The Joey Bosa Effect

The Chargers looked different last night.

The offense was creative, but limited.  That's expected when you are playing against the Broncos.  You saw some great young players trying to fill the void created by injuries to the projected stars.

Hunter Henry looks like he could be a damn fine tight end.

Melvin Gordon almost broke the 100 yard barrier against the vaunted Denver defense.

Neither of them had the effect that Joey Bosa had.

IMPACT ROOKIES FOR 2013 NFL SEASON-AFC WEST

The AFC West has been in a considerable down swing the past few years.

Oakland has been miserable, KC wasn't much better.

Denver was bad enough to start Tebow and the Chargers, well they were doing ok till last year.

Now, we have a good Broncos team chased by a Chiefs team that's probably a year away at best, and well the other 2 who might not combine for 7 wins this year.

So, 3 out of 4 really needed to get better this off-season. 

Did they find the pieces they needed in last April's draft?


DENVER BRONCOS

Projected Starters: None

Likely Contributors:

Sylvester Williams DT: The Broncos made some nice moves to shore up their interior D-Line this off-season and drafting Sylvester Williams was part of it.  He is a talented tackle who should fill out a solid rotation on the inside along with Terrance Knighton and Kevin Vickerson.

Montee Ball RB: Ball injected himself directly into the conversation around the starting running back spot in Denver.  He needs to work on his pass blocking, but he has caught the ball well and was known to be a good runner. 

Tim Tebow’s Brother Trolls Broncos And Manning On Twitter

Tim Tebow has suffered through embarrassment and a mess of a time as a New York Jet this season.

While the man who took his place in Denver, Peyton Manning, enjoyed a rebirth in his career, led the Broncos to the best record in the AFC, and probably won another MVP.

Manning and the Broncos lost today as we all know in a double overtime thriller to the Baltimore Ravens.

Manning will most likely be the scapegoat, after throwing an interception early in the second overtime period, that led to a Ravens field goal.

Something strange happened after that though.  Tim Tebow’s older brother Peter emerged on twitter, and via Pro Football Talk, the elder Tebow felt the need to mock Manning in one sense, and then let the world know he was pleased that the Broncos lost.

Has Champ Bailey past his expiration date?

Champ Bailey did not cost the Denver Broncos their season on Saturday. He was however a big player in the equation of the loss.

The 34-year old Pro Bowl cornerback has had a storied career. Is it time for Denver to look elsewhere?

Murmurs of Bailey’s decline have been simmering for the better part of two seasons.

A lost step here.  A big play lost there.  But it was never enough to indulge the feeling that he’s fallen off the cliff.

Those murmurs will now become roars as Bailey clearly proved that he may not be able to hang with the NFL’s  fiercest young lions anymore.

Peyton Manning: Broncos Success Begins with Jacob TammePeyton Manning: Broncos Success Begins with Jacob Tamme

The Denver Broncos are on a 10 game winning streak and are riding high heading into the playoffs.

If you took a poll and asked what is the key to the Broncos success, I’m sure quarterback Peyton Manning would win in a landslide. Manning’s ability to command an offense is almost unmatched around the league, and it has translated to many wins for the Broncos.

However, if you ask Peyton Manning himself who the key to the Broncos is his answer may just surprise you.

Terrible Third Quarter Plagues the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 31-23 Loss to the Denver Broncos

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a monumental task in front of them as the prepared for the Denver Broncos – try to slow down quarterback Peyton Manning with a secondary that ranks dead last in the NFL.

Everybody knew it wasn't going to be easy, but the Bucs did a great job… for one half.

The Bucs held a 10-7 halftime lead on Sunday against Manning and the Broncos.

But a disastrous third quarter doomed the Bucs as they lost 31-23 to the Broncos and fell to 6-6 on the season.

Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman started and finished the game hot, but ended up just 18-of-39 for 242 yards with two touchdowns and one costly interception.

Freeman's pick capped off an ugly third quarter, one that the Broncos dominated by scoring 21 unanswered points. After two Manning touchdown passes to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, linebacker Von Miller intercepted Freeman and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.

Miller, who is among those considered for the Defensive Player of the Year Award, was a one-man wrecking crew and finished with six tackles, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble, one interception, and one touchdown.

Willis McGahee Out 6-8 Weeks With A Torn MCL; Broken Leg

For those who were patiently awaiting the MRI for Broncos RB Willis McGahee, it’s not good news.

Not good news at all. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, McGahee suffered a torn MCL and will miss the next 6-8 weeks of action. Jay Glazer reports that McGahee will miss such a big length of time due to the fact that he also fractured his leg. Fantasy footballowners can’t count on McGahee being back for the rest of their season, but there is a chance he could be back if the Broncos make it deep into

the playoffs. He is droppable in redraft leagues.

With McGahee out, Ronnie Hillman is now expected to go from a mid-tier waiver option to the top, or one of the top free agent options as we head into Week 12. Lance Ball is also expected to see more work going forward, with Knowshon Moreno now likely being active on game days. But for owners, Hillman is the guy you want to grab.

Ranking the AFC Division Leaders: Who has what it takes to make it to the Super Bowl?

     The New England Patriots (5-3) and the Denver Broncos (4-3) are the only two teams in the NFL's AFC who lead their respective divisions while carrying three losses on their records going into week nine of the season. Both teams are dealing with some growing pains and adjustment issues, and both are led by legendary quarterbacks. If they can manage to keep their latest momentum in full swing they will surely make the playoffs. Whether they make the Super Bowl or not will likely depend on the AFC's other two division leaders: The Baltimore Ravens (5-2) and the Houston Texans (6-1). The Texans and Ravens are each having phenomenal years so far, but the Texans dominated when the two teams met in week seven. It all adds up to an exciting race to the playoffs where any of these teams could enjoy continued success or end up as epic failures. 

Here's my ranking for these teams and the reasoning behind the numbers: