Paige: Broncos fail the smell test By Woody Paige The Denver Post October 14, 2013

The Broncos stunk.

Indeed, they beat the Jags for their 17th consecutive regular-season victory, and won by 16 points. Yes, they scored more than 30 points for the 10th consecutive game and allowed fewer than 20 for the first time this season.

Certainly, the Broncos are one of only two teams with a 6-0 record — the other is our friend in Kansas City — and their odds of making the playoffs are close to 100 percent. They possess the most Peyton-proficient offense in the NFL, and finished again with more than 400 net yards Sunday.

What's not to like?

All must be right in the Broncos' and the Orange Manniacs' world.

Not quite.

It didn't smell right.

The Broncos stunk like chitlins — fried pig intestines — against the most hapless, helpless, hopeless team in pro football. The Broncos failed the nose test.

It wouldn't matter, except you expect, every time, Monet to paint a masterpiece, Tchaikovsky to produce a brilliant concerto, Stradivarius to craft a beautiful violin.

Monet doing water balloons instead of water lilies? No.

Peyton his own self Manning was involved in three turnovers — an interception and two lost fumbles. Receivers and running backs dropped seven passes. The Broncos played lethargic on offense and lackadaisical on defense. Injuries to important players continue to happen. Now the Broncos are without both starting offensive tackles.

And Manning spent much of the day shaking his head in disgust.

It was a Sunday to be watching the aspens turn in the mountains rather than watching the Broncos twist and turn at the stadium.

Last week the Cowboys and the Broncos played one of the most epic regular-season games in NFL history — 99 points of pure excitement and exhilaration and "No D in Big D."

This week the thrill level was more "Storage Wars."

In many seasons, the Broncos would climb Mount Elbert to get a 35-19 victory.

But this season is special. And this victory was not.

"Sometimes you score a lot of points and people take it for granted, even in your own building. It's not easy to win football games," Manning said afterward. He seemed exasperated with some questions.

As did coach John Fox when he was asked if the Broncos were dissatisfied with the 16-point victory. "I just think it's noise on the outside. I think all of these games are hard. I've heard people tell me it looks easy. There's nothing about it that's easy.

"There is resistance out there; it's called the other team. At the end of the day, we're very, very, very pleased with the victory."

The crowd of 76,862 wasn't so satisfied when the Broncos — one of the biggest betting favorites in NFL history for this game — led 14-12 at halftime. There was booing.

Wide receiver Wes Welker said the players "understand that they (zanies in orange) have high expectations for us, and we feel the same way. I'm sure there are a lot of us that want to boo ourselves. ... I almost appreciate it, and (the reaction) kind of gets our butts into gear."

Chris Harris said he was somewhat shocked "because I've never heard boos here, but I guess we weren't playing up to our standards or their standards too."

The overall performance was the Broncos' worst in 2013, given the opponent. With high achievement comes high anxiety.

The Broncos were tested enough that Fox couldn't light up his Brock Osweiler.

"The most important thing," tight end Julius Thomas said, "was we were able to get the victory. It wasn't clean. It wasn't how we would've liked it to go. We made mistakes that we'll learn from, and we'll clean up. We have to play better."

Therein is the point. The Broncos fully understand they were too erratic.

They can't play that way in Indianapolis next weekend, or they will be beaten by a solid team. Champ wasn't the savior Sunday, and Von won't be the redeemer next Sunday.

With a loss to the Colts, the Broncos could fall to second place in the division. Peyton wasn't ready to talk about his homecoming, but Harris said: "It's definitely a great challenge going against Andrew Luck, and we definitely want to get this win for Peyton."

The Broncos will have to smell good.

Kiszla: Peyton Manning going back to Indianapolis — this may hurt By Mark Kiszla The Denver Post October 13, 2013

As Peyton Manning prepares for the one road trip he never thought he would have to make as an NFL quarterback, let's bust two myths:

There's no such thing as a clean divorce. All divorces, especially when both parties invested their hearts in the relationship, are messy.

The brain of Manning is a MacBook. The veteran Broncos quarterback carves defenses with laser precision. But he is not a robot.

Road trip: Indiana wants Manning. Lawdy, he would rather not go back there. It's the first time Manning is going to have to see his ex.

This is going to hurt.

Way back in the middle of winter, while Manning was basking in the sun in Hawaii, his mind already traveled to Indy, as the most relentlessly prepared quarterback in NFL history admitted he was already preparing for questions he would receive regarding the Colts when the Broncos played against the team he once led to a Super Bowl victory.

"All my great memories of Indianapolis will be forever. But I've stored them all away. Like in a time capsule," Manning told me in January. "You know what I mean?"

It makes perfect sense to any man or woman required to pick up the pieces of a heart after a good relationship broke. All the photographs and memories from Indy? Manning cherishes them all. But he has stored them on the top shelf of his closet.

Running a two-minute drill? Manning can do that in his sleep.

But returning to Indianapolis to play the Colts might be among the more emotionally challenging things Manning will do in his NFL life. Why?

He loves the horseshoe. Always will.

Despite wearing No. 18 for Denver now, Manning loves the people of Indianapolis. How could he not, after being the Colts' QB from 1998-2011?

Heck, he probably even still retains good feelings for Colts owner Jim Irsay, despite the fact Irsay is the guy who dumped Manning.

Manning and the Broncos beat Jacksonville 35-19 on Sunday. No offense to the Jaguars, but they were nothing more than a nuisance. Denver gave it a professional effort and won with relative ease, but the Broncos seemed unfocused, distracted, never quite in the moment.

Manning completed 28-of-42 passes for 295 yards. Nice work, unless you're a perfectionist.

But Manning also fumbled two snaps and threw an interception that irked him. After getting rolled by a late hit from Jacksonville defensive lineman Jason Babin during the first half, Manning seemed to play with a frown etched on his face. Playing in the NFL at age 37 can be a pain, unless you're a robot.

As a team in the national spotlight's glare, the Broncos must do more than turn back a foe keen on knocking them from the ranks of the undefeated. Denver also must take care not to get entangled in the NFL's hype machine.

"No stage is too big for this team," Broncos safety David Bruton said.

The cumulative record of the six teams beaten by Denver is an unimpressive 11-25. But what the Broncos are working on is playing on the big stage. They're wood-shedding for the bright lights of Broadway and the Super Bowl in New York.

I asked Manning how he felt the Broncos had handled the big stage, from the revenge match against Baltimore to the Manning Bowl against brother Eli to being one of the biggest favorites in NFL history against the Jags to his pending reunion with the Colts.

"I think we've handled it pretty well," Manning said.

He chewed on the idea for a few seconds and concluded: "Football is hard. Sometimes you score a lot of points and people take it for granted. I think people in your own building can take it for granted. It's not easy to win football games.

"I learned long ago never to take winning for granted, and sometimes you have to remind your own players that it's tough to win in the NFL."

Manning had deftly dodged the part of my question about his return to Indy. He was asked three more times about his pending sentimental journey, about the Colts and what the good people of Indiana meant to him.

Finally, with a trace of exasperation at the prospect of talking about the Colts, Manning turned to Broncos public relations maven Patrick Smyth, double-checked

his obligations with the media for the upcoming week and said: "Do I have to talk on Wednesday still? OK. I'll do all that on Wednesday."

The time capsule of his photograph and memories are stored in the closet.

Manning doesn't want to dust them off and open his heart to his past with the Colts until necessary. Ask him Wednesday. Not before.

Manning has a football game to win in Indy.

And robots don't cry. But men sometimes do.

Broncos win ugly over Jacksonville; Peyton Manning's crew now 6-0 By Mike Klis The Denver Post October 13, 2013

Poisonous messages laced the Broncos' insatiable quest for peak performance.

The toxins first leaked in from the wise guys in Las Vegas who made the Broncos a whopping 26 ½-point favorites on gameday.

The given was the Broncos would beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. The question was at what point in the game the Broncos would cover.

The Broncos did win. Even if they may have played one of their worst games and Jacksonville played one of its best, the Broncos had enough margin for error to prevail, 35-19, on a perfectly cool fall afternoon Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

But they didn't win.

Peyton Manning threw two early touchdown passes to set another NFL record, and Knowshon Moreno set a personal record with three second-half touchdown runs.

The Broncos improved to 6-0 as expected. The Jaguars fell to 0-6 as every breathing human presumed. What surprised many, however, was the Broncos had to sweat. Far as the gamblers who took Jacksonville and the points are concerned, the Broncos got whipped.

Do you believe in gimmes?

NOOO!

Not in the NFL. The Broncos entered this game with a 5-0 record, averaging 46.0 points a game. Jacksonville was 0-5 having scored 51 points all year.

The virus attacking the Broncos ability to execute spread during the week with the conversation from the left side of the radio dial to the right. There was so much chatter as to what point Peyton Manning would be pulled with victory assured.

The odds were stacked against the Broncos, funny enough, in their quest to play their best game.

Whenever supposed mismatches become competitive, though, turnovers committed by the heavy favorite are usually a factor. Manning gave the Jaguars six points on a pick six and lost two fumbles on the snap exchange with center Manny Ramirez.

Midway through the third quarter, when there were projections of Manning's departure, the Broncos were only up, 21-19.

Early on, the Broncos fed into their overconfidence by taking a relatively easy 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Manning threw a touchdown pass to Julius Thomas on his first drive and a second scoring strike to Wes Welker to finish the Broncos' second possession.

It gave Manning 22 touchdown passes on the season, the most ever by an NFL quarterback through six games. Manning has set or tied a league record through every game this season. He had seven touchdown passes to set the one-game mark; nine to tie the second-game record; then established new bests with 12 touchdown passes through three games; 16 through four; 20 through five and 22 through six.

He takes that unprecedented prolific start into game 7 next week at Indianapolis, where he spent the first 14 seasons of his terrific career.

Manning can go home again, so long as he doesn't take Sunday's second quarter with him. In the quarter, Manning fumbled a snap exchange from Ramirez. There were two three and outs. Manning threw a pass into the middle part of a Jacksonville zone where linebacker Paul Posluzny rambling and cutting past the fallen Broncos quarterback before completing his 59-yard return.

Midway through the third quarter, Manning was not pulled because victory was secure. It was 21-19 Broncos.

But off days for Manning are not so bad. A 42-yard catch-and-run to Demaryius Thomas late in the third quarter was a big play in the Broncos' finishing off an 80-yard touchdown drive to go up 28-19.

Manning and Demaryius Thomas connected for a 31-yard completion that set up a final touchdown in the fourth quarter.

And that was that. The contamination of overconfidence has been fumigated. It's on to Manning's new team against Manning's former team.

Broncos Von Miller serves out NFL suspension "A lot of people said it went by fast. It hasn't."

By Mike Klis The Denver Post October 14, 2013

As reinstatement from his six-game NFL suspension drew near, Von Miller started counting down the hours.

One week and two days. Three days and two hours. One day and 11 hours.

"It hasn't gone by fast, though," he said during a sitdown interview with The Denver Post. "A lot of people have said it went by fast. It hasn't. It wasn't easy. And I don't want to get away from that. I want to stay with that focus that it's not easy."

Beginning Monday morning, Miller is a free man. The Broncos' star pass-rushing linebacker has been sprung from a six-game suspension by the NFL for violating its drug policy. There were plenty of restrictions. He couldn't practice. Couldn't play. Couldn't travel with the team. And he would not be paid.

If the Broncos missed him, they had a funny way of showing it. They went 6-0 without him.

He could attend meetings. He could watch and cheer on the Broncos, which he did from the same spot in his house.

Mostly, though, Miller spent time getting himself in top physical condition. As Miller walked into the interview wearing a long-sleeve, white athletic shirt, dark sweat pants and his trademark eyeglasses, the immediate impression was he had been hitting the weight room. He's up to 262 pounds — he started his rookie season at 246 pounds — but he has lost 2 percent of body fat, which now measures at a sculpted 10 percent.

"I still move like a wildcat," Miller said. "I'm still quick. I'm still going to cover guys. I'm in the best shape of my life. Emotionally I'm in a very good place. Nutrition, I've stepped it up. Usually during the season you get away from it because everything is moving so fast."

Through his agency, Athletes First, Miller agreed to speak publicly for the first time since before he learned Aug. 20 that the league had increased his suspension from four to six games.

For clarity, Miller's troubles had nothing to do with performance-enhancing drugs. Because he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Miller has a therapeutic use exemption for Adderall.

"Since my freshman year in college," he said.

He tested positive for marijuana in 2011 as a rookie.

"I don't have a substance-abuse problem," he said. "I feel like I've definitely made some mistakes in the past. I can't shy away from that. But I'm working hard to fix it. I'm working hard to gain everybody's trust back. All I can ask is people judge me from my actions going forward. I'm working hard to gain trust back. I'm very confident I'll be able to do that."

The NFL increased Miller's original four-game suspension to six games because it thought he tried to cheat the system by working with a specimen collector who accepted a fraudulent sample.

Asked about that, Miller said: "I can't go back and defend something that was in the past. I've already served my suspension. I've already started to do everything to keep forward. ...

"I apologize for all the troubles or pain I've given Broncos fans or anybody who is close to me. Nobody feels worse about this than me. The good thing about it is I have an opportunity to fix all this stuff.

"To the kids and anybody who looks up to me, this could show them how you go from zero to 60 back down to zero."

Other topics Miller addressed:

Getting better. During his suspension he worked for a week with renowned pass-rush specialist Chuck Smith, a former Atlanta Falcons defensive end.

