March 2009 - Denver Broncos Wiretap

NFL Power Rankings After Week 3

Jul 19, 2014 5:44 AM

By Christopher Reina The scoreboard is where games are officially won and lost, but they are largely decided by the team that wins the battles of yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards lost, first downs, and turnovers. For this reason, I created the following formula called the ?Trench Counter? to look at which team truly controls the game: (2x Yards per pass) + (2x Yards per carry) + (.5 First downs) - (Penalty yards/10) - (2.5 Turnovers) - (Opposing Team's Trench Counter) Click here for more information on the Trench Counter For the 2009 season, our weekly team rankings will be based solely off this formula. 1. New Orleans Saints: 18.4 First round pick Malcom Jenkins has already made a huge impact on special teams with a forced fumble against the Eagles and again last week against Buffalo, which he also recovered. The kind of impact he's making on special teams will be what New Orleans can routinely expect purely on defense once he gains a little more experience. 2. Denver Broncos: 16.7 Eddie Royal has just 42 yards receiving, but with Brandon Stokley and Jabar Gafney averaging 26.2 and 14.6 yards per catch and Correll Buckhalter averaging 7.4 yards per rush, he hasn't been needed. Kyle Orton also has a 91.2 passer rating and has TD/INT ratio of 3/0. 3. Baltimore Ravens: 14.1 I've been more excited about the Ravens than any other team in the NFL, but two of their wins have come against the Chiefs and Browns, who are a combined 0-6. Regardless of who their opponents have been, however, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee have been excellent (5.1 and 5.9 yards per rush respectively) and Joe Flacco has begun to prove he truly is a franchise quarterback with a 65.4 completion percentage and a 101.4 rating. 4. Indianapolis Colts: 11.0 The Colts passing game hasn't missed anything without Marvin Harrison and Anthony Gonzalez, but the ground game remains legitimately concerning with an average rush of just 3.5 yards. 5. New York Giants: 10.8 Ahmad Bradshaw has done more with 35 carries (201 yards) than Brandon Jacobs has done with 58 (196). Steve Smith and Mario Manningham are each on pace for over 1,200 yards receiving as well. 6. Green Bay Packers: 8.1 Greg Jennings had just two catches on Sunday, but he racked up 103 yards with that action. He is always one of the NFL's best yards per catch receivers, but he is currently averaging 26.1 yards. 7. Minnesota Vikings: 7.5 Percy Harvin's instant impact has been every bit as big as Brett Favre; the rookie from Florida has two touchdowns receiving and Sunday's incredible 101-yard run against San Francisco. 8. Philadelphia Eagles: 7.2 Kevin Kolb has put up great fantasy numbers, but his 88.9 rating in light of the caliber of defense from New Orleans and Kansas City give reason to be cautious with optimism or to swiftly dismiss Donovan McNabb. 9. New York Jets: 5.9 The Jets will win a lot of games like the one on Sunday, where yards per pass were about a wash and yards per rush was in Tennessee's favor +1.5, but they were a +2 in giveaway/takeaways. 10. New England Patriots: 4.8 Tom Brady has sequentially decreased his pass attempts each week, throwing 53 against Buffalo, 47 against the Jets and 42 against Atlanta. The Patriots thankfully rushed the ball 39 times with an average of 4.3 yards. 11. Dallas Cowboys: 4.3 I absolutely love Felix Jones, but he may as well be wearing glass slippers out there given how fragile he is. Jones did have 11.8 yards per carry before he was forced out of the game, but Tashard Choice's workmanlike 82 yards for 18 carries is every bit as valuable. 12. San Francisco 49ers: 3.0 The absence of Frank Gore was particularly felt in the 4th quarter when they needed to get 1st downs and keep the ball out of Favre's hands; Glen Coffee rushed the ball 25 times for just 54 yards (2.2 average). 13. Tennessee Titans: 2.1 The Titans are one of the better 0-3 teams we have seen in recent memory, but they could conceivably go into their bye with a 1-5 record and still make the playoffs given how soft their final 10 are with four games against the NFC West. 14. Seattle Seahawks: 1.0 The Seahawks were in the red zone just two times on Sunday against Chicago and they don't have a strong enough defense or running game to offset a quarterback firmly in the 70s as far as passer rating. 15. Buffalo Bills: 0.2 Fred Jackson's three-game audition while Marshawn Lynch served his suspension was relatively successful, with 291 yards on 61 carries (4.8 average) and 134 yards receiving, making him Buffalo's leading receiver in receptions and yards. 16. San Diego Chargers: -0.2 Vincent Jackson has emerged as a legitimate star receiver, trailing only Reggie Wayne in yards with 317. 17. Washington Redskins: -0.5 Jason Campbell is ninth in quarterback rating with a mark of 92.5 and you can't blame him for the fact that Kevin Smith couldn't be stopped by the defense or the zero yards rushing Washington had in the first half. 18. Pittsburgh Steelers: -0.9 The Steelers averaged four more yards per pass than the Bengals, but the discrepancy running the ball and the interception return by Johnathan Joseph was enough to give the Bengals the upset. 19. Jacksonville Jaguars: -1.7 This was the Maurice Jones-Drew we expected to see this season, with 23 carries for 119 yards and three touchdowns against Houston. 20. Chicago Bears: -1.9 The Bears are an Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings touchdown away from being a fundamentally flawed 3-0; instead they're a surprising 2-1 without a dependable running game. 21. Cincinnati Bengals: -2.7 Roy Williams leads the Bengals in tackles with 23, followed by second-year linebacker Keith Rivers. 22. Atlanta Falcons: -3.3 The Falcons weren't quite ready for New England, as they held Matt Ryan to 200 yards and completely neutralized Tony Gonzalez. 23. Arizona Cardinals: -4.3 The difference between Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning on Sunday night was the Colts pass rush was able to get to the former while Arizona didn't sniff the latter whatsoever. 24. Houston Texans: -6.4 Steve Slaton finally had an effective game this season, as he lit up Jacksonville for 76 yards on 12 carries (6.3 average), plus three receptions for 37 yards, but the lack of a pass rush against David Garrard and of course the performance by Jones-Drew made winning an important home game difficult. 25. Kansas City Chiefs: -7.6 The Chiefs are just 7-for-36 in their 3rd down attempts, while their opponents have been successful 44.2% of the time. 26. Miami Dolphins: -9.6 Speaking of the 3rd down battle, Miami has converted on an amazing 24-for-44 of their attempts thanks to that ground game, but their defense has not been nearly stingy enough with opponents moving the chains in 44.4% of their chances. 27. Oakland Raiders: -9.8 Even though Buckhalter did a lot of the work, Kyle Orton unsurprisingly had a passer rating of 92.1 after spending the entire afternoon upright. 28. Carolina Panthers: -9.9 At this stage of Jake Delhomme's career, they need to run the ball more than just 16 times in a game that was just 10-7 going into the 4th quarter. 29. Detroit Lions: -11.1 Matthew Stafford's passer rating has jumped from 27.4 in Week 1 to 56.5 and 87.8 in the two weeks since. 30. St. Louis Rams: -12.3 Steven Jackson had 163 total yards from scrimmage, as he continues to prove he might be the NFL's best player in a hopeless situation. 31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -14.5 The Kellen Winslow trade looks increasingly moronic with each passing week. 32. Cleveland Browns: -18.8 The Browns rank last in points allowed and second to last in points scored, which isn't something Derek Anderson will be able to do much to fix.

