The Denver Broncos improved to 4-3 with a 34-14 win over the New Orleans Saints.

The Broncos had a +21.4 advantage in The Trench Counter, recording twice as many first downs and outgaining the Saints by a 3.3 margin on a yards per play basis. Denver had a +24 edge in Total Rushes/Completions.

Peyton Manning went 22-for-30 for 305 yards and three touchdowns.

Demaryius Thomas caught seven balls for 137 yards and a touchdown, while Eric Decker had two touchdowns.

Willis McGahee rushed 23 times for 122 yards with a touchdown.

Drew Brees went 22-for-42 for 213 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-28, coasting to their second win of the season after an explosive 28-point first half.

The Saints had a -5.0 disadvantage in The Trench Counter, finishing with -1 in turnover differential and being slightly outgained on a yards per play basis. The Saints had a +4 edge in Total Rushes/Completions.

Drew Brees went 27-for-37 for 377 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. Lance Moore caught nine balls for 121 yards on a day where Jimmy Graham watched from Louisiana.

Josh Freeman went 24-for-42 for 420 yards and three touchdowns. Vincent Jackson caught seven balls for 216 yards and a touchdown.

Doug Martin rushed 16 times for 85 yards and a 36-yard touchdown.

Joe Vitt will immediately rejoin the New Orleans Saints following their game against the Buccaneers.

Vitt served a six-game suspension for his alleged part in the Saints' bounty program.

Vitt will resume duties as interim head coach, replacing interim-interim head coach Aaron Kromer. Kromer will return to his role as offensive line coach and run-game coordinator.

The NFL players union is considering a challenge of Paul Tagliabue replacing Roger Goodell as the appeals officer in the bounty case involving the New Orleans Saints.

The players association has concerns about "ethical and legal issues," a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Sunday. 

Tagliabue works for the law firm that is defending the league in U.S. District Court in Louisiana in the bounties case. 

Jimmy Graham will not travel with the New Orleans Saints to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7.

The Saints have decided to let Graham rest his injured ankle.

The Saints are coming off their bye week.

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has been appointed by Roger Goodell as the hearing officer for appeals of the four players suspended for their part in the alleged bounty program of the Saints.

Tagliabue was commissioner from 1989 until 2006.

Tagliabue will conduct hearings for

Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, and Jonathan Vilma on Oct. 30.

The four players who have been suspended by the NFL have filed an appeal asking for Roger Goodell to be recused from the case due to his inability to be impartial, according to sources.

Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove requested the recusal on the basis of bias and partiality, the sources said.

All four players are eligible to play or at least get paid until the NFL rules on their latest appeals. 

Drew Brees has been extremely impressed with the play of the younger quarterback in the NFL.

“First of all, it’s hard to win in this league,” Brees said. “Serious. It’s hard. So, no matter if you’re a seasoned veteran quarterback or first- or second-year quarterback, it’s hard. And it doesn’t get any easier.” 

Younger quarterbacks like Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck have had a lot of success to date as rookies.

“I’m extremely impressed with how some of these young quarterbacks have come in and played,” Brees continued. “What was it? Five rookie starters this year. I find that amazing. It just seems like these guys are on such a fast track coming out of college, whether it’s the coaching they get, the offenses they are running, just their exposure. Whatever it is, they just seem so much more well-prepared than I was coming into this league. Just seems like they are light years ahead. And the game continues to evolve.”

The New Orleans Saints won their first game of 2012, scoring 17 unanswered points to beat the San Diego Chargers by a final score of 31-24.

The Saints, however, had a -12.0 deficit in The Trench Counter, averaging four fewer yards per rush and six fewer first downs. New Orleans had a +5 edge in Total Rushes/Completions.

Drew Brees, who broke Johnny Unitas' record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass, went 29-for-45 for 370 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

Marques Colston caught nine balls for 131 yards and three touchdowns, while Devery Henderson caught eight balls for 123 yards and one touchdown.

Philip Rivers went 27-for-42 for 354 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Ryan Mathews had a strong game, rushing 12 times for 80 yards while also catching six balls for 59 yards.

The New Orleans Saints have recorded just six sacks over the first four weeks of 2012.

"Yeah, that bothers me," Aaron Kromer said. "That bothers the defense, mostly. Coach Spagnuolo is working on it with (defensive line) coach (Bill) Johnson. They're working at pass rush and how to get there with a blitz, how to get there with a four-man rush and how to get there and contain them with a three-man rush. They're definitely on it."

Spagnuolo's zone-pressure scheme has the Saints ranked last in the NFL in yards allowed.

"It's a challenge anywhere," Spagnuolo said. "It doesn't matter where you are or what players you have or what scheme you run. Offenses are pretty good and affecting the quarterback is the thing you have to do whether you do it with four or three (players). I believe in just mixing it up. We have to find a way to mix it better and find a way to win a couple of these one-on-one matches."