"It wasn't a 9-to-5 thing. He stayed with me," Miller said. "We talked football every day. We woke up talking football, we went to sleep talking football."

Driving issues. Miller's troubles with speeding tickets and failing to appear in court may not have made the headlines to the extent they did if not for the suspension.

"Got mixed together," Miller said. "I understand I have to be on top of all this stuff. The constant battle with procrastination is what it all boils down to. If you get a speeding ticket, you have to stay on top of it.

"I will say this: I've always had a driver's license. With speeding — I've had a trouble with the pedal to the metal. I'm working to try to fix that too."

Immaturity. Much of Miller's troubles seemingly had to do with irresponsibility. He agreed.

"I feel like I have matured," he said. "Some guys have a lifetime to mature. I think I have matured in the six weeks, eight weeks, 10-week span faster than most guys. ... Still, every single day is a challenge. It's not just the big things like traffic citations. It's waking up with the alarm clock. It's the constant grind with procrastination."

Loss of money. Not getting paid for six weeks cost him more than $806,000 in salary. "I'm not worried about any of that stuff," he said. "I'm just worried about playing football."

Now that his suspension has been served, a wiser, more disciplined and mature Von Miller is ready to rejoin the Broncos. He doesn't have to lose his personality.

"I'm not a quiet guy," he said. "But I had to be. It was part of the time I had to serve. But I'm in a happy place. I'm blessed to be in a situation that I can achieve everything that was set out there for me to do. I am still trying to be the best football player I can possibly be. And my teammates and my organization have been very, very supportive. My family, my friends. I'm in a great place. I'm happy I'm back to the game that I love.

"Having football taken away from you — it already meant a lot to me before, but it means so much more to me now."

Orlando Franklin injured, Louis Vasquez moves over on Broncos O-line By Mike Klis The Denver Post October 13, 2013

Sometimes it's next man up. And sometimes the man moves over.

Louis Vasquez, a 60-game NFL starter at guard, shifted one spot to right tackle in the second half Sunday after Orlando Franklin went down with a left knee injury.

"It's an adjustment, obviously," Vasquez said after the Broncos' 35-19 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. "Inside (at guard) it's like playing in a box. Outside (at tackle) it's playing on an island."

With Vasquez at right tackle, the Broncos brought Chris Kuper off the bench to play right guard. Kuper had been a Broncos' starting guard from 2007 until the team signed Vasquez as a free agent this year.

After Franklin received treatment, he left the locker room on a set of crutches. The extent of his injury won't be known until after he takes a magnetic resonance imaging exam Monday. But based on how difficult it was for him to move around after the game Sunday, don't be surprised if Franklin misses a game or two.

Should Franklin not play Sunday at Indianapolis, the Broncos could start Winston Justice at right tackle. Justice was signed last month after the Broncos lost left tackle Ryan Clady to a season-ending foot injury in the second game. Justice was a full-time starter at right tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009-10 and Indianapolis last year.

It's been a tough year for the Broncos' offensive line. Their top two centers, J.D. Walton and Dan Koppen, went down with injuries in the summer. And now their two starting tackles are down.

Franklin's injury impacted how Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase and quarterback Peyton Manning called the game against Jacksonville, although the Broncos pieced together two touchdown drives with Kuper at guard and Vasquez at tackle.

"I thought Adam did a good job calling plays with Vasquez," Manning said. "I'm not sure he's ever played right tackle before. It kind of changes the way I think about audibles and things like that when you've got a new right tackle."

Champ and Jammer are up; Woodyard, Ayers, Carter are down By Mike Klis The Denver Post October 13, 2013

The Broncos’ game roster today against the Jacksonville Jaguars has some expected changes — cornerback Champ Bailey is playing his first game since suffering a left foot injury in mid-August but middle linebacker Wesley Woodyard (neck) and defensive end Robert Ayers (shoulder) are not — and one surprise — cornerback Tony Carter is inactive while veteran Quentin Jammer is up.

Carter had a tough game last week at Dallas. Also inactive: QB Zac Dysert, RB C.J. Anderson, G-C John Moffitt and OT Winston Justice.

Snap judgment: Manning-center exchange rough By Mike Klis, Joan Niesen The Denver Post October 14, 2013

Of all the problems in this otherwise perfect season, the snap.

Twice the Broncos fumbled the ball away Sunday when the snap exchange between center Manny Ramirez and quarterback Peyton Manning went awry.

"I take full responsibility for both of them," Ramirez said. "I just have to continue to work with him. We just have to get on the same page."

The first muff occurred in the second quarter when Manning had his hands under center. Manning took the blame for that one.

"I pulled out on a snap early," Manning said.

The second was a shotgun snap that came in low. Manning and Broncos coach John Fox were asked why Manning didn't seem to make much of an effort to recover either fumble.

"I didn't think I could get them," Manning said.

"He's a pretty valuable member of our football team," Fox said. "We don't necessarily want him making tackles on interceptions and diving on fumbles."

No. 30 is still running. Once again, No. 30 for the Broncos had the ball running left. Once again, No. 30 for the Broncos made a terrific one-cut move and took off on a long gain.

When David Bruton, wearing No. 30, took a short snap from Aaron Brewer and steamed ahead for a 35-yard gain on a fake punt late in the third quarter, the scamper conjured up memories of another No. 30 in a Broncos glory era gone by.

Ex-Broncos star Terrell Davis, who wore No. 30, ran for 2,008 yards in 1998 on similar zone-blocking, one-cut running plays.

"It was a designed stretch play left and when I got to the edge, I was supposed to make a one cut and go," Bruton said. "I've been waiting four years for that call."

Speaking of TD. For a running back who averaged only 2.8 yards per carry Sunday, Knowshon Moreno sure was productive. He scored a career-high three touchdowns against the Jaguars.

Moreno rushed for only 42 yards on 15 carries. But the trade-off was his 1-, 8- and 3-yard touchdown runs.

"They had not too many people in the box, so we were able to run it at times," Moreno said. "They were still doing a great job stopping the run."

Welker joins 800 club. On his first-quarter touchdown play that covered 20 yards, the Broncos' Wes Welker notched the 800th reception of his NFL career. He's the 27th player (and second undrafted player) in league history to do so. The other undrafted player: former Broncos star Rod Smith.

Happy for Helton. Manning, a longtime friend of retired Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, said Helton sent him a text message about the Broncos' pregame ceremony honoring him and how much he appreciated the gesture.

"It was good to see him out there," Manning said. "It was an awesome reception he received before the game. Great, classy move by the Broncos."

Boo birds chirp. After Manning took a knee to end the first half, boos were heard throughout the stadium even though the Broncos led 14-12 in a game they ended up winning 35-19.

"I've never heard boos here," said cornerback Chris Harris. "You really don't usually hear that from our fans, but I guess we weren't playing up to our standard and to their standard. ... I think they wanted us to go score at that time period instead of taking a knee."

Footnotes. Joel Dreessen made the stats sheet. Denver's starting tight end a year ago, but limited with a knee injury this season, caught one pass — his first of the season — for 4 yards. "Baby steps," he said, smiling. ... Near the goal line, the Broncos used a three-tight end formation with defensive tackle Mitch Unrein playing fullback. From that jumbo package, the Broncos got a touchdown reception from tight end Julius Thomas and a 1-yard touchdown run from Moreno.

Another scoring record.

Champ Bailey returns to Broncos, but he's not quick-fix for secondary By Joan Niesen The Denver Post October 13, 2013

His legs are thin and sinewy. The feet and ankles are taped, like an extra shoe of sticky support sliced off after practice.

These are the legs Denver's secondary has been waiting for. They're 35 years old, some of the best in the NFL for a solid decade. Now, though, they need the support. They needed weeks of rehabilitation to get to where they were Sunday, on the field against Jacksonville, the next step in the Broncos' defense coming back together.

Those legs stood in front of cameras in the locker room Sunday night, their owner answering the obligatory questions of how this felt and how he feels and how much better this defense can be.

Finally, Champ Bailey.

Finally, the 12-time Pro Bowl cornerback returns to a defense in need of a catalyst. What do you know? One man, two months removed from his last game, did not magically fix all of the Broncos' ills on defense.

"It was a tough challenge, I'll tell you that," Bailey said. "It definitely wasn't a cakewalk."

In his first game since spraining his left foot Aug. 17 at Seattle, Bailey made six tackles, which tied him for third-best on the team, and defended three passes. Denver's defense looked mediocre for a team playing against the NFL's worst offense. Bailey looked fine, not great, in the Broncos' 35-19 victory, but probably as expected for an all-pro at his age coming off an injury.

In the weeks before his return, Bailey was adamant that the pain in his left foot will never fully recede this season. That's football. That's the havoc this game wreaks on these men's bodies. Playing cornerback only exacerbates it. Bailey needs to be explosive, to cut on a dime, to wrangle wide receivers to the ground. It's no easy task, especially when years of being the best means that the world expects the best.

"I'm in great shape. ... It's just getting out there, getting the technique," Bailey said. "There's a couple things I could work on. I'll look at the tape, evaluate myself and see what I can do."

Of course, Bailey's impact goes beyond his physical contributions, especially with veteran linebacker Wesley Woodyard sidelined with a neck injury. Consider too that Sunday was something of a test run before a big game in Indianapolis next weekend. There were positives to be taken from Sunday's game, even if Bailey might no longer be the presence that redefines a defense.

"I think our guys felt his leadership," said Denver coach John Fox. "When you're out there playing the game, you need a calming effect. Champ definitely gives that."

So, yes, Justin Blackmon burned Bailey more than once, but that's going to happen against one of the NFL's best young wide receivers. And, yes, Bailey looked rusty at times. Still, Bailey on his worst day is better than a secondary of backups on their best, and the Broncos are just pleased to field the trio of corners they expected to have — Bailey, Chris Harris and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie — going into the season. Bailey brings a level of familiarity, Harris said, and after two years on the field together, communication comes naturally.

"This is really our first time really playing, having us three together," Harris said. "I felt like we did pretty good for the first time."

Denver's defense has been a study in delays. When the Broncos get Von Miller back ... When they get Bailey back ... When they get Woodyard back, Robert Ayers back ...

These aren't excuses. They're deflections of expectations, and they're only natural. Now, though, the first milestone has passed. Miller returns this week, and perhaps Ayers and Woodyard too. Eventually, the Broncos' defense can be judged by who's on the field and what happens, not by the players lodged on the sidelines.

Then, the judgment will stick.

Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars live blog: Champ Bailey back, Peyton Manning ready By Joan Niesen The Denver Post October 13, 2013

The NFL's worst team is facing off against its best on Sunday, as the Broncos and the Jaguars take to Sports Authority Field in Denver in Week 6 of the NFL season.

And about an hour before the game, each team released their inactives lists.

Champ Bailey will finally return to Denver's lineup after missing the first five games of the season with a sprained foot. Quentin Jammer, who was inactive last week, will also dress.

Denver's inactives are: quarterback Zac Dysert, running back C.J. Anderson, cornerback Tony Carter, linebacker

Wesley Woodyard, guard John Moffitt, tackle Winston Justice and defensive end Robert Ayers.

Both Ayers and Woodyard were injured in Dallas and did not practice all week. Paris Lenon will start in Woodyard's place.

For Jacksonville, quarterback Blaine Gabbert, wide receiver Stephen Burton, cornerback Dwayne Gratz, guard Jacques McClendon, tackle DeMarcus Love, tight end Marcedes Lewis and defensive lineman Jeremy Mincey will be inactive.

Chad Henne will start in Gabbert's place, Clay Harbor in Lewis's and Will Blackmon in Gratz's.

Broncos react to Denver fans booing during Jaguars game By Joan Niesen The Denver Post October 13, 2013

Peyton Manning shakes hands with Jaguars players after Sunday’s win.

When Peyton Manning took a knee to end the first half of Sunday’s game, the Broncos had a 14-12 lead. The problem was that they were playing the 0-5 Jaguars, and a two-point lead wasn’t much, and apparently some fans at Mile High wanted Manning to score rather than be conservative.

After the game, several Broncos reacted to the boos. Their perspectives are below:

“We heard them. It’s, I don’t have anything to say about that right now. I’ll let (coach John) Fox tell me what to say about that. … You never want to hear booing, especially when you’re up, but I guess they didn’t like the situation where Peyton took the knee going into halftime. If they want to be the coach, I guess they’ve got to try out for the job.” – Malik Jackson

“I was shocked, kind of, because I’ve never heard boos here. You really don’t usually hear that from our fans, but I guess we weren’t playing up to our standard and to their standard.” – Chris Harris

“We got high expectations, too, so we understand that they have high expectations for us, and we feel the same way. I’m sure there are a lot of us that want to boo ourselves, so we understand it. I almost appreciated it, and (it) kind of gets our butts into gear and (gets us) ready to play out there.” – Wes Welker

Saunders: Shannon Sharpe's gift of gab ill-suited for analyst role By Dusty Saunders The Denver Post October 14, 2013

Shannon Sharpe, in unfamiliar sharp business attire, returned to Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday — in the CBS broadcasting booth.

His unfamiliar TV wardrobe — dark sports coat (borrowed from fellow broadcaster Ian Eagle), dark tie and white dress shirt — provided the look of a funeral home director.

Sharpe, when working in the "NFL Today" New York studio, usually boasts a colorful rock star-type attire, complete with funny-looking gloves he can convert to NFL team colors.

This one-time-only look was designed to provide attention to Sharpe's on-the-road stint as a booth-oriented talent.