Christopher Reina

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, New York Giants

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Risdon's $.10 After Week 3

Jun 2, 2014 11:34 AM

$.01--I have to start with my Lions, who finally snapped the losing streak dating back to 2007. What made it even sweeter was that the Lions actually played like the better team all day long and that the victory clearly was not some fluke or stroke of luck. These Lions were composed, prepared, and just the right amount of confident, reflected in the play of rookie QB Matt Stafford. I have to give a lot of credit to Jeff Backus, a perennial fan whipping boy that has been with the Lions since the beginning of the Matt Millen catastrophe. Backus has played extremely well this season and played as strong a game as he?s had during the victory. I see some pundits taking cracks at the Lions coming out and making a victory lap, mingling with the fans and celebrating with the faithful. My message to you blowhards: Unless you live in Michigan, with our 3rd world economy, crumbling infrastructure, and culture of hopelessness, you cannot understand what impact this victory has for us. Good things so seldom occur, and when the Lions rise up from the primordial ooze and give us reason to smile and feel some sunshine, you?d better believe we?re going to savor it. This group of players is acutely aware of the suffering--they?ve been a major contributing factor after all--and their sincere gratitude to the crowd means a lot to the city and the state. $.02--For a team playing under a brand-new (to them) coach, the Cleveland Browns sure play like a group that is sick of their head man and trying to get him fired. It?s already abundantly clear that the players have little confidence in themselves or the coaching staff, an absolutely lethal combination. Even though they had little chance of upsetting the rival Ravens, the effort the Browns players brought on Sunday was simply not professional. To say they quit would imply that they ever actually started. That comes one week after another embarrassing effort in Denver where the team clearly wasn?t prepared to play. Three games in, three bad losses in, and already the buzzards are circling more than just Hinckley, OH. Another game in the same vein and I wouldn?t have a problem with ownership pulling the plug on Eric Mangini after just four games. It?s that obvious he just isn?t the right coach for this team. It doesn?t help that Brady Quinn apparently isn?t what they wanted and needed him to be, either, but as a Cleveland native and long-time Lions fan, I know the difference between not being good enough and not trying. That falls squarely on the coaches. I?ve seen this before with Randy Wittman?s Cavaliers and Bill Callahan?s Raiders, among others. The coaching staff simply does not have the attention or the trust of the players. That?s not something that changes as the losses keep mounting. $.03--We do a kind of interactive chat on the NFL general board here at RealGM during the games, and much of the focus in the early games was on the Minnesota/San Francisco contest. The Vikings fans greatly outnumbered the Niners fans, and when the 49ers defense held strong with a little over two minutes left the tone turned distraught. I even went so far as to post, ?Can?t believe SF won this game?. Ahem. For anyone who still doubts that Brett Favre isn?t worth the August headaches, let this game serve as notice that you are wrong. No way does Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels or Gus Frerotte or about all but a handful of QBs pull that game out for the Vikings. I?ve maintained all along that Favre is more likely to lead the Vikings to wins like this, perhaps at the expense of a couple of losses, and this game had a playoff atmosphere to it. This is the type of emotional win that will cement the team?s trust in Favre, one that they can draw upon come January. Here?s hoping ESPN stops the idol worship before about Thursday, but I kind of doubt that. $.04--It?s still too early to anoint any of the 3-0 teams as playoff locks (see Buffalo, Denver, and Dallas last year all starting 3-0 and missing out), but it?s pretty clear that four of the 0-3 teams have zero chance of winning more than about four games apiece. The aforementioned Browns have been pathetic, but they have not been alone. Tampa Bay, St. Louis, and Kansas City will be lucky to combine for 10 wins this season. For all the talk about parity and how quickly teams can turn around from despair, the gap between the good teams and the bad teams has widened. There is a chasm of talent between these four teams and the rest of the league, one that won?t be filled quickly or easily for any of the bottom dwellers. All four have new coaches and GMs this year, so some of the losing was expected. But to be as far behind as they are is staggering, especially when you consider that the Denver Broncos are 3-0. Denver fits the same bill of overhaul and was widely panned as perhaps the weakest of all these teams. I can?t really explain the Broncos? unexpected success other than an overzealous negative impression of their talent that focused too much on what they lost rather than what they imported. $.05--I live some 500 miles from Pittsburgh in the heart of NFC North country, yet I can find you hundreds of Steelers fans here in West Michigan, including several good friends. They all want to know what?s wrong with their beloved team, as the reigning champs are 1-2 and looking way up at the Ravens. The obvious answer, and it?s not the wrong one either, is that the defense badly misses Troy Polamalu, who would have broken up the Kellen Davis TD pass in the loss to Chicago. His absence takes away the wild card factor that keeps offenses off balance. But there?s more to it than that. The offensive line is subpar, and I get the inkling Big Ben is tired of running for his life every single attempt. That giant bull?s-eye on Pittsburgh isn?t helping either. Relax guys, it?s still early and the running game showed a little life. But unquestionably