last year… Let’s take a look back at 2007 vs 2008.
Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Peyton Hillis breaks for a touchdown in the first quarter of Sunday's game. (AP Photo)

Moments ago, during his Monday press conference, Denver Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan confirmed the ESPN report that Peyton Hillis will be placed on Injured Reserve, ending his season. Hillis injured his hamstring in the second quarter of Sunday’s 24-17 Broncos win over the Chiefs.

Hillis is the fifth running back to be placed on Injured Reserve by the Broncos this season. With Selvin Young still reeling from a groin injury he suffered some two months ago, the Broncos will turn to Tatum Bell to take the bulk of the carries. P.J. Pope is another option, along with practice squadder Cory Boyd, whom Shanahan said the team would promote this week. Look for rookie LB/FB Spencer Larsen to be another possibility to fill the void, Shanahan said.

Hillis was voted both the NFL’s FedEx Ground Player of the Week and Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week just last week.

Hillis was so much fun to watch. For that reason, just as much as any other, I’m disappointed to report this news. For years, the media has said “Anyone can run in the Denver Broncos system.” That’s being put to the test this year, for certain.

Dre Bly makes a crucial 4th down stop to keep the Broncos on top against Kansas City.

It’s time we give credit to those who deserve it. Lets be serious… who needs those stereotypical and generic awards that every website doles out towards the end of the season? Here at Bronco Talk you our dedicated readers get to help create these awards and decide the players that win them. I’ll start off with a few of my own awards and some nominations along with them. Then after reading this article your motivational level will be through the roof and you’ll want to make up your own awards and nominees. The rules are extremely similiar to create-a-caption, the best awards will be posted in a new article later on in the week. So get creative Bronco Nation!

 

Best Player who we give a hard time but still is awesome

1. Dre’ Bly
2. Jamie Winborn
3. Matt Prater
4. Karl Paymah
5. Nate Webster

My Winner: Dre Bly

This one is hard because we give a lot of players a hard time. However, Bly gets it the worst for doing the most. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve never yelled something about trading him at the TV screen before. Dre has brought leadership to this insanely young defense. Everyone has noticed that players like Wesley Woodyard and Josh Bell are stepping up beyond belief and a good amount of that has came from working with leaders like Dre.

 

Best Player that potentially was bust but proved not to be

1. Ryan Harris
2. Chris Kuper
3. Tatum Bell

My Winner: Ryan Harris

My vote goes to Ryan Harris. I remember at the begining of training camp he was going to be a guard but Chris Kuper broke his hand the very first play so it forced Harris into the RT position. Everyone was reporting that Harris was getting manhandled by John Engelberger and they were even trying out Tyler Polumbus for his position. Now look at him. even the media recognizes the Ryans at both ends.

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Every week, we’ll keep you updated on the latest playoff movement from within the division and around the AFC.

First Round Bye
1. Tennessee Titans (12-1, 8-1)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3, 8-1)

Other division winners
3. Denver Broncos (8-5, 5-5)
4. New York Jets (8-5, 6-4)

Wild Card
5. Indianapolis Colts (9-4, 8-2)
6. Baltimore Ravens (9-4, 7-3)

On the cusp:
Miami Dolphins (8-5, 6-3)
New England Patriots (8-5, 5-5)

Notes:
Third seed on thin ice — Cheer for the Jets, Broncos fans. The Broncos need the Jets to keep their barely-there lead in the AFC East, as New York, Miami, and New England all sit at 8-5. Since the Broncos are also 8-5, and they lost to both the Fins and Pats, the only way the Broncos stay in the third seed is if the Bretts hold on to the AFC East. It’s shaky ground at best, and the Jets are heading in the wrong direction while the Patriots have a cake walk of a remaining schedule. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Peyton Hillis resurrects the Mile High Salute before leaving the game with a strained hamstring. (AP Photo)

UPDATE: Peyton Hillis will be placed on Injured Reserve

Peyton Hillis will likely miss four to six weeks with a hamstring injury he suffered in the second quarter of the Broncos’ 24-17 win over the Chiefs. Head Coach Mike Shanahan told reporters that the initial prognosis wasn’t good.

“Any time it’s a hamstring and they come off the field like he did today, normally it’s a month at best,” Shanahan said. “It didn’t look good. I’m hoping it’s not quite as bad as I anticipate, but I was not pleased watching him walk off the field.” Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Another week, another inch towards the playoffs. After the Broncos beat the Chiefs 24-17 in Week 14, the AFC West appears locked up. Unless the San Diego Chargers (5-8) win out and the Denver Broncos (8-5) lose all three of their remaining games, the Broncos will be AFC West champs. The Broncos are a win or a Chargers loss away from their first division title in three years.

The Broncos play at Carolina, are home against Buffalo, then play the Chargers on the road to finish the regular season. San Diego travels to Kansas City and Tampa Bay before returning home to host the Broncos in Week 17.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have moved into the third seed in the AFC playoffs thanks to a New York Jets loss to the 49ers. We’ll break down all the scenarios involving seeding in our weekly playoffs post tomorrow.

Let’s just beat the Panthers this week, sweep the NFC South and put the Chargers out of their misery. Go Broncos!

The Broncos, decked in orange, took to the air to defeat the Chiefs 24-17. (Getty Images)

After a big run, an interception for a touchdown, and a seventeen play drive, the Kansas City Chiefs were in prime position for a repeat-upset against the Broncos. They were leading 17-7 in the second quarter.

Those were the last points Kansas City would score all game. The Denver Broncos, led by Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler, scored 17 unanswered points of their own, dominating time of possession and total yardage to defeat the Chiefs 24-17.

Peyton Hillis, who left the game with an injured hamstring in the second quarter (no update available at this time), scored the Broncos’ first touchdown with an impressive 18-yard run. After Hillis went out, the Broncos were forced to become one-dimensional; Cutler and Marshall made sure that one dimension was enough for the victory. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

vs.
17 – 24
Final

INACTIVES

DENVER BRONCOS
20 Marlon McCree S
24 Champ Bailey CB
31 P.J. Pope RB
35 Selvin Young RB
38 Andrew Pinnock FB
43 Herana-Daze Jones S
55 D.J. Williams LB
96 Tim Crowder DE

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
23 Patrick Surtain CB
45 Michael Merritt TE
55 Pat Thomas LB
59 Donnie Edwards LB
65 Tavares Washington G
71 Andrew Carnahan T
73 Adrian Jones G
83 Mark Bradley WR

• Are you ready for some Broncos football, folks? Inactives list will post here as it becomes available.
• LIVE BLOG right here. Also, join me at the RMN for a Broncos chat every Sunday, an hour before kickoff!