After making an appearance on the pregame show at 10 a.m. (which included a subtle plug for John Elway's restaurants), Sharpe returned to the booth to "cover" the Broncos-Jacksonville Jaguars game with Eagle and Dan Fouts.

To his credit, Sharpe didn't attempt to masquerade as an accomplished analyst.

Earlier, Sharpe said: "I will talk about what I see. I'm not trying to be Phil Simms, Dan Dierdorf or Dan Fouts.

"That's not who I am. I am going to talk about what I see."

And that's basically what he did during the CBS telecast.

Keep the Sunday morning studio job, Shannon.

Sharpe's trip was part of an "NFL Today Road Trip" for three cast members.

Former Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher was in the New York booth during the Steelers-Jets game, while Boomer Esiason, a former Cincinnati quarterback, was at Buffalo for the Bengals-Bills game.

The traveling gimmick, designed as a change of pace for the series, also gave CBS Sports the opportunity to promote "The Other Pregame Show," a live, four-hour (7-

11 a.m.) Sunday program on cable's CBS Sports Network. Two cast members from that show filled in for the traveling trio.

Predictably, the Sunday network pregame shows talked about how badly the Broncos would hammer the Jaguars.

The "NFL Today" featured an "upset graphic" showing major sports shockers before moving into political history — Truman upsetting Dewey and Americans beating the British in the Revolutionary War.

Meanwhile, former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson became a thespian-coach on Fox's "NFL Sunday," showing viewers how he would attempt to motivate Jacksonville players in the dressing room.

How effective was Johnson's performance? His finely coiffed white hair moved a bit.

Play ball. Fox's cameras provided baseball viewers with a full demographic look at Boston-area residents Saturday night.

During the bottom of the ninth inning, as the Red Sox were striving for a first hit — and maybe a run — the cameras moved regularly around Fenway Park, showing the agony etched on the faces of fans, some of whom were wearing fake beards in support of their team.

This in-the-stands coverage in tense situations has become a Fox baseball tradition.

• Even Keith Olbermann's detractors should admit the controversial broadcaster is producing a needed edge as host of TBS studio shows during the network's postseason baseball coverage.

He and rookie broadcaster Pedro Martinez, a former Red Sox star pitcher, have had several moments of unscripted humor, which is always welcomed in these predictable studio shows.

• Are you a baseball couch potato with a lot of time on your hands?

If so, you might have enjoyed the four-hour, 19-minute marathon last Monday, when Tampa Bay beat Boston 5-4 in the longest nine-inning game in major-league playoff history.

That game has to be a strong argument against instant replay of controversial calls, which baseball is considering.

Field of screams: Todd Helton receives Mile High salute from Broncos fans By Irv Moss The Denver Post October14, 2013

Todd Helton, the retired first baseman of the Rockies, was the focus of another standing ovation Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, but this time it was before a football game.

The Broncos honored Helton before their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, calling attention to his 17-year career with the Rockies that ended on the last day of the Major League Baseball regular season this month.

Helton was visibly touched by the cheers from the orange-clad Broncos fans.

"The Broncos are great. Obviously, Peyton (Manning) helped me out a little bit," Helton said, acknowledging his friendship with the Broncos quarterback.

"I'm very honored to be out here. There are a lot of Rockies fans that are Broncos fans too."

Helton was presented a plaque showing him in an orange Broncos jersey with No. 17 on the back. His wife and two daughters accompanied him on the field.

Manning and Helton were football teammates at the University of Tennessee years ago.

In his last week of play with the Rockies, Helton received standing ovations in Coors Field and Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.

Asked what he's been doing since retiring, Helton said he has been enjoying down time. But he hasn't watched the baseball playoffs on television. "No baseball, just football," Helton said.

Peyton Manning and the Broncos are chasing Peyton Manning’s NFL win streak record By Nick Groke The Denver Post October 13, 2013

The Broncos on Sunday won a 17th consecutive regular-season game, over Jacksonville. It tied the fourth-best streak in NFL history.

Another Peyton Manning team holds the record:

Most consecutive games won in the NFL, regular season

23 … Indianapolis Colts, 2008-09 21 … New England Patriots, 2006-08 18 … New England Patriots, 2003-04 17 … Denver Broncos, 2012-13 17 … Chicago Bears, 1933-34

Broncos 6-0 with imperfect 35-19 win over Jaguars By Arnie Stapleton The Associated Press October 14, 2013

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos are welcoming back suspended superstar Von Miller with open arms and a spotless 6-0 record.

The Broncos' bedraggled defense can sure use his help pressuring the passer.

Denver's shaky secondary allowed Chad Henne and Justin Blackmon to play catch all afternoon before the Broncos put away the winless Jacksonville Jaguars 35-19 Sunday.

Blackmon caught 14 passes for 190 yards and Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 71 yards and a score, but the Broncos remained unbeaten behind Peyton Manning's two touchdown throws and Knowshon Moreno's first career three-TD game.

The Jaguars were a record 27-point underdog but didn't play like it.

"This is still the NFL," Denver's Champ Bailey said. "Nobody's a cakewalk in this league."

Bailey, who made his 2013 debut after missing two months with a sprained left foot, said the Broncos are eager to get Miller, their All-Pro linebacker, back in the mix but they can't count on him being a cure-all.

"When you have a dynamic player returning to your lineup, he's definitely going to cause some problems for people," Bailey said. "But we can't rely on him to do everything. It's an 11-man game, so we got to make sure we do our part."

Miller returns just in time for Manning's homecoming game at Indianapolis (4-1) next Sunday night, something Manning was loath to talk about after the Jaguars (0-6) gave him all he could handle with three takeaways and two sacks.

Five things that had others talking after the Jaguars put such a scare into the Broncos:

ORLANDO FRANKLIN: The Broncos lost their massive right tackle to a left knee injury in the third quarter and he hobbled out of the locker room on a cane a month after All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady was lost to a season-ending foot injury.

With "Big O" out, the Broncos turned to Chris Kuper, who's been bothered by leg injuries the last two years, at right guard and slid Louis Vasquez to right tackle.

"It was a pretty good example of versatility," Manning said. "Obviously, we have our fingers crossed for Orlando. You hate to see that, but you've got to go play. You have to go out there. I know Kupe has been hungry to get out there. He's worked real hard to get healthy."

GUTSY JAGUARS: The Jaguars took little solace in playing the Broncos tough.

"We're not at all satisfied with what took place as far as the outcome," Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said.

He rattled off the good — linebacker Paul Posluszny's 59-yard pick-6 that pulled Jacksonville to 14-12 at the half, recoveries of Manning's two fumbled snaps and Denver's half dozen drives that ended without points.

"All things we can build on," Bradley said. "We feel like we're getting closer, we're going in the right direction, but I want them to understand that's not what we're trying to accomplish. We're trying to get the outcome in our favor."

THE REPLACEMENTS: The Broncos didn't miss Robert Ayers (shoulder) because his replacement, second-year pro Malik Jackson had seven tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup.

Both of his sacks came in the same series sandwiched around his stuff of Jones-Drew for a 1-yard loss.

"This is my first time really going out there and performing like that," Jackson said. "The greats keep it up and I'm just trying to keep it up and keep working and get many performances like that."

IMPERFECT PEYTON: Manning went 28 for 42 for 295 yards, marking the first time he's been held under 300 this season. His two TD passes gave him 22 on the year, a record for an NFL quarterback through six games.

But he also lost a pair of fumbles on bad exchanges from center and threw his second interception of the season.

"The best thing about this team," receiver Eric Decker said, "is we always find a way to win."

MORE MORENO: Moreno's three TD runs, all in the second half, gave him seven for the season, tying his career high set as a rookie in 2007.

"A lot of people think we just throw the ball and we don't like to run it," tight end Julius Thomas said, "but we're going to go with what's working."

Jaguars put up good fight in 35-19 loss to Broncos By Arnie Stapleton The Associated Press October 14, 2013

DENVER (AP) — The winless Jacksonville Jaguars didn't play like a record 27-point underdog, giving the unbeaten Denver Broncos a run for their money before losing 35-19 Sunday.

For a while, the Jaguars presented a stiff challenge for Peyton Manning and Co.

They had a pick-6 and recovered both of Manning's fumbled snaps, Justin Blackmon reeled in 14 catches for 190 yards and Maurice Jones-Drew ran roughshod over the league's No. 1 defense.

They trailed just 21-19 in the third quarter.

But they also had another bushel of blunders.

Chad Henne underthrew Clay Harbor on the first snap for what would have been an 80-yard TD. Their fake punt moments later blew up in their face, leading to Denver's first touchdown, and defensive end Andre Branch's personal foul after a third-down stop kept alive the Broncos' second touchdown drive.

When it was over, the Jaguars (0-6) were the first team since the 1984 Houston Oilers to drop their first six games by double digits.

"We're getting better and better as a team," Blackmon said. "That's all we can ask for."

That, and a win one of these weekends.

"There was progress," Jones-Drew said. "It wasn't enough."

The Jaguars may have shown there are no cupcakes in the NFL, but they really took little solace in playing the Broncos tougher than anyone outside their locker room expected.

"We're not at all satisfied with what took place as far as the outcome," Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said. "I thought we came out ready to go but it didn't show. What I saw was a team that played with a lot of emotion and it got the best of us. We had a personal foul penalty, we had a chance for a big play the first play of the

game with Clay Harbor. I just felt like the emotion got the best of us, but we settled down."

Broncos punter Britton Colquitt wasn't needed at all last week at Dallas, except to hold for field goals and extra points. The Jaguars had him trotting onto the field all afternoon.

"You get a pick-6, you get three turnovers, you limit some of the explosive plays that's been an issue with a team that's this explosive. They had five or six series where they didn't score," Bradley said. "All things we can build on. We feel like we're getting closer, we're going in the right direction, but I want them to understand that's not what we're trying to accomplish. We're trying to get the outcome in our favor."

After falling behind 14-0, the Jaguars made a game of it.

Josh Scobee kicked field goals of 50 and 30 yards but holder Bryan Anger couldn't scoop Carson Tinker's low snap on a 46-yard try, giving the Broncos the ball at midfield.

No matter.

Linebacker Paul Posluszny's 59-yard interception return with 36 seconds left in the first half made it 14-12, and it would have been tied at the half had Champ Bailey, playing for the first time in two months, not picked off Henne's 2-point try intended for Blackmon.

The sellout crowd at Sports Authority Field, which derided Jason Babin for a low hit on Manning in the first quarter that wasn't whistled, turned its anger to the Broncos as they retreated through the tunnel clinging to a 14-12 lead.

Dreams of a historic upset swirled in the Jaguars' minds.

"It was cool because it wasn't guys jumping up and down," Bradley said. "It wasn't like that. It was, 'OK, it's not how you start, it's how you finish.'"

The better Broncos closed it out behind Manning and Knowshon Moreno.

Jones-Drew answered Moreno's TD run with one of his own to make it 21-19 midway through the third quarter, but Jacksonville's last four possessions would end with two interceptions, a fumble and a turnover on downs.

Things started off shaky for the Jaguars, and their first series ended when Mitch Unrein sniffed out the fake punt and stuffed Will Ta'ufo'ou 3 yards short of the first down, giving Denver the ball at the Jaguars 27.

That gutsy move showed the Jaguars meant business, and they left Denver with the Broncos' unyielding respect.

"This is still the NFL," Bailey said. "Nobody's a cakewalk in this league. That team has some good players over there and they showed up."

And didn't roll over.

NOTES: Henne didn't speak with reporters after the game because he had to rush back home with his wife in labor. ... Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts III sprained his right shoulder in the first quarter and didn't return.

Broncos lurch to 35-19 win over Jaguars By Eddie Pells The Associated Press October 13, 2013

DENVER (AP) — This one turned out to be more about "if" than "how many" for Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

Derailed by their own mistakes, to say nothing of an in-your-face Jacksonville Jaguars defense, the Broncos found themselves in quite a tussle through most of a surreal Sunday afternoon.

Not until early in the fourth quarter, when Knowshon Moreno ran for his third touchdown, did the undefeated Broncos have any sense of security against the winless Jags. Denver won 35-19 but fell well short of covering the record 27-point betting line in Las Vegas.

"There was a lot of bad football out there," receiver Wes Welker said. "We've got to correct that stuff and come out better next time."

Manning went 28 for 42 for 295 yards, marking the first time he's been held under 300 this season. His two touchdown passes gave him 22 on the year, a record for an NFL quarterback through six games.

But he also lost a pair of fumbles on bad exchanges from center and threw his second interception of the season, which linebacker Paul Posluszny returned 59 yards for a touchdown to pull the Jaguars within 14-12 before the half.

At that point, it was clear this would be more than another stat-padding day for Manning and Co. That feeling was reinforced when Chad Henne led the Jaguars on an 80-yard touchdown drive against the banged-up Broncos (6-0) to make it 21-19 after Manning opened the third quarter with a TD drive of his own.

"Sometimes, you score a lot of points and people take it for granted," Manning said. "Even people in your own building can take it for granted. It's not easy to win football games. I learned a long time ago, don't take winning for granted."

Justin Blackmon had 14 catches for 190 yards for Jacksonville, which fell to 0-6 for the first time, but gave the Broncos a harder time on offense than any team they've faced this season.

In the second quarter, the Jaguars forced Denver's first punt of October. They got in front of receivers' routes, and when a Bronco did catch a pass, Jacksonville defenders wrapped up immediately.

The Jags gave up 407 yards, but very few were cheap. Were it not for a series of odd decisions and untimely mistakes, this one might have been even closer.

It began during Jacksonville's first possession, when tight end Clay Harbor was wide open for a big gain, but Henne underthrew him. Three plays later, coach Gus Bradley called a fake punt the Broncos diagnosed perfectly, leaving them only 27 yards from their first score, a 3-yard pass from Manning to Julius Thomas.

Denver's second touchdown — Manning to Welker for 20 yards — came after the Jaguars stopped Manning on third-and-long but had that nullified by a personal foul on defensive end Andre Branch.

There was a muffed snap on a field goal attempt, Bradley's failed decision to go for 2 after Posluszny's interception return, and a pass interference penalty that helped Denver on its opening drive of the third quarter. In all, Jacksonville did enough silly things to lose despite racking up 362 yards of offense.

"What I saw was a team that played with a lot of emotion and it got the best of us," Bradley said. " I just felt like the emotion got the best of us, but we settled down."

Only in Denver, where it's Super Bowl or bust this season, would a 16-point win be the cause for so much hand-wringing. But frankly, the lead-up to this game wasn't about who would win but about whether the Broncos would cover the record-setting spread and when Manning would come out of the game.

Neither happened.

Henne, whose wife was in labor back in Jacksonville, threw for 303 yards against Denver's league-worst pass defense. The Broncos welcomed back Champ Bailey, who found himself on the island against Blackmon for much of the afternoon.

"This is still the NFL," Bailey said. "Nobody's a cakewalk in this league."

Despite their struggles, Denver ended up undefeated without linebacker Von Miller, whose six-game suspension officially ends Monday.

But the Broncos also lost right tackle Orlando Franklin to a left knee injury in the third quarter and he hobbled out of the locker room on a cane — adding another question mark as they head to Indianapolis for Manning's return to play his old team.

Among other things, that game is being billed as Denver's toughest test to date. Turns out, the Jaguars gave the Broncos plenty to sweat over, as well.

Notes: DL Malik Jackson had both of Denver's sacks, spread three plays apart in the third quarter. ... Jags receiver Cecil Shorts III left in the first quarter with a right

shoulder injury. ... Never a great sign for a defense: Denver CB Chris Harris led the Broncos in tackles with 11.

Column: Broncos have no reason to apologize By Tim Dahlberg The Associated Press October 13, 2013

Jacksonville was never going to be too much of a problem, except for those who love favorites and bet on the Denver Broncos against the biggest underdog in NFL history.

The bookies in Vegas were always a bit uncomfortable about the 27-point spread, though even they wouldn't have given odds that the Broncos would be reduced to pulling off a fake punt in the third quarter to get separation from a team that was supposed to have been blown off the field by halftime.

The problem with expectations is that they sometimes get too high to meet, even if you're Peyton Manning and seemingly can do no wrong. On Sunday, he did a lot wrong, fumbling twice and throwing a pick-6 that helped the winless Jaguars remain competitive even if they were never in any danger of actually winning.

The end result was a 35-19 victory that satisfied neither Denver's fans nor the bettors who have profited so far this year on the Broncos' bandwagon. It should also give pause to those so caught up in Manning's big start that they were beginning to look deep into the schedule to see what teams might be in the way of an undefeated season.

They don't need to look far. The Broncos travel to Indianapolis next weekend to face Manning's old team in a game that will tell us a lot more about Denver than anything that happened Sunday in Denver.

"People tell me it looks easy. There's nothing about it that's easy," Denver coach John Fox said. "There is resistance out there. It's called the other team."

The bookies still expect Denver to win, making the Broncos a 5½-point favorite against the Colts. They should also be favored in all their remaining games, especially with Von Miller, the key to their defense, coming back off suspension against Indy.

But the odds are they're not going to run the table. There will be times when they struggle, even if their fans have such high expectations that some actually booed the Broncos as they left the field with a 14-12 halftime lead.

"We've got high expectations, too," receiver Wes Welker said about the boos. "We understand it. We almost appreciate it. We've got to get into gear."

Indeed, the Broncos are victims somewhat of a remarkable start in which they averaged 46 points a game and topped 50 points their last two games before Sunday. The fact that they had to apologize for beating a fellow NFL team by more than two touchdowns was almost laughable, though apologize they did.

"It was good enough today but it's not good enough to win games down the road," said Knowshon Moreno, who had three second-half touchdown runs.

It won't be good enough to win at Indianapolis, that's for sure. Manning's return to the city he once owned will be the story line, but the Colts are a surprisingly good team with wins over the Seahawks and 49ers this season.

But while the Broncos were far from impressive against the Jags, it's hard to fault a team for scoring 35 points and winning by 16. They may have set the bar too high, but coming off a tremendous shootout against Dallas last week and with Indianapolis up next, this was a game where they didn't have to be razor sharp.

Don't forget, too, that while the Broncos are favored to win the Super Bowl, this was the Super Bowl for Jacksonville.

Yes, they may have been a tad overconfident against the hapless Jags. But it's a good bet they won't make the same mistake when it really counts.

"Three turnovers was tough and then had some things that just didn't execute as well," Manning said. "But some good things as well that we can learn from."

Manning called the win a good one over a team that isn't as bad as everyone thought. He said all the talk about the huge point spread motivated Jacksonville, and that he and his teammates didn't execute well most of the game.

The Broncos have gone an entire year without losing a regular-season game, dating to Oct. 7, 2012. That the streak could end at any time is something Manning understands better than most.

"It's not that easy to win football games," he said. "I learned early to never take winning for granted."

Not in the NFL. Not even against Jacksonville.

A win is a win, and Manning and the Broncos have nothing to apologize about.

Broncos' Bailey active for first time this season By The Associated Press October 13, 2013

DENVER (AP) — Champ Bailey is active for the first time this season, ready to provide some help for Denver's last-in-the-league pass defense when the Broncos face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The cornerback hasn't played since spraining his left foot in the second preseason game at Seattle on Aug. 17. With Bailey active, cornerback Tony Carter was a healthy scratch for the Broncos (5-0) on Sunday.

Two Denver defensive starters were deactivated: middle linebacker Wesley Woodyard (shoulder stinger) and end Robert Ayers (shoulder). They'll be replaced by Paris Lenon and Malik Jackson, respectively.

Other Broncos inactives are Zac Dysert, C.J. Anderson, John Moffitt and Winston Justice.

Out for the Jaguars (0-5) are Blaine Gabbert, Stephen Burton, Dwayne Gratz, Jacques McClendon, DeMarcus Love, Marcedes Lewis and Jeremy Mincey.

Undefeated ranks down to 2 AFC West teams By The Associated Press October 14, 2013

Looks like the only place for the undefeated is the AFC West.

Denver and Kansas City are the last two teams with perfect NFL records after the Broncos beat Jacksonville 35-19 — hardly the margin projected by most — and the Chiefs defeated Oakland 24-7. New Orleans, the NFC's only spotless team, was handed its first loss by Tom Brady's sensational last-minute drive, falling at New England 30-27 Sunday.

The Saints were primed to also move to 6-0 until Brady reminded everyone, particularly the thousands of fans who already had left Gillette Stadium, why he is so special. His 17-yard touchdown pass to rookie Kenbrell Thompkins with 5 seconds left capped a 70-yard drive in which the Patriots marched downfield with no timeouts after getting the ball with 1:08 to go.

It was the 37th game in which Brady led the Patriots to victory from a fourth-quarter deficit or tie.

"That was great situational football and a great win against a really good team," Brady said. "We're 5-1 and we're just grinding."

The Broncos actually had to grind one out against the winless Jaguars, who were a record 27-point underdog.

Peyton Manning threw for two scores, but lost two fumbles and threw an interception that Paul Posluszny returned 59 yards for a touchdown. Knowshon Moreno ran for three TDs.

"People tell me it looks easy. There's nothing about it that's easy," Denver coach John Fox said. "There is resistance out there. It's called the other team."

Kansas City, tied with the Broncos atop the AFC West, has tripled last season's win total. The defense harassed Oakland quarterback Terrelle Pryor into throwing three second-half interceptions and Oakland (2-4) allowed 10 sacks.

In other games Sunday, it was: Green Bay 19, Baltimore 17; Cincinnati 27, Buffalo 24 in overtime; Seattle 20, Tennessee 13; San Francisco 32, Arizona 20; Dallas 31, Washington 16; St. Louis 38, Houston 13; Carolina 35, Minnesota 10; Philadelphia

31, Tampa Bay 20; Pittsburgh 19, the New York Jets 6; and Detroit 31, Cleveland 17.

The weekend began with Chicago's 27-21 win over the Giants on Thursday night, lifting the Bears to 4-2 and dropping New York to 0-6.

Monday night has Indianapolis (4-1) at San Diego (2-3).

Off this week were Atlanta (1-4) and Miami (3-2).

PATRIOTS 30, SAINTS 27

The visiting Saints (5-1) had taken a 24-23 lead with 3:29 remaining on Drew Brees' 34-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills, but the Patriots survived an interception by Keenan Lewis on their first snap after Garrett Hartley's 39-yard field goal made it 27-23.

Brady started the winning drive with completions of 23 yards to Julian Edelman, 15 to Austin Collie and 6 to Aaron Dobson. But he threw two incompletions before connecting with Collie for a 9-yard gain on fourth down and a first down at the 17.

Then came the winning throw into the left corner of the end zone.

"I think the thing is there's a lot of character and mental toughness and that really showed," Brady said. "We were down but not out."

BRONCOS 35, JAGUARS 19

At Denver, Manning finished 28 for 42 for 295 yards. It was a two-point game late in the third quarter before Moreno scored his last touchdown, an 8-yard run.

Otherwise, it was a real test against the 0-6 Jags.

"Sometimes, you score a lot of points and people take it for granted," Manning said. "Even people in your own building can take it for granted. It's not easy to win football games. I learned a long time ago, don't take winning for granted."

Justin Blackmon had 14 catches for 190 yards for Jacksonville.

CHIEFS 24, RAIDERS 7

At Kansas City, the Chiefs moved to 6-0 for the second time in franchise history as Jamaal Charles ran for two touchdowns and the Tamba Hali had 3½ of KC's 10 sacks.

"We're a very humble group and us not having as much success in years prior is helping us out," Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "We aren't going to take this for granted. We're loving it. But Tuesday we'll come right back."

The Raiders had won six in a row in Arrowhead Stadium.

PACKERS 19, RAVENS 17

At Baltimore, the Packers (3-2) lost receivers Randall Cobb and James Jones to leg injuries, but survived as Aaron Rodgers threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson and Mason Crosby kicked four field goals.

Eddie Lacy rushed for 120 yards to fuel the Packers' first road win of the season.

The defending Super Bowl champion Ravens (3-3) had won 13 straight at home against NFC foes. But even without injured linebacker Clay Matthews, the Packers limited Baltimore to 47 yards rushing and had five sacks, including three by A.J. Hawk.

BENGALS 27, BILLS 24, OT

Mike Nugent's 43-yard field goal with 6:44 left in overtime won it after he missed a 34-yarder in regulation.

Brandon Tate's 29-yard punt return to the Bills 33 set up the decisive score. Andy Dalton went 26 of 40 for 337 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception as the Bengals (4-2) got their first road win of the season.

The Bills (2-4) were led by quarterback Thad Lewis, starting in place of injured rookie EJ Manuel. Lewis went 19 of 32 for 216 yards and two touchdowns after being promoted off the practice squad last week. Both touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter, including a 40-yarder to Marquise Goodwin with 1:08 remaining.

SEAHAWKS 20, TITANS 13

At Seattle, Marshawn Lynch ran for two touchdowns and had 155 all-purpose yards, and Richard Sherman came up with his third interception of the season.

Seattle (5-1) won its 11th straight at home despite a long list of mistakes that allowed the Titans (3-3) to hang around into the fourth. There was a careless turnover, missed defensive assignments and a comical muffed field goal attempt that led to the Titans' only touchdown on the final play of the first half.

49ERS 32, CARDINALS 20

At San Francisco, Vernon Davis caught touchdown passes of 61 and 35 yards and finished with a career-best 180 yards receiving, leading San Francisco to its third straight victory.

Colin Kaepernick threw for 252 yards and Frank Gore ran for 101 yards on 25 carries. Kendall Hunter ran for a 6-yard touchdown that sealed it for the 49ers (4-2). Rookie safety Eric Reid made his team-leading third interception and also recovered a fumble as San Francisco forced four turnovers for the second straight game.

Arizona (3-3) lost defensive end Calais Campbell to an apparent right leg injury late in the game.

COWBOYS 31, REDSKINS 16

Dwayne Harris returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown and set up another score with a 90-yard kickoff return as the Cowboys handed Robert Griffin III his first loss in his home state.

The Cowboys (3-3) gave owner Jerry Jones a win on his 71st birthday against the archrival Redskins (1-4).

Tony Romo had just 170 yards passing a week after getting 506 in a 51-48 loss to Denver.

Dallas lost running back DeMarco Murray and defensive end DeMarcus Ware with injuries: Murray left in the second quarter with a sprained left knee, and Ware had a right quadriceps injury.

RAMS 38, TEXANS 13

At Houston, the Texans' woes continued as they dropped their fourth straight. Sam Bradford threw three touchdown passes, St. Louis added a score on defense and one on special teams to move to 3-3.

Alec Ogletree took an interception by T.J. Yates 98 yards for a touchdown. Yates was in after Matt Schaub sustained an apparent right ankle injury.

Schaub didn't have a turnover after throwing six interceptions, three of them returned for touchdowns in the past three games.

But several other Texans had key gaffes as preseason Super Bowl hopeful Houston (2-4) lost its fourth straight game.

PANTHERS 35, VIKINGS 10

At Minneapolis, Cam Newton threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score.

Adrian Peterson finished with 62 yards on 10 carries and 21 yards on three receptions as the Vikings (1-4) trailed the whole game. The NFL MVP learned Friday that a 2-year-old son of his died in South Dakota of injuries from alleged abuse.

"Anything bad, I try to take good from it," he said. "That's the way I approach life in all situations. I never thought about not playing."

Matt Cassel threw two interceptions, both to Mike Mitchell, and the Panthers (2-3) responded each time with a touchdown.

EAGLES 31, BUCCANEERS 20

At Tampa, Nick Foles threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth. Starting for the injured Michael Vick, Foles finished a long first-quarter scoring drive with a 4-yard run and threw TD passes of 12 and 36 yards to DeSean Jackson, and 47 yards to Riley Cooper.

Foles was 1-5 as a rookie a year ago, with that victory also coming at Tampa Bay (0-5).

LeSean McCoy rushed for 116 yards and had 55 yards on two receptions for Philadelphia (3-3).

STEELERS 19, JETS 6

Pittsburgh (1-4) got its first victory, coming back from the bye to earn the 600th in franchise history, including the postseason, the fourth team to reach the milestone.

That the visiting Steelers did it against the Jets (3-3) is no surprise: Pittsburgh is 17-4 vs. New York in the regular season.

Geno Smith was intercepted twice by a Steelers defense that entered the game as the only team in the league without a takeaway.

LIONS 31, BROWNS 17

At Cleveland, Matthew Stafford threw three of his four touchdown passes in the second half, rallying Detroit.

The Lions (4-2) outscored the Browns 24-0 in the second half, sealing their win when Stafford hooked up with tight end Joseph Fauria with 2:01 left. Fauria caught three TD passes for the Lions.

The Browns (3-3) had their chances at a comeback end when quarterback Brandon Weeden's baffling shovel pass with 4:36 left was intercepted by linebacker DeAndre Levy.

Lions running back Reggie Bush finished with 135 total yards, 121 in the second half.

Broncos' Malik Jackson looking for more By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com October 14, 2013

DENVER -- There may be no better player in the Denver Broncos' defense to represent Jack Del Rio's "if you show me something I'll play you" mantra than Malik Jackson. When the Broncos selected Jackson in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, they liked the idea that Jackson had started at both end and tackle at Tennessee. And they hoped he could be a rotational player at both spots initially who, with time and a little good fortune, could grow into more. But then Jackson showed some pop in pass-rush situations as a rookie and Del Rio was quick to play him up front in the specialty looks on defense.

Then he started to appear more and more in rotations, both inside and outside, even playing in front of the Broncos' No. 1 pick this past April, defensive tackle Sylvester Williams. Then Sunday, with defensive end Robert Ayers sidelined with a shoulder injury, Jackson got plenty of work early and often in the Broncos' 35-19 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Malik, man, he came up big,'' said Broncos defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson. “A young guy who went in there and made things happen. That's what you want, you want guys to go in when we need them to and make things happen.'' Make things happen? With the Broncos having pushed the lead to 28-19 with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Jackson didn't just make some things happen -- he had the series of his football life. With the Jaguars looking at a first-and-10 at their own 20-yard line, Jackson sacked Jacksonville quarterback Chad Henne for a 7-yard loss on first down. On second down he tackled Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew for a 1-yard loss. And on third down, on a stunt with defensive end Shaun Phillips, Jackson sacked Henne for a 5-yard loss. Overall Jackson finished with seven tackles, the two sacks and a pass batted down. The quick-witted Jackson was asked to talk about his first sack following the game. “What happened on the first play?'' Jackson responded. When he was told it was a sack, he said: “Of course, I forgot what happened. Then the second play we had a

great call by Coach Del Rio, I did my job and made the play. The third play, I had the second sack and Shaun Phillips just made a great play and I came around and got the sack. So I really got to give thanks to Shaun Phillips." Certainly, since Del Rio has routinely promised to find a spot in the defensive scheme for those who produce when given the chance, Jackson could be looking at even more action in the coming weeks. He has three sacks in the past two games combined. Coming into the game Jackson had played 43 percent of the defensive snaps this season. “You know, the greats keep it up, that's what I've said, it isn't just one week and that's it," Jackson said with a smile. “Last week was my first sack and this time I had two, hopefully they just keep falling into my lap. But I don't want it to be one game and that's it. I want to keep helping the defense, whatever they need me to do, whatever Coach Del Rio says the job is, I want to do the job.”

Broncos facing another change up front By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com October 13, 2013

DENVER -- Their left tackle is on injured reserve, their right tackle left Sunday’s game with a knee injury, their center never started an NFL game at the position before the season opener. And yet the only quarterback in the league who has been sacked fewer times than the Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning over the season's first six games is rookie Mike Glennon. And Glennon has played in just two games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season. But the Broncos do have some concerns in the offensive front as they begin to prepare for their next game against the Indianapolis Colts. With Ryan Clady (foot) already on injured reserve and center Manny Ramirez still working through the position’s nuances -- he and Manning didn’t connect on two snaps Sunday, both bobbles were recovered by the Jaguars -- the Broncos will now hope for the best when it comes to right tackle Orlando Franklin. Franklin suffered a left knee injury with 12:16 remaining in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno. Franklin was briefly examined on the Broncos bench by team doctors and then taken to the locker room and did not return to the game. Franklin then left the stadium Sunday evening using crutches and is scheduled for an MRI Monday morning. “Obviously we have our fingers crossed on Orlando,’’ Manning said. Franklin has started every game since he was a second-round pick n the 2011 draft -- 41 consecutive games including three career postseason games and Sunday’s start. In his absence, and with tackle Winston Justice having been a inactive for the game, the Broncos moved right guard Louis Vasquez to Franklin’s right tackle spot after the injury and put Chris Kuper in at right guard.8 Vasquez has started all 60 of his career NFL games at guard and isn’t believed to have played tackle in any of his games at Texas Tech. He has worked sparingly at tackle during Broncos’ practices as the Broncos have tried to cross-train their linemen to at least be able to get through a game in a new spot. Manning said,

however, it likely influenced how offensive coordinator Adam Gase may have called plays in the second half as well as the audibles Manning used. For his part Kuper is still working to come back from multiple ankle surgeries as well as a severe infection in the joint this past offseason. He was limping noticeably following the game. So it’s possible the Broncos work Justice at right tackle this week -- he was a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles and Colts at the position -- to allow Vasquez to move back to right guard. “It was a pretty good example of versatility,’’ Manning said. “ … I know [Kuper] has been hungry to get out there, he’s worked real hard to get healthy and then pretty good versatility with [Vasquez] going to right tackle, I’m not even sure he’s ever played tackle.’’ "Our offensive line coach Dave Magazu does a terrific job of rotating guys, we do that a lot during training camp and even during the season,'' Broncos coach John Fox said. " ... We'll see with Orlando.''

Broncos wrestle with Jaguars, expectations By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com October 13, 2013

DENVER -- For the most part the Denver Broncos have been able to cocoon themselves in their south suburban practice complex, tucked away in their day-to-day efforts, to avoid the swirl of mile high expectations that surround the team. And as they blitzed through the season’s first five weeks with one 40-plus point game after another, a total that included two 50-point efforts, it was easy for them to keep all the Super-Bowl-or-bust chatter at arm's length for the most part, one of those quirky things people like to talk about. But in what turned into a 35-19 victory against the still-winless Jacksonville Jaguars the Broncos were booed by many on hand as they jogged into the locker room with a 14-12 halftime lead and following their sixth win of the season the Broncos bristled some at the what-happened theme of the questions that awaited them. “It definitely wasn’t a cake-walk,’’ said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey. “ … Look, I am not surprised how [the Jaguars] played, not at all. I tried to tell people all week, you can’t think you’re just going to jump on people all the time. You could see on the film they played hard, whether they won or not, they played hard. Nobody is a cake-walk in this league, nobody, and when everybody starts thinking any of this easy, that’s just not right. You have still go out and play every week because everybody has some players who can beat you. That's how it is. We got the win, we move on.’’ The Jaguars had scored just five touchdowns this season coming into the game and scored just once on offense against the Broncos. But the Broncos had three turnovers, two on dropped snaps from Peyton Manning to go with a Manning interception returned 59 yards for a touchdown by Jaguars’ linebacker Paul Posluszny. Until the Broncos turnd a fake punt into a 35-yard run by David Bruton late in the third quarter that seemed to shake them from their doldrums a bit -- the Broncos scored to close out that possession and their next one as well -- a horrific upset had loomed. “I’ve heard people tell me it looks easy,’’ is how Broncos coach John Fox put it. “There is nothing about it that’s easy, it’s all hard. I’m just pleased we’re sitting here 6-0 … You know there is resistance out there, it’s called the other team.’’

“Football’s hard,’’ Manning said. “ … You score a lot of points and people take it for granted, I think even people in your own building maybe take it for granted. It's not easy to win football games. I learned long ago never to take winning for granted.’’ In the end, the Broncos, who entered the game as one of the biggest favorites in league history in the eyes of those who set betting lines, are still one of two undefeated teams in the league and have scored a league-leading 265 points, what is a record pace of 44.2 points per game. Asked to rate the day, particularly on offense, running back Knowshon Moreno said; “Like a C. C is a good enough, it was good enough today, but it won’t be good enough to win games down the road. (The Jaguars) played a really hard game all day and we made a lot of mistakes. Still a lot we have to fix.’’ "We appreciated this win,'' Manning said. "I think we have handled it pretty well.''

Locker Room Buzz: Denver Broncos By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com October 13, 2013

DENVER -- Observed in the locker room after the Denver Broncos' 35-19 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars: Worries up front: In a season when they have already lost left tackle Ryan Clady for the year because of a foot injury, the Broncos now have to hope for the best with right tackle Orlando Franklin. Franklin left Sports Authority Field at Mile High using crutches after a left knee injury and will get an MRI on Monday. When Franklin left the game, the Broncos moved right guard Louis Vasquez in at right tackle and put Chris Kuper at right guard. Quarterback Peyton Manning was still not sacked in the game. Tough love: Denver is an old-school football town that lives and breathes with its NFL team, but the level of expectations following this team in the wake of January’s playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens was plainly evident when, leading 14-12 at halftime, the team left the field to the sound of plenty of boos. “I guess they didn’t like the situation at the half," said defensive end Malik Jackson. “I guess if they want to be the coach, they have to come try out for the job." Turn it over: It was the Broncos' first three-turnover game of the season, with all three Sunday involving Manning in some way. Manning had an interception returned 59 yards for a touchdown by Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny, fumbled a snap and later dropped a low shotgun snap from center Manny Ramirez. Manning, however, was quick to own the plays following the game, even calling the interception “a bad decision, just a complete force." Ready for Von: Linebacker Von Miller will return to work full-time Monday after finishing his six-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. He is expected to be in the lineup Sunday in Indianapolis against the Colts. “People keep talking about our defense, they haven’t seen our defense yet. [Champ] Bailey just came back today, and we get Von back this week. That’s our defense."

Rapid Reaction: Denver Broncos By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com October 13, 2013 DENVER -- A few thoughts on the Denver Broncos' 35-19 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars: What it means: The Broncos talked all week about not letting point spreads and the Jaguars' winless ways get to them. Then they went out and played like it all got into their heads. The Broncos will speak of the Jaguars’ effort -- and first-year coach Gus Bradley certainly should receive plenty of kudos for the kind of effort his now 0-6 team put in -- but the Broncos were not themselves Sunday and it almost cost them. Stock watch: When the Broncos selected Malik Jackson in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, they were hoping to get a swing player who could fill in on a situational basis at both defensive tackle and defensive end. Jackson has since carved out more and more playing time because he just gets it done. Playing for the injured Robert Ayers Sunday, at defensive end, Jackson had one three-play span in the third quarter when he had two sacks to go with a tackle for loss on a running play. Out of sorts: Right from the start the Broncos could not find a rhythm. And while they escaped with a win, the struggles impacted even quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny in the second quarter. Manning dropped a low shotgun snap in the fourth quarter that the Jaguars recovered. Manning and center Manny Ramirez also combined for another fumbled snap in the first half. Couple all that with a return to Indianapolis set for next Sunday, and Manning doesn’t figure to be in the best of moods this week. More special-ness: The Broncos have consistently made plays on special teams this season, including two blocked punts and two touchdown returns by Trindon Holliday over the season’s first four weeks. Add Sunday’s win to the list when Jeff Rodgers' group added a well-timed fake punt -- safety David Bruton took a direct snap for 35 yards on the second-to-last play of the third quarter. The Broncos scored to end that possession and scored on their next possession as well to finally break things open a bit. What’s next: Get out the three rings, because it will be a circus this week in

Denver. Linebacker Von Miller returns Monday from a six-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and Manning will be preparing for his first game in Indianapolis since the Colts released him following the 2011 season.

Paul Klee: Booo! Friendly tip: Don't take these Broncos for granted By Paul Klee Colorado Springs Gazette October 13, 2013

DENVER — Booooo!

The Broncos won, again, 35-19 against the bumbling Jaguars.

Booooo.

Boo who?

Not you, and probably not you. But boo on a few of you.

On a sunscreen Sunday, Sports Authority Field witnessed another first: It housed the first fans to boo a team that has won 17 straight regular-season games.

That is unofficial, of course, since booing the home team is one of the few stats left untracked by Elias or ESPN or other football geeks who crunch numbers.

But only five teams in NFL history have won at least 17 straight in the regular season. So it's a safe bet Sunday was a first.

I heard the boos loud and clear, as the Broncos shuffled to the locker room at halftime with a 14-12 lead and a certain level of disinterest playing the winless Jags.

Guess what: the Broncos heard it, too.

"I was kind of surprised. I've never heard boos here," cornerback Chris Harris said afterward. "We're still winning. We're undefeated. It's hard to ever hear us get booed. If an undefeated team gets booed, anyone gets booed."

What were they booing?

The Broncos punting for the first time in October?

I expect it was one of two things: A handful of yahoos who slapped down too much money on the Broncos and an NFL-record point spread, or a reaction to the Broncos taking a knee with 31 seconds left and the ball on their own 20.

Regardless, a boo is a boo.

"You never want to hear booing, especially when you're up," said defensive tackle Malik Jackson, who had two sacks. "I guess they didn't like the situation where Peyton took the knee going into halftime.

"If they want to be the coach, I guess they've got to try out for the job."

This is not to make Mount Elbert out of a molehill. A fanbase that has sold out every home game since 1970 is on the short list for best in the game.

Good luck finding better fans than Broncos fans.

But can we all agree, for a team in the midst of the longest regular-season win streak in franchise history, one boo is too many boos?

Manning is beloved in Colorado. He could run for Denver mayor and he probably would get Michael Hancock's vote.

When No. 18 is introduced on Sundays in Denver, the quarterback is greeted with a king's welcome.

Mile High rocks.

But when the Broncos struggled to a two-point lead over the Jaguars, it rocked for the wrong reasons.

"You usually don't hear that from our fans," Harris said. "I guess we weren't playing up to our standard and to their standard, too."

Quick, what do a BBQ lover in Kansas City, hot milk and Broncos fans have in common?

They're all spoiled.

There is a different scene at Mile High now than 20 years ago. At just about any point during a game, I can scan the crowd and find at least one person checking their Facebook account on a smartphone.

That's dumb.

Before the Manning era slides away, here's a friendly tip: Put the phone down and enjoy the show.

Manning suggested these Broncos have been so good, some in the huddle act as if points will pile up simply by slipping on their uniform.

"It's hard. Football's hard. Sometimes you score a lot of points and people take it for granted," Manning said after moving to 19-4 as the Denver quarterback. "I think

people even in your own building can take it for granted. It's not easy to win football games.

"I learned long ago to never take winning for granted. Sometimes you have to remind your own players that."

This was part of the deal when the Broncos signed Manning as a free agent. They also signed on for expectations that would be nearly impossible to match.

Whether it's the Ravens Rematch, Manning Bowl or Peyton's Return to Indy, the Broncos seem to highlight the NFL marquee on any given Sunday.

"We get everybody's best," Harris said.

The AFC West is home to the NFL's only unbeatens. Denver and Kansas City are 12-0, combined.

Compare the reaction to their sixth wins on Sunday: Arrowhead Stadium reportedly set a record for crowd noise in an open-air stadium, while Mile High heard boos heading into halftime.

Considering the premature bravado brewing in KC, it might be wise for the Chiefs to act like they've been there before.

It also might be wise to soak in every moment of Manning Mania while you can.

As Manning prepares for a return to Indianapolis next Sunday, I was struck with an unusual thought:

Will Peyton get a friendlier response in a road game than his team got at halftime in a home game?

David Ramsey: Von Miller will return to Broncos with something to prove By David Ramsey Colorado Springs Gazette October 13, 2013

DENVER - During Von Miller's six-week exile, Broncos cornerback Chris Harris talked with him every day. Harris knows all about the humiliation Miller endured after being suspended by the NFL.

But that's yesterday, and Harris wants to talk about the future. The Broncos are stampeding through their schedule with a 6-0 record, including five wins by 16 or more points.

Think about this:

The Broncos are unbeaten while playing without one of the most gifted defenders in franchise history. Miller walks beside such greats as Rich Jackson, Tom Jackson, Randy Gradishar and Champ Bailey. And he's not done. Miller may someday walk alone as the Broncos' best defender.

He will instantly solve the Broncos sluggish pass rush.

"Oh, man," Harris said, laughing in front of his locker. "He's the most talented rusher in the league. Easily. The things he can do, nobody else can do. He's a rare rusher."

While his teammates have endured the physical annihilation that is football, Miller has lifted weights and pondered how to salvage his reputation. He returns to practice Monday. Expect him to terrify Colts linemen and fans on his first play Sunday.

Harris doesn't expect Miller to return as dangerous as before.

"He's stronger," Harris said. "He's more mature. Ya'll are just going on what you saw last year from Von Miller. He's a lot better. And he wants to come out there and make everybody hush."

The Broncos have looked fallible in the past two weeks. Visions of a perfect regular season and a journey to the Super Bowl were clouded by the 48 points the Cowboys scored on Denver Oct. 6. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo resembled a combination of Johnny Unitas and John Elway as he relaxed in the pocket.

The relaxing now ends for opposing quarterbacks. Miller walks on the field each Sunday with a rare, superlative blend of talent.

"He is who he is," Broncos free safety Rahim Moore said. "God has blessed him with those talents and those talents haven't gone anywhere."

Miller returns with sprinter's speed and immense strength and superb technique. He also returns with a mindset that might be more important than all his physical gifts.

Count on this: Miller will be immensely hungry to bury talk of his botched drug test and turn all eyes to his performance on the field. Winning solves almost all problems when it comes to sports. If Miller leads the Broncos to the Super Bowl in February, virtually no one will talk about his troubles in August.

Miller certainly pondered this truth during his weeks of exile. He's young and a little immature, but he must know redemption is his for the taking on the football field.

Moore shook his head as he searched for words to describe how hungry Miller will be to chase down quarterback and engulf running backs.

"If you love football, if you are a superstar and you miss six games with no pay and this is what you love and this is what you've been doing your whole life, how hungry would you be?" Moore asked. "Him missing six games is like him going six days without eating."

Moore paused and looked around the peaceful, happy locker room.

"He's going to be special, trust me," he said.

I trust you, Rahim. Believe me, I trust you.

Broncos 35, Jaguars 19 By Dennis Georgatos Yahoo! Sports - The Sports Xchange October 13, 2013

DENVER -- Knowshon Moreno ran for three touchdowns, Peyton Manning threw for two scores to help offset three turnovers and the Denver Broncos pulled away to beat the winless Jacksonville Jaguars 35-19 on Sunday.

Manning had touchdown passes of 3 yards to Julius Thomas and 20 yards to Wes Welker to increase his season total to 22, the most through six games in NFL history. But he also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and fumbled twice.

Moreno ran for 42 yards and had touchdowns of 3, 8 and 5 yards, all in the second half, to help Denver (6-0) extend its franchise-record winning streak to 17 regular-season games.

Denver also was bolstered by the return of 12-time Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey, who made his season debut after missing the first five games with a foot sprain suffered in a preseason game against Seattle.

But it was tougher against Jacksonville than the oddsmakers, who made Denver a 27-point favorite going into the game, thought it would be. The Broncos were held to a season low in points.

Jacksonville tried hard for the upset from the get-go, starting with a fake punt on a fourth-and-4 from its own 26-yard line in the opening minutes of the game. The Broncos stuffed fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou well short of the first down after he took the direct snap, giving Denver a short field for its first score.

Chad Henne, starting in place of injured Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert (hamstring), completed 27 of 42 passes for 303 yards. He was intercepted two times.

Justin Blackmon added 14 receptions for 190 yards for Jacksonville (0-6).

Up by two points at the half, the Broncos got two third-quarter touchdown runs from Moreno around a scoring run by Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew to make it 28-19.

Manning later fumbled a shotgun snap that was recovered by Jaguars cornerback Mike Harris, but Jacksonville failed to capitalize. Kayvon Webster intercepted a pass

by Henne, and Manning guided the Broncos down the field, leading to Moreno's third touchdown run with 9:09 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Denver pulled out to a 14-0 lead as Manning finished the Broncos' opening possession with a short scoring pass to Thomas before hitting Welker for a 20-yard TD pass.

It was the 800th career reception by Welker, who became the 27th player in NFL history to reach the milestone.

Taking advantage of a fumbled snap by Manning, Jacksonville added a second field goal by Josh Scobee, a 30-yarder, to make it 14-6. Scobee also kicked a 50-yarder earlier.

In the second quarter after a botched hold on a Jaguars field goal try, the Broncos took over on their 42, but Manning underthrew a third-down pass intended for Welker. Linebacker Paul Posluszny reached up to make the interception and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown, pulling the Jaguars to 14-12 at halftime.

Jacksonville had a chance to tie it with a two-point conversion, but Henne's pass was picked off in the end zone by Bailey.

NOTES: Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts III left in the first quarter with a shoulder sprain and did not return. ... Rockies great Todd Helton, a friend and former college teammate of Manning who retired after 17 seasons, was an honorary captain for the Broncos during the pregame coin flip. ... Welker is only the second undrafted player with at least 800 career receptions. Rod Smith, a member of the Broncos' Ring of Fame, is the other. ... Scobee has made 29 consecutive field goals in October. He hasn't had a miss during the month since Oct. 18, 2009. ... Broncos RT Orland Franklin left the game with a left knee injury. ... The loss snapped Jacksonville's three-game winning streak against Denver.

Jaguars cover record spread, make Broncos work for 6-0 By Chris Burke Sports Illustrated October 13, 2013

The Denver Broncos opened as 28-point favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars and entered Sunday’s game still giving 27 points or so. That point spread was an NFL record.

The winless Jaguars turned out to be far less of a pushover than most anticipated. They trailed by as few as two points, 21-19, midway through the third quarter, then kept it respectable the rest of the way in a 35-19 loss — an easy cover for those folks out there who rolled the dice on the underdog. (Jacksonville had been a 19.5-point ‘dog earlier this season at Seattle; the Jaguars lost by 28, 45-17.) The game started much the way Vegas expected it to, with the Broncos needing just 2:51 to take a 7-0 lead, thanks in no small part to a failed fake punt from Jacksonville. Peyton Manning then bumped the cushion to 14-0 on his second TD pass of the game, this one to Wes Welker.

But Jacksonville hit back in the second quarter. A pair of Josh Scobee field goals and a Manning pick-six to Paul Posluszny made it 14-12 at the half … and sent the Broncos off to the locker room with a chorus of boos from the home fans.

The home fans grew restless again when Maurice Jones-Drew answered a Knowshon Moreno TD with one of his own in the third quarter, again trimming Denver’s lead to two. That was as close as the Jaguars would get, though, as Moreno piled on two more touchdown runs and the Denver defense pitched a shutout over the final 22-plus minutes to seal the win.

The Broncos improved to 6-0 with the victory, while the Jaguars stayed winless at 0-6.

Jacksonville’s next chance to break into the win column comes next Sunday against San Diego. Current line on that one, per BetOnline: San Diego by 6.5.

Denver Broncos top overmatched Jacksonville Jaguars By Chris Wesseling NFL.com October 13, 2013

Peyton Manning's record touchdown pace took a hit, but the 6-0 Denver Broncos still had too much firepower for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Sunday's 35-19 victory.

After jumping out to an early 14-0 lead behind a pair of touchdown passes from Manning, the Broncos turned to Knowshon Moreno for a career-high three touchdown runs the rest of the way.

Manning tossed an interception for the second consecutive game and might have taken as many hits Sunday as he has all season.

Written off as a national punch line this week, Jacksonville came to play. When they pulled to within two points in the middle of the third quarter, it appeared the mighty Broncos were at least breaking a sweat -- even if an upset was too much to ask.

Still seeking their first win of the season, the Jaguars just couldn't hang with one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history for a full four quarters.

Here's what else we learned in Sunday's game:

1. On the "Around The League Podcast," we've been gushing over an improved Justin Blackmon since the beginning of the preseason. Champ Bailey and the Broncos cornerbacks had no answer for Blackmon on slant routes, where he did the majority of his damage in racking up 14 catches for 190 yards on a whopping 20 targets. A bear to tackle after the catch, Blackmon has played like a young Anquan Boldin or Hakeem Nicks the past two weeks.

2. The Jaguars sorely missed Cecil Shorts, who never returned after sustaining a strained shoulder/neck early in the first quarter. Replacement Mike Brown managed just four catches for 49 yards on five targets.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for a season-high 71 yards and cleared 3.0 yards per carry for just the second time this season. He appears to be slowly rounding into form -- emphasis on "slowly." The offensive line finally opened a hole big enough for Jones-Drew to hit the second level, but he struggled to get out of third gear on a 28-yard scamper. It's hard to imagine the contract-year veteran fetching more than a fourth-round draft pick in trade talks.

4. The Broncos have a gem in 2012 fifth-round draft pick Malik Jackson, who has been one of the NFL's most effective situational pass rushers through six weeks. He had two sacks, three tackles for loss and a pass defensed on Sunday. Jackson will team with All-Pro linebacker Von Miller -- returning from suspension -- for next week's throw-down at the Indianapolis Colts.

5. Moreno's job is as secure as it has ever been. While he totaled 104 yards and the three scores on 22 touches, Ronnie Hillman fumbled (again) and Montee Ball dropped an easy pass (again).