there does appear to be a bit of a Super Bowl hangover, one that they need to chase away soon or else they?ll be further back on the anatomy than just the hair of the dog. $.06--Highlight of the week goes to Bears rookie wideout Johnny Knox for his amazingly elusive end zone scamper at Seattle. The open-field moves were as awesome as the Seahawks jerseys were gaudy. It was his only catch and only went for seven yards, but I haven?t seen that kind of slalom move since Eric Metcalf embarrassed two Bengals on MNF all those years ago. Bears fans have been overbearingly waiting for a viable receiver to emerge for Jay Cutler, and they have latched onto young Knox--for good reason. Although he?s not built like an NFL player--he?s a skinny 6? with little muscle tone--Knox has great quickness and great speed, which don?t always come packaged together. He also has reliable hands and clearly has Cutler?s trust. The Bears escaped with a nice road win, aided greatly by Seattle?s injury woes and Olindo Mare getting the shanks, and stayed in the hunt in the increasingly tough-looking NFC North, which just might be the best overall division in football. $.07--College time. If ever there was a season that exposed the ridiculous nature of preseason rankings, it?s this one. The networks go overboard talking about all the top-five upsets, with at least one team going down every week this year, including two this past week. I have long advocated no rankings be done before every team has played at least one conference game, which means the first polls should come out this week. It is abundantly clear that the preseason polls reflect nothing except the bias of some narrow-minded voters with little real clue about any teams other than the most recognizable. My initial Top 10 1. Alabama, for winning at Virginia Tech and destroying Arkansas 2. Texas, starting to hit their stride at a good time 3. Florida, which still hasn?t played a team that will finish in anyone?s top 80 4. LSU, after the most exciting goal line stand I?ve ever seen preserved the win over Mississippi State 5. Virginia Tech, easily the best of the 1-loss teams 6. Cincinnati, which has the best chance of any of the top seven of running the table 7. Ohio State, back to back shutouts and the best defensive line in the country 8. Oklahoma, playing well despite missing a lot of stars 9. Boise State, which should be embarrassed if they don?t run the table by at least 20 points per game 10. USC, even the Trojans must have a rebuilding year every so often $.08: Non-football thought of the week--I?m leaving the sports world entirely here. There is an event this week that leaves me quite conflicted on how to react. On Tuesday, Alice In Chains releases their first new album without deceased lead singer Layne Staley. Their music holds a very important place in my life, helping me through difficult times and providing the soundtrack for most of my college years. It means so much that my four-year old son is named Layne for a reason. Staley?s overdose death closed the chapter on not just this great band, but on that entire period of my life. Now they are back with a new singer that sounds a great deal like Layne Staley, and Jerry Cantrell still has the magic in his guitar and lyrics. It sounds awesome and I really want to embrace it, but part of me feels like some things should be left to rest. Would Beatles fans really have wanted Julian Lennon to team up with Paul, George, and Ringo and tour around like nothing ever happened? I can?t help but think of Lynyrd Skynyrd, which has been embarrassing itself for well over a decade trying to carry on after their tragedies. I don?t want one of my favorite bands to dishonor something so special to me and so many others in that manner. Tread carefully, Jerry. $.09--Four random NFL opinions: 1. Anyone throwing dirt on the Titans at 0-3 is a damned fool, though there are some serious problems in Nashville. Two weeks in a row the safeties have been lousy, and the left side of their OL hasn?t been much better. Jeff Fisher has been in this position before and made the playoffs, but it?s not going to be easy. 2. It?s time for Oakland to pull the plug on Jamarcus Russell. 41% completions and just 375 yards in three games, with a QB rating that isn?t even half of any other passer--that?s killing the Raiders. No way could Bruce Gradkowski be any worse. 3. The Bengals are one fluke play away from being 3-0, with wins in Green Bay and over the Steelers. The O-line has looked very strong, Cedric Benson is running free, and the defense is aggressively effective. Find some wood, Cincy fans, but this team finally looks and plays like a real legit team. 4. New Orleans flashed the defense this week, which is bad news for the rest of the NFC South. The 27-7 final belied a game that was very much a defensive struggle, precisely the type of game these Saints are supposed to lose. Buffalo has a pretty good offense, too. $.10: Scouting Report--Eric Decker, WR, Minnesota. 6?3.5?, 215, 4.5ish 40. Positives: Strongly built with good height. Very high football IQ. Exceptional hands, catches everything near him and secures it quickly. Great footwork on his routes. Not afraid to go across the middle, very tough (see Northwestern game). Great all-around athlete, drafted twice in MLB draft. Uses his hands and size very well. Quick off the line for a bigger guy. Very well liked and respected by his teammates and coaches, a natural leader by example. Very good student. Negatives: Average speed with no higher gear, though he hits top speed quickly. Needs lots of work on his blocking; he?s willing but uses lousy technique. Not much of a runner after the catch. Development has been hindered by playing baseball. Has accumulated a laundry list of injuries, none of them severe. NFL Comparison: Kevin Walter or a smaller Joe Jurevicius Forecast: Late 1st-early 2nd round who could really blossom by committing to football full-time. Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com Catch me every Monday at 5:05 ET, 2:05 PT with Papa Joe Chevalier at papajoetalk.com