6. The Broncos have now won 17 consecutive regular-season games, tied with the 1934 Chicago Bears for the fourth-longest streak in history. That 1934 season was also the last time two teams from the same division started the season 6-0, as both the Broncos and Chiefs have this year.

Peyton Manning won't talk about Colts following closer-than-expected victory over Jacksonville By Neil H. Devlin Indianapolis Star October 13, 2013

DENVER — He was late, but apologized. “I’m sorry,” Peyton Manning said after entering the interview room at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium on Sunday evening. The Broncos quarterback took his usual ice bath following a game — Denver beat Jacksonville 35-19 — but said he has learned his lesson and followed with a hot-tub finish to thaw out.

Get used to waiting Colts fans.

Next up for Manning, of course, is his first return trip to play in front of the fans and team that produced a Super Bowl victory, 399 touchdown passes and who knows how many memories and relationships.

But Manning wouldn’t speak to anything specificly associated with the Colts, returning to Indy or how he’s going to feel about it this week … at least, not yet.

He didn’t use the words “Colts,” “Indy,” or “Indianapolis” during his postgame press conference.

“The good thing about this game is that we will come in (Monday) and meet with the coaches and try to correct the mistakes from this game,” Manning said. “We’ve got some injuries, so we have to wait and see. I think we’ll kind of use tonight and tomorrow to kind of clean up this Jacksonville game and start on the next opponent later on in the week.”

Strike one.

So was he going to say anything about Colts Week and preparing for the game?

“You know, like I said, we need to come in tomorrow and make some corrections,” Manning said. “And see where we are physically.”

He said he’ll probably give serious thought to the Colts in a few days: “Tuesday, I guess, probably kind of like I do with any other opponent.”

Strike two.

But what about the community he left in Indy? What are his feelings?

“I’ll try to cover all of that Wednesday,” he said. “Do I have to talk Wednesday (he asked while looking at team media personnel)? I’ll do all of that Wednesday. I’m going to enjoy this victory and be ready to play.”

Strike three.

He’s still the same Manning who was beloved in Indy from 1998-2010, even 2011, when he was sidelined the entire season after neck surgery.

He’s playing superbly — despite Sunday’s result not living up to the record 27-point betting line in Las Vegas — as evidenced by the Broncos’ 6-0 record, his 22 touchdown passes (an NFL record through six games) and ridiculously low two interceptions.

Though it was Manning’s least-impressive performance of the season, he still went 28-for-42 for 295 yards with two touchdowns. He did lose a pair of fumbles on slippery exchanges from center and threw his second interception of the season, which linebacker Paul Posluszny returned 59 yards for a touchdown to pull the Jaguars within 14-12 before the half. The Jaguars were within 21-19 before the Broncos started putting the game away in the second half.

Cornerback Champ Bailey returned from injury — though he was often one-on-one with Justin Blackmon, who had 14 catches for 190 yards — and linebacker Von Miller is eligible to return from a six-game drug-related suspension Monday. The Broncos did lose right tackle Orlando Franklin to a knee injury in the third quarter.

But Manning remains the same. He still won’t showboat — Manning scored his first rushing touchdown in five years two weeks ago on one of the most-deceptive bootlegs on record — but, yes, he’ll still get on teammates when necessary.

He was there in a Coors Field dugout in September on the night former University of Tennessee teammate and Rockies first baseman Todd Helton played his final home game. And he showed up at Gateway High School — unannounced — in nearby Aurora to encourage students the past spring after the horrible Theater Shootings during the premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises.”

And you can’t go to Broncos home game without either seeing — or bumping into — anyone with an orange Manning jersey. Or a blue Manning jersey. Or a white one.

Tim and Shelley Pratt were walking hand-in-hand at Sports Authority on Sunday wearing the orange version. And, as usual, with Manning, they had a story. For one thing, they live in Lincoln, Neb., eight hours away by car.

“We had a mixed marriage for a year,” Tim said with a laugh. It seems Shelley has been following the Colts since they selected Manning in the draft and she has followed them ever since.

“I’ve just watched Peyton play for years and I think he’s great,” she said. “I just love his character. Yeah, well, you know, I’ve kind of switched allegiance now. The Broncos have Peyton.”

Her one-word answer if it will be interesting for her watching the Broncos-Colts?

“Yes!”

Scott Riffle had a Colts’ Manning jersey on Sunday. It seems his son has Colts pillow cases and sheets, and “just about everything,” he said. “Then when (Manning) came here, it was a dream come true.

“I’ve always been a fan. He’s Peyton Manning. He’s so quiet, he goes about his business. He’ll run a team some day. Maybe it will be the Broncos.”

So be advised, Indy, Peyton is alive, well and flourishing.

And, of course, he remembers you.

But he won’t say so until later in the week.

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Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning continues NFL record run By 9News.com October 13, 2013

KUSA - With his 20-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker late in the first quarter, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning continued his record streak.

The 37-year-old now has an NFL-record 22 touchdowns and counting through the first six games of the season. The Broncos (5-0) had a 14-0 lead on Jacksonville, both Denver touchdowns came on Manning passes. Tom Brady had 21 in 2007 for New England.

Manning connected with Julius Thomas on the Broncos' first drive against Jacksonville.

Manning finished the game 28-of-42 passing for 295 yards and the two touchdowns. He did throw an interception, which was returned 59 yards for a Jaguars' touchdown.

For the season, Manning is 178-of-240 passing (74.2 percent) for 2,179 yards, 22 TDs, two interceptions and a passer rating of 128.8.

A look at the records Manning has set or tied this season: Most TD passes in a game: 7

Most TD passes in two games: 9

Most TD passes three games: 12

Most TD passes four games: 16

Most TDs passes without interception to start season: 19

Most TD passes five games: 20

Broncos win, but not as easily as everyone thought By Michael David Smith Pro Football Talk October 13, 2013

The best team in the NFL beat the worst team in the NFL, as the Broncos improved to 6-0 and the Jaguars fell to 0-6. But this game was a lot closer than expected.

The Jaguars, who entered the game as 28-point underdogs, actually played a competitive game in Denver, and the final score of 35-19 was respectable. (Not to mention a winner for those who bet on the Jaguars with the points.)

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was fine, but his stats were far short of what he’s been doing so far this season. Manning completed 28 of 42 passes for 295 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. Statistically, that was by far his worst game of the season.

The Jaguars’ offense had its moments, with Chad Henne going over 300 yards passing and Justin Blackmon having a huge day. Henne did throw two interceptions, and the Jaguars scored only one offensive touchdown, but they moved the ball effectively against the Broncos’ defense for much of the game.

There was never much doubt that the Broncos would find a way to win this game, but anyone expecting a blowout of epic proportions was incorrect. The Jaguars were overmatched, but they came to play.

Peyton throws pick-six, Jaguars keeping it close in Denver By Michael David Smith Pro Football Talk October 13, 2013

The Jaguars must not have received the memo that they have no chance against the Broncos.

Late in the first half of a surprisingly competitive game, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw a pass over the middle that Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny leapt into the air and intercepted. Posluszny then raced 59 yards to the end zone for a touchdown that narrowed the score to 14-12. Jacksonville went for two in an attempt to tie the score before halftime, but the conversion attempt was no good.

The Broncos do look like the better team, and the Jaguars’ offense isn’t getting much of anything going. But this is a close, competitive game, despite the all-time record point spread of 28.

Denver fans booed the Broncos as they jogged into the locker room at halftime. This was not what they expected to see.

How It Happened: Broncos 35, Jaguars 19 By Gray Caldwell DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

Three second-half touchdowns by Knowshon Moreno helped lead the Broncos to a 35-19 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

DENVER -- Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the Broncos moved to 6-0.

But it didn't feel like a locker room that had just won by 16 points after a 35-19 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“At the end of the day, a win is a win. But we know we could play a lot better," said wide receiver Eric Decker, who caught five passes for 50 yards. "We knew from the start all this talk about lines and whatnot – this is NFL football. And we knew we had to come to play. We made some mistakes offensively. We thought the defense really played well, gave us some good field position. The best thing about this team is that we always find a way to win.”

The offense was hard on itself after the game, but the group got off to a good start in the first qaurter.

After the defense forced a three-and-out, the offense capped its opening drive with a 3-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Peyton Manning to tight end Julius Thomas.

Another Jacksonville punt allowed Denver to drive 95 yards in 12 plays, a series that Manning once again finished off with a touchdown pass, this one 20 yards to Wes Welker. Welker now has at least one touchdown pass in all six of the Broncos' games.

"We certainly started well up 14-0 and then just hit a little lull there," said Manning, who finished the game 28-of-42 for 295 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

To the quarterback's point, the Jaguars controlled the second quarter, providing all of the scoring in the frame.

A 50-yard Josh Scobee field goal put Jacksonville on the board, and the offense captalized on a fumbled snap by the Broncos later in the quarter to put three more points on the board, pulling to within 14-6.

Manning's lone interception in the game also came in the second quarter, and linebacker Paul Posluszny took it 59 yards down the sideline for a defensive touchdown. Though the ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed, the Jaguars were within two points at halftime.

"The turnovers and everything else was not the type of football we need to play and not the type of football that we're capable of playing," Welker said.

It left the Broncos with some work to do after the break.

"Second half, coming in being up by two, it had to be a turnaround," said cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who had a tackle for loss and two passes defensed in the game. "We went out there and just kept fighting."

In the third and fourth quarters, it was the Knowshon Moreno show.

Moreno scored three times in the second half -- from the 1-yard line and the 8-yard line in the third quarter then from 3 yards out in the fourth.

"Knowshon was awesome, especially down there in the red zone," Manning said.

Moreno's first and second touchdowns were sandwiched by a touchdown drive by the Jaguars -- a nine-play, 80-yard series that running back Maurice Jones-Drew capped with a 5-yard scoring run.

But the defense forced two turnovers -- interceptions by cornerback Kayvon Webster and linebacker Danny Trevathan, who helped seal last week's win with a pick -- to make sure Denver stayed on top down the stretch.

"Every game is going to have some form of adversity," said safety David Bruton, who had a 35-yard run on a fake punt to keep a third-quarter Broncos scoring drive alive. "It’s how we handle it as men, as competitors, as football players, as prideful individuals, how we handle it and continue to fight and prosper through tough situations.”

All throughout the locker room, players made it a point to praise the way Jacksonville played the game, and said that while people outside the building might have been surprised, everyone on the roster understood the challenge that the Jaguars were would present.

“I think it’s just noise on the outside to be real honest with you," Head Coach John Fox said. "I think all these games are hard. I’ve heard people tell me it looks easy –

there is nothing about it that’s easy. It’s all hard. I’m just pleased that we’re sitting here 6-0."

When a Game Goes Off-Script By Andrew Mason DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

Independent analyst Andrew Mason's take on Sunday's 35-19 Broncos win against the Jaguars.

DENVER -- Football isn't a drama or sitcom, nor is it the forced-narrative realm of "reality" television. It's completely unscripted, and the beauty of it and other sports is its ability to defy any expectation. Rarely was a result more widely assumed than the one Sunday between the winless Jaguars and undefeated Broncos. Both of those descriptors still applied after Denver's 35-19 win, but the blowout expected by many onlookers never materialized. This isn't college football. The worst and best teams aren't separated by scholarship discrepancies and massive funding disparities. Cupcakes only exist at the media-room buffet. And if you're just a bit off -- even with an offense in the midst of the best six-game start in NFL history -- you will be dragged into a brawl worthy of the Old West, or perhaps the broadcast news scene in 1970s San Diego. All it took were a few flubs: some dropped passes, a pair of fumbled snaps, a throw down the seam that came up well short of Wes Welker and was returned 59 yards for a touchdown by Jacksonville linebacker Paul Posluszny. It wasn't a matter of effort or even focus; these were simple mistakes. “Yeah, I think our focus is there," said Manning. "I’ve never noticed a lack of focus. Just the execution wasn’t as sharp. I wasn’t as sharp on a couple of decisions -- certainly on the interception, that was a bad decision, just a complete force." For the first time all season, the Broncos were off-script. And not long after Manning's interception, the reaction was equally unexpected as the Broncos headed to the locker room following a 1-yard completion to end the first half. Boos. And they weren't because a few people wanted to practice for Halloween.

The sound didn't come from all of the fans, or even a majority. But it was enough to be heard through the thick panes of glass on the press level, and to be picked up by television and radio microphones. The team that was undefeated, has the NFL's longest active regular-season winning streak and scored more points than anyone ever has through five -- and now, six -- games heard it from the fans. "I was kind of shocked, because I've never heard boos here," cornerback Chris Harris said. "You don't usually hear that from our fans." It's a reaction that you would have expected and understood two and three Octobers ago, when the Broncos lumbered back through the southwest tunnel with halftime deficits of 35 and 21 points en route to 45- and 35-point losses. But now? After one shaky half following five wins by an average of 18.2 points per game -- and a half that saw the Broncos lead by two points? At best, the boos seemed questionable; realistically, they were harsh. "Everybody's got to understand that this is the NFL," said defensive end Malik Jackson. "We're not just going to go out there every week and blow teams out of the water. We're just going to keep working hard, get on our P's and Q's and try to get out of (each) week with a win." This became a distant memory by the late afternoon. The Broncos outscored the Jaguars 21-7 after halftime; the defense got a three-and-out, a red-zone stop and two interceptions out of their five second-half series, and order was restored. Maybe the smattering of boos was an overreaction to a game that veered wildly from the popular expectation, since so much pregame chatter revolved around how soon the backups would enter. Perhaps it was a result of the decision not to attempt a scoring drive before halftime; Harris thought that might be the case. Or perhaps it was simply the product of a fan base that has bought into the lofty standards the players often speak of setting from themselves. That's how Wes Welker saw it. "We have high expectations, too," he said. "We understand that they have high expectations for us, and we feel the same way. "I'm sure there are a lot of us that wanted to boo ourselves. We understand it. I almost appreciated it. It kind of got our butts into gear and get ready to play out there." But that doesn't mean the Broncos want it to be a permanent addition to the home-

game script. "I mean, we’re still winning. We’re undefeated," said Harris. "It’s hard to ever hear us get booed, but if an undefeated team gets booed, then anybody in the league can get booed.” With six wins, the best point differential in the NFL, a defense that will regain its most dominant component and an offense still on pace for a slew of passing records, they've earned a bit of patience through any balky first halves to come. After all, the Broncos' average second-half margin is 25-13, compared with 19-13 for the first half. A post-halftime surge is part of the script, too. It just takes a bit of time for it to play itself out. "Just be patient with us," said defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson. "We're going to be alright."