Jeff Risdon/RealGM

Tags: Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings

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Marshall Claims He's Happy In Denver

Jun 8, 2014 12:55 PM

Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall is all smiles in Denver. Marshall, who appeared to be angling his way out of Denver this offseason, doesn't care that he hasn't been used much so far in 2009. "Sir, you keep asking the same question. I keep answering it. I don't know what else you want me to do. I'm excited about playing against Oakland. I'm excited about us being 2-0. All I can do is do my job," Marshall told the Denver Post. "Me being out there, not being out there as much as I used to be is something I have to get used to, but it's the National Football league. "Things change. I think I'm good enough to be out there, but it doesn't matter what I think, so all I can do is embrace it. I've learned from trying to fight the system. You know what, this is a great time of the season for us to be 2-0." Marshall has just seven receptions for 61 yards this season.

Denver Post

Tags: Denver Broncos, Misc Rumor

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Report: Shanahan Wasn't Going To Cut Marshall

Jun 7, 2014 2:53 PM

Mike Shanahan has been telling people that he did not plan to cut wide receiver Brandon Marshall. ESPN reported last week that Shanahan had planned to cut Marshall prior to the season, but the Broncos ended up letting him go.

Denver Post

Tags: Denver Broncos, Misc Rumor

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McDaniels Mum On Why Marshall Was MIA

Dec 13, 2014 7:24 AM

Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall sat out 27 consecutive plays at one point during Sunday's win over the Browns. He was on the field for a majority of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, but then wasn't seen until after halftime. During his absence, Denver ran a number of three-receiver sets. "That's how we're going to play," McDaniels told the Denver Post after the game. "Period."

Denver Post

Tags: Denver Broncos, Misc Rumor

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RealGM's NFL Week 1 Rundown

May 17, 2014 2:10 AM

Thankfully, NFL football is back. In addition to Thursday's Opening Night matchup between the Titans and Steelers, there were thirteen battles on Sunday. On Monday night, the league will put the cherry on top of Week One with a pair of Monday Night Football games. We will also calculate each team's Trench Counter*. Pittsburgh 13, Tennessee 10 (OT) Team Trench Counter: Steelers -5.7, Titans 5.7 Ben Roethlisberger orchestrated yet another comeback win as the defending Super Bowl champions were outplayed, but still walked away with a Week One victory. The Tennessee Titans (0-1) looked primed to spoil the party with a 10-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) tied it up with a 32-yard field goal off the foot of Jeff Reed less than three minutes before the end of regulation. Roethlisberger, who went 33-for-43 with 363 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, led the Steelers on a game-winning drive that ended with a 33-yard field goal on the first drive of overtime. Pittsburgh struggled mightily on the ground and may have lost safety Troy Polamalu for a considerable amount of time, but Super Bowl hero Santonio Holmes, nine catches for 131 yards and a touchdown, picked up right where he left off in February. Dallas 34, Tampa Bay 21 Team Trench Counter: Cowboys 4.2, Buccaneers -4.2 Tony Romo had a career day, going 16-for-27 with 353 yards and three touchdowns, as the Dallas Cowboys (1-0) handled the pesky Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1). Cadillac Williams gave the Bucs a brief 7-6 lead in the second quarter, but the Cowboys responded with back-to-back touchdowns over the second and third quarters to build a lead they would never relinquish. Even with Terrell Owens in Buffalo, Romo had no trouble making big plays. All three of his touchdown strikes were longer than forty yards (42, 66, 80), including a career-long completion to Patrick Crayton in the third period. Byron Leftwich was steady for Tampa Bay, going 25-for-41 with 276 yards and a touchdown, but the defense couldn't handle the Dallas attack. New Orleans 45, Detroit 27 Team Trench Counter: Saints 27.2, Lions -27.2 Drew Brees lit up the scoreboard with 358 passing yards and six touchdowns on Sunday, helping lead the New Orleans Saints (1-0) over the Detroit Lions (0-1), spoiling rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford's professional debut in the process. Brees had some help, getting 143 rushing yards on 28 carries from Mike Bell. Eight different New Orleans receivers caught passes and five reached the end zone (tight end Jeremy Shockey grabbed two). Stafford struggled for the Lions, who still haven't won a game since the 2007 season. The first overall pick went 16-for-37 with 205 yards and three interceptions against the far from intimidating Saints' defense. As always, receiver Calvin Johnson excelled despite shaky quarterback play in Detroit, he grabbed three passes for 90 yards in the defeat. Stafford did, however, score his first NFL touchdown. He reached the end zone on a one-yard run in the third quarter. Indianapolis 14, Jacksonville 12 Team Trench Counter: Colts 3.2, Jaguars -3.2 The Indianapolis Colts (1-0) didn't look unstoppable on offense, but they still got the job done against the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Peyton Manning went 28-for-38 with 301 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He connected with Reggie Wayne ten times for 162 yards and a score and the Colts' defense did the remainder of the heavy lifting. Jacksonville managed just 228 total yards, with Maurice Jones-Drew, 97 yards on 21 carries, scoring their only touchdown of the afternoon. Torry Holt had a decent debut for the Jaguars, catching three passes for 47 yards, while quarterback David Garrard went 14-for-28 with 122 passing yards in the loss. N.Y. Jets 24, Houston 7 Team Trench Counter: Jets 13.7, Texans -13.7 Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey in the second quarter and never looked back in his first professional start. The New York Jets (1-0) topped the Houston Texans (0-1) as they started a rookie in an opener for the first time since a certain Broadway Joe came to town. Thomas Jones gave Sanchez his support as well, rushing 20 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Houston had just 145 total yards of offense and their lone touchdown came via a 48-yard return by safety Dominique Barber in the fourth quarter. Matt Schaub went 18-for-33 with 166 yards and an interception and last year's rookie sensation, Steve Slaton, ran for just 17 yards on nine carries against the Jets' rejuvenated defense. Minnesota 34, Cleveland 20 Team Trench Counter: Vikings 9.6, Browns -9.6 Brett Favre was playing quarterback, but Adrian Peterson stole the show as the Minnesota Vikings (1-0) ran away from the Cleveland Browns (0-1) in the second half. Peterson, the NFL's leading rusher last season, tallied 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns at Browns Stadium. Favre did throw his first touchdown pass with the Vikings, though, a 6-yard strike that was the first score of rookie receiver Percy Harvin's career. Brady Quinn didn't look horrible against Minnesota's ball-hawking defense, but his stat line, 21-for-35 with 205 yards, one touchdown and an interception, was unimpressive. Tight end Robert Royal was the recipient of Quinn's scoring pass, while leading receiver Braylon Edwards had just one catch for 12 yards in the loss. The most exciting play of the afternoon for Cleveland came from Josh Cribbs, who didn't let his desire for a new contract keep him from returning a punt 67 yards in the second quarter. Denver 12, Cincinnati 7 Team Trench Counter: Broncos 4.8, Bengals -4.8 Brandon Stokley stole a win for the Denver Broncos (1-0) on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) as he caught a tipped pass and brought it 87 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Neither team reached the end zone through the first 59 minutes of the game, but they went back-to-back after Cedric Benson gave the Bengals a very brief 7-6 lead following a 1-yard touchdown. Less than thirty seconds later, Stokley won the game for the Broncos. They combined for more than 600 yards of total yards, but neither club was able to convert yardage into points. Denver managed just ten first downs, while Cincinnati committed a pair of turnovers on interceptions thrown by Carson Palmer. Chad Ochocinco led all receivers/running backs in yardage, catching five passes for 89 yards in the loss. Philadelphia 38, Carolina 10 Team Trench Counter: Eagles 16, Panthers -16 The defense of the Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) feasted on a still-struggling Jake Delhomme on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. The Carolina Panthers (0-1) committed seven turnovers, five (four interceptions and a fumble) of which came from their quarterback. Carolina jumped out to a 7-0 lead after an 11-yard touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams in the first quarter, but Philadelphia responded with 31 straight points to take control of the game. The Eagles' defense, playing for the first time since the death of former defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, had five sacks, five interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The victory wasn't without its negatives for Philadelphia though, as Donovan McNabb left the game in the third quarter with broken ribs. He suffered the injury on a three-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which proved to be the final score of the game. Baltimore 38, Kansas City 24 Team Trench Counter: Ravens 10, Chiefs -10 The Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) were without quarterback Matt Cassel, but still hung with the Baltimore Ravens (1-0) for a majority of Sunday's game. The Ravens needed three fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the deal as Joe Flacco proved that his success as a rookie quarterback was no fluke. He went 26-for-43 with 307 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Ray Rice (19 carries for 108 yards), Willis McGahee (44 yards and two total touchdowns) and Le'Ron McClain (19 yards and a score) combined to give Baltimore a very strong rushing attack. Brodie Croyle wasn't horrible, but he's still winless as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He went 16-for-24 with 177 yards and two touchdowns, but his running game betrayed him. Larry Johnson (11 carries for 20 yards) and Jamaal Charles (8 yards on four attempts) were ineffective. Baltimore's defense wasn't as potent as we've come to expect, but the offense picked the team up when needed. Atlanta 19, Miami 7 Team Trench Counter: Falcons 7.9, Dolphins -7.9 It wasn't pretty, but the Atlanta Falcons (1-0) started the 2009 season off right with an impressive win over the Miami Dolphins (0-1). Matt Ryan went 22-for-36 with 229 yards and two touchdowns, including one to new tight end Tony Gonzalez. Miami limited Michael Turner to 65 yards on 22 carries, but Atlanta got enough offense from Ryan's arm. Meanwhile, the Falcons got great production from their defense, including four sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception. The Dolphins were close to being shut out, but Ricky Williams found the end zone on a 9-yard pass from Chad Pennington in the game's final minutes. Pennington was 21-for-29 and had two turnovers (one pick and a fumble), while tight end Anthony Fasano had two catches for 10 yards and a pair of fumbles. Seattle 28, St. Louis 0 Team Trench Counter: Seahawks 14.4, Rams -14.4 Steve Spagnuolo didn't have the best debut as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams (0-1) as the resurgent Seattle Seahawks (1-0) blanked them in Jim Mora Jr.'s first game since taking over for Mike Holmgren. Matt Hasselbeck went 25-for-36 with 279 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions and Julius Jones led Seattle's rushing attack with 117 yards and a touchdown in the win. The Rams had just one turnover, a fumble by receiver Donnie Avery, but still couldn't find the end zone. Marc Bulger went 17-for-36 with 191 yards and Steven Jackson rushed 16 times for 67 yards to lead the team's anemic offense. Two of Hasselbeck's three touchdowns went to second-year tight end John Carlson, who hauled in six passes for 95 yards. N.Y. Giants 23, Washington 17 Team Trench Counter: Giants 3.1, Redskins -3.1 The New York Giants (1-0) jumped out to a 17-0 lead against the rival Washington Redskins (0-1) and held off a late charge to open the season with a victory. Eli Manning, devoid of established receivers, went 20-for-29 with 256 yards, one touchdown and an interception. New York's ground game was good, but not great, as Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 106 yards on 28 carries. Jason Campbell turned in a decent performance, going 19-for-26 with 211 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Tight end Chris Cooley, who had seven catches for 68 yards, hooked up with Campbell on the score. Clinton Portis was mostly held in check by New York's defense, contributing 62 yards on 16 rush attempts. The Giants' defense came up big when needed, recording three sacks, two forced fumbles and scoring a touchdown on a 37-yard fumble recovery by Osi Umenyiora. San Francisco 20, Arizona 16 Team Trench Counter: 49ers 2.4, Cardinals -2.4 Shaun Hill led the San Francisco 49ers (1-0) on a game-winning drive midway through the fourth quarter to beat the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals (0-1). Hill went 18-for-31 with 209 yards and a touchdown pass, which came on a 3-yard toss to Frank Gore with 7:26 left in regulation. Gore added 30 yards and a score on the ground as well, while Isaac Bruce led San Francisco in receiving with four catches for 74 yards. Kurt Warner took some costly chances at the University of Phoenix Stadium, going 26-for-44 with 288 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. In addition, Arizona's running game was nearly nonexistent. Rookie Chris "Beanie" Wells and Tim Hightower combined for 46 yards on fifteen rushes, while Hightower caught an astounding 12 passes for 121 yards in the loss. Larry Fitzgerald, who finished the game with six catches for 71 yards, was the only Cardinal to enter the end zone. Green Bay 21, Chicago 15 Team Trench Counter: Packers 2.4, Bears -2.4 Jay Cutler's debut with the Chicago Bears (0-1) wasn't anything close to what the Windy City expected, as Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (1-0) won on a stunning 50-yard pass play. Trailing 15-13, Rodgers hooked up with Greg Jennings for a touchdown and a two-point conversion to give Green Bay a season-opening win over their long-time rival. Rodgers finished the game with just 184 yards on 17-for-28 passing, but Cutler's miscues doomed the Bears. Cutler went 17-for-36 with 277 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions, including one on Chicago's final drive. He connected with Devin Hester on a pretty 36-yard score in the third quarter, but struggled to gel with his receivers for a majority of the night. The interception total was a career-high for the former Broncos quarterback, who came to the Bears in a highly-publicized trade in the offseason. New England 25, Buffalo 24 Team Trench Counter: Patriots 3.1, Bills -3.1 The Buffalo Bills (0-1) appeared primed to beat the New England Patriots (1-0) for the first time in six seasons on Monday night, recording Week One's most shocking win in the process. However, Tom Brady struck again with two magical touchdown drives in the game's final three minutes. Fred Jackson scored on a 10-yard run with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter to give the Bills a seemingly insurmountable 24-13 lead. Three minutes later, Brady connected with tight end Benjamin Watson on a 18-yard touchdown, bringing the Patriots to within five points after a failed two-point conversion. With three timeouts and the two-minute warning on their side, the Patriots kicked deep to the Bills. Leodis McKelvin, Buffalo's second-year cornerback, fumbled the kickoff after a solid return, setting New England's offense up for a dramatic drive. With just 55 seconds remaining, Brady connected with Watson once again, this time on a 16-yard touchdown, to give the Patriots the win. Their two-point conversation attempt failed, but New England's defense sacked Trent Edwards twice to end Buffalo's attempt at a comeback of their own. San Diego 24, Oakland 20 Team Trench Counter: Chargers -2.3, Raiders 2.3 Darren Sproles scored a touchdown on a 5-yard run with 18 seconds remaining to give the San Diego Chargers (1-0) a dramatic win over the Oakland Raiders (0-1) in the second game of a Monday Night Football double-header. The Raiders thought they had the game won after JaMarcus Russell hooked up with Louis Murphy on a 57-yard pass with 2:34 left in regulation, but Philip Rivers led the Chargers down the field for the game-winning score. Rivers, who led the NFL in quarterback rating last season, went 24-for-36 with 252 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the victory. LaDainian Tomlinson had 55 yards and a touchdown, while Oakland's running duo of Darren McFadden and Michael Bush combined for 123 rushing yards and a score. Both Tomlinson and McFadden lost fumbles at the Oakland Coliseum. Tight ends Zach Miller (six catches for 96 yards) and Antonio Gates (five catches for 83 yards) led their respective teams in receiving. *Explaining The Trench Counter

Andrew Perna/RealGM

Tags: Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Game Recap

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Tipped Pass Leads To Denver's GW TD

Oct 31, 2014 6:44 AM

Brandon Stokley caught a tipped pass and brought it 87 yards for a touchdown to give Denver a 12-7 win over Cincinnati. There were just 11 seconds left on the clock after Stokley's shocking catch. The Broncos had the Bengals shut out through the first three quarters, but Cincinnati took a 7-6 lead with just 38 seconds remaining on a 1-yard run by Cedric Benson.

ESPN

Tags: Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Game Recap

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Source: Shanahan Planned To Cut Marshall

Oct 31, 2014 1:28 PM

If Mike Shanahan was still coaching the Broncos, receiver Brandon Marshall would have been cut. Shanahan was going to cut Marshall after the Pro Bowl in February, according to sources familiar with the former coach's plans. He went as far as to share his plans with quarterback Jay Cutler just one day before the Broncos fired him. Weeks later, Denver traded Cutler to Chicago.

ESPN

Tags: Denver Broncos, Misc Rumor

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Marshall To Take Field For Broncos

May 26, 2014 10:36 PM

Brandon Marshall is expected to be in the lineup for the Broncos on Sunday against the Bengals. The receiver hasn't spoken publicly after the team ended his suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. "I don't want to talk about what his mindset is, that's for him," coach Josh McDaniels told the Denver Post. "But he's had a good week of practice, he's practiced hard, he's doing everything we're asking him to do and we're excited about being able to put all those guys on the field together."

Denver Post

Tags: Denver Broncos, Misc Rumor

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Orton To Start Opener For Denver

Nov 2, 2014 4:27 PM

Kyle Orton will start at quarterback for the Broncos barring a setback to his injured finger. Orton ran through practice with the first-team offense all week, and is fully expected to face off against the Bengals.

Denver Post

Tags: Denver Broncos, Misc Rumor

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Broncos Want Marshall To Prove Himself On Field Before Extension
Brandon Marshall is one of the NFL's best bargains and he will remain that way until he proves himself in the first few games of the 2009 season.

Denver Post

Moreno Ready To Go For Broncos
Rookie running back Knowshon Moreno is ready to take the field for the Broncos.

Denver Post

Source: Broncos Extend LB Haggan
The Broncos have signed linebacker Mario Haggan to a two-year, $3.5 million contract extension.

ESPN

Simms Expects Orton To Start For Broncos
Chris Simms expects Kyle Orton to start for the Bears this Sunday against the Bengals.

ESPN

Jets Losing Interest In Marshall
The Jets have shifted their attention away from wide receiver Brandon Marshall, league sources told the New York Daily News.

New York Daily News

Holliday Admits To Secret Offseason Surgery
Broncos defensive end Vonnie Holliday says that an injured knee kept him from signing with a team earlier.

ESPN

Broncos Reinstate Brandon Marshall
The Broncos on Sunday reinstated receiver Brandon Marshall from a team-imposed suspension.

ESPN

Broncos Sign DE Vonnie Holliday
Denver has completed a deal with defensive end Vonnie Holliday.

Denver Post

Giants Weren't In Denver For Marshall
Rumors swirled on Wednesday morning that the Giants were in Denver to make a play for Brandon Marshall.

Star Ledger

Source: Broncos Want Jets LB In Deal For Marshall
If the Broncos trade Brandon Marshall to the Jets, they want linebacker David Harris involved in the deal.

ESPN

Sources: Broncos Watch Jets For Tampering
The Broncos are monitoring comments made by the Jets about suspended receiver Brandon Marshall.

ESPN

Jets Consider Deal For Marshall
The Jets are thinking about making a play for Brandon Marshall, according to league sources.

Newsday

Broncos Forced To Start Rookie In Finale
With injuries to Kyle Orton and Chris Simms, the Broncos will start rookie quarterback Tom Brandstater in their preseason finale.

ESPN