Three Keys Unlocked: Broncos vs. Jaguars By Andrew Mason DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

Andrew Mason takes a look back at the three keys to the game and how the Broncos fared.

DENVER -- If you're a fan who eats, sleeps and oozes all things Bronco, close your eyes and mentally rewind back two months, right after you learned that Von Miller would miss Weeks 1-6 because of a substance-abuse suspension. What would you have taken as an acceptable outcome for those six games? A 4-2, or perhaps a 5-1 start? A good, but not great opening that forced the Broncos to confront some roster issues and make the appropriate tweaks to improve the team for the stretch run? If you expected 6-0 against an opening schedule that included the last two world champions, then congratulations. Not only were you correct, but you were in the minority of Broncos fans. This was a day for the bottom line. Denver moved to 6-0, and won its 17th consecutive regular-season game. The team remains in first place in the AFC West, has scored more points through six games than anyone else in league history, and leads the league with a plus-107 point differential. The last time the Broncos had a triple-digit differential after six games, they won a world championship, and the last five teams with that distinction made it to the Super Bowl. "A win is a win," said tight end Julius Thomas. And with that, a glance back at the three keys pointed out Saturday: 1. KEEP THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND. Mindset wasn't the problem Sunday. The Broncos exercised due diligence in practice and meetings this week; they said the right things in interviews; they didn't look ahead. But execution was an issue. That bore itself out in three turnovers, including a pair of fumbled snaps and a low one that could have been lost, and four dropped passes and a fumble by Broncos running backs.

"Mistakes are mistakes. You don’t want to see them," said Knowshon Moreno, whose day reflected the pendulum extremes for the offense: he had three touchdowns, but also had a pair of drops. "We put too many balls on the ground. That’s going to get you beat." Also crucial was the energy at which the Jaguars played. "I just think they play with great energy. Sometimes we didn’t match that," said Thomas. "I think there were some possessions we came out and we were out there but we weren’t playing with the intensity that they were playing with, and it showed." 2. PREVENT THE JAGUARS FROM STRIKING DEEP. Although the Jaguars battered the Broncos with short outs and slants, Denver did not let wide receiver Justin Blackmon loose for anything deep. His longest catch covered just 23 yards, and the Broncos' ability to limit explosive passes forced the Jaguars to rely on short to intermediate routes, which often diced up the defense. "They definitely came out with a whole new game plan," said cornerback Chris Harris. "We know each week, everybody’s going to give us their best. We get everybody’s best plays each week. That’s something that we have to be prepared for and eliminate the big plays." Because they did, the defense bought time to stabilize and stiffen when the Jaguars reached scoring range. Jacksonville got just 13 of a possible 35 points out of drives that crossed the Denver 40-yard-line, and averaged just 3.67 yards per play inside the Denver 40, compared with 5.83 yards per play on the 47 snaps run outside of it. 3. DON'T LET THE JAGUARS LINGER. The Broncos did, but that didn't prove costly. After allowing the Jaguars to march 80 yards in nine plays to a touchdown early in the second half, the defense tightened up, with Malik Jackson's stellar series -- two sacks that bookended a tackle of Maurice Jones-Drew for a 1-yard loss -- put them back into neutral. Athough the Jaguars hung around, they didn't run an offensive play on which they had a chance to take the lead after going three-and-out on their first series. As has been typical of the last six weeks, the Broncos did what they had to do, when they had to do it, and became the first team since the 2007 Patriots to win their first six games by at least 16 points each time.

Peyton’s Take: Broncos vs. Jaguars By Stuart Zaas DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

Quarterback Peyton Manning finished 28-of-42 for 295 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception for a rating of 92.9 against Jacksonville.

DENVER – Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, quarterback Peyton Manning's 295-yard, two-touchdown performance helped earn his team its sixth consecutive win to open the 2013 season.

In the 35-19 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the signal caller extended his NFL-record streak of games with a 90-plus passer rating to 19 even as he was held below 300 yards for the first time all season.

“It was a good win,” Manning said. “We’ll learn a lot from the film. There were some good things and certainly some things we can correct.”

Manning started the Broncos’ scoring with a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes to increase his season total to 22 scoring strikes, setting an NFL record for the most through six games.

His first touchdown pass came on a 3-yard throw to tight end Julius Thomas, which was followed by a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Wes Welker on Denver’s next possession. Welker’s touchdown catch gave him eight on the season – he has caught a score from Manning in all six Broncos games to start the season.

Jacksonville would respond with a pair of field goal drives to cut Denver’s lead to 14-6. Denver was held scoreless in the second quarter and the offense went three-and-out three times in the period.

“Certainly, I guess after 14-0 there were some things that we didn’t do well, but Jacksonville did some things that made it tough for us,” Manning said. “They had some good defensive plays on first and second downs, which put in some third-and-longs and we had to throw short for whatever the reason was we weren’t able to convert it. Got to give them credit as well.”

After starting the season with four straight interception-free games, Manning threw his second pick of the season. This one was grabbed by linebacker Paul Posluszny, who returned it 59 yards for a touchdown in the final seconds of the first half. The pick-six cut Denver’s lead to 14-12 at the intermission.

There were also a pair of lost fumbles on snaps that Manning said he was not concerned about turning into an ongoing issue.

“A bad decision to throw on the interception giving them the touchdown,” Manning said. “I pulled out on a snap early under center, caused that fumble and then Manny had a low one on the shotgun play down there. Three turnovers as tough and then just had some things that we just didn’t execute as well. (There were) some good things as well that we can learn from and that’s what we have to do.”

As it has in all five games this year in which it has received the ball to open the second half, the Denver offense marched down the field for a touchdown.

The eight-play, 80-yard drive was capped by the first of running back Knowshon Moreno’s three second-half touchdown runs.

Moreno would score from 1, 8, and then 3 yards to account for all 21 of the Broncos’ second-half points.

“Knowshon was huge,” Manning said. “His red-zone running was huge. I thought the running game got going a little bit better second half.”

“Knowshon was awesome, especially down there in the red zone.”

The offensive line lost starting right tackle Orlando Franklin to injury on Moreno’s first rushing touchdown.

When the unit came back on the field, starting right guard Louis Vasquez moved to Franklin’s right tackle position and guard Chris Kuper came in to play right guard.

“Obviously we have our fingers crossed for Orlando,” Manning said. “You hate to see that, but you’ve got to go play. You have to go out there. I know ‘Kupe’ has been hungry to get out there. He’s worked real hard to get healthy and then pretty good versatility by Vasquez going to right tackle.”

After Danny Trevathan came up with an interception in the final minute of the game, Manning and the Broncos’ offense were able to close out the game with a pair of kneeldowns.

“It’s not easy to win football games,” Manning said. "I learned long ago never to take winning for granted and sometimes you have to remind your own players that it’s tough to win in the NFL. You’ve got good football players and teams with a lot of pride and a lot of professionalism. So we appreciate this win.”

That's What He Said: Jaguars Postgame By Stuart Zaas DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

Quotables from Denver's Week 6 win vs. Jacksonville.

Head Coach John Fox

On the injury report “Quick update on the injuries – Orlando Franklin, right tackle, left the game with a left knee. Sylvester Williams, defensive tackle, left the game, did not return with a neck injury.

On if even though they won by 16 points they feel dissatisfied with this game “I think it’s just noise on the outside to be real honest with you. I think all these games are hard. I’ve heard people tell me it looks easy – there is nothing about it that’s easy. It’s all hard. I’m just pleased that we’re sitting here 6-0 and getting two games away from the bye week. All of our focus is on Indianapolis coming up soon."

On CB Champ Bailey coming back “I think our guys felt his leadership. When you’re out there playing the game, you need a calming effect. Champ definitely gives that to our defense, especially with [LB] Wesley Woodyard not out there, really for two weeks in a row. It was very exciting to have him back.”

Quarterback Peyton Manning

On there not being any easy games in the NFL “They are not and never have thought there were. It was a good win. We’ll learn a lot from the film. There were some good things and certainly some things we can correct. Some mistakes – a bad decision to throw on the interception giving them the touchdown. I pulled out on a snap early under center, caused that fumble and then Manny had a low one on the shotgun play down there. Three turnovers as tough and then just had some things that we just didn’t execute as well. (There were) some good things as well that we can learn from and that’s what we have to do.”

On if the focus dwindled after taking a 14-0 lead “Yeah, I think our focus is there. Sometimes I guess when you don’t have a good drive you could point to anything. I’ve never noticed a lack of focus. Just the execution wasn’t as sharp. I wasn’t as sharp on a couple of decisions – certainly on

the interception, that was a bad decision, just a complete force. The fumbled snap was just a mental error on my part. And then, but there were some good drives in there, in that second half coming out of halftime that were better. But certainly, I guess after 14-0 there were some things that we didn’t do well, but Jacksonville did some things that made it tough for us. They had some good defensive plays on first and second downs, which put in some third-and-longs and we had to throw short, for whatever the reason was we weren’t able to convert it. Got to give them credit as well.”

On RB Knowshon Moreno “Knowshon was huge. His red-zone running was huge. I thought the running game got going a little bit better second half. We had better first and second-down production. And then he caught the ball well. We had a couple incompletions on first down. That’s been kind of rare for us. We have been really good on first and second-down completions. Talk about staying in phase, we had some first and second-down incompletions which made it more difficult for us on third down. Knowshon was awesome, especially down there in the red zone.”

Wide Receiver Wes Welker

On having tough wins the past two weeks “I think it’s big for us to understand that every game is going to be tough and we got to come regroup at halftime and put it all together. Put it all together all 60 minutes and be on top of what we need to do. I’m proud of the way we came out there and played, especially in the second half and really the way we started the game. There was a lot of bad football out there and we got to correct that stuff and get better next time.”

On the team’s expectations “Obviously we’re happy about a win. Any win you can get in this league you got to be happy about it and the Jaguars, they fought their butts off and they played hard until the end and you got to commend them with the way they played. For us there’s a lot of mistakes out there that we have to get better at and be better going forward.”

On facing Indianapolis next week and QB Peyton Manning’s first game back in Indianapolis “I think we just have to not worry about it and really just focus on us and what we need to do to get better and get with the game plan and get on top of everything and make sure we’re ready to go.”

Running Back Knowshon Moreno

On the Jaguars defensive attack “Anyway we had a chance to get some points on the board we were doing it. They had not too many people in the box, so we were able to run it at times, they were still doing a great job stopping the run.”

On running with more authority “No, I still feel the same. Just going out there and competing every week against really good opponents.”

On what grade he would give the offense “Like a C. A ‘C’ is good enough. It was good enough today but it’s not good enough to win games down the road. They played a really good game all day and we made some mistakes. There is still a lot that we have to fix.”

Defensive End Malik Jackson

On the Denver defense struggling until he made three-straight tackles-for-loss including two sacks “Well, first play we went out there and what happened that first play? (media answers, “sack”) Yea of course, I forgot what happened. Then the second play we had a great call by Coach Del Rio, I did my job and made the play. The third play, I had the second sack and [DE] Shaun Phillips just made a great play and I came around and got the sack so I really got to give thanks to Shaun Phillips. ”

On if he has ever had a more productive series “No. No I really haven’t, this is my first time really going out there and performing like that. The greats keep it up and I’m just trying to keep it up and keep working and get many performances like that. ”

On if his first career-sack last week was the breakthrough leading to his performance today “Yeah, you know because I’ve been working really hard this week and this season to get those sacks and they kept slipping out of my hands. Last week was the first one and hopefully they just keep falling in my lap.”

Cornerback Champ Bailey

On finally getting back out there into a game “It was a tough challenge, I’ll tell you that. It definitely wasn’t a cake walk. It was challenging, but I got one under my belt and I feel good going forward.”

On if he was in game shape coming into today “As far as my lunges, I was good. I’m in great shape as far as that goes, the thing is just getting out there and getting your technique to work. There are a couple

things I can work on and I’ll look at the tape, evaluate myself and see what I can do better.”

On managing the pain in his foot and if it aggravated him today “Well, my foot is not the only thing that’s going to aggravate me, that’s just how this game is. You’re never going to get over these things completely, but it’s something I can deal with and it didn’t affect my performance so that’s why I feel good about it.”

Broncos Improve to 6-0 with 35-19 Win By Stuart Zaas DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

Denver defeated Jacksonville 35-19 in Week 6.

DENVER – The Broncos improved to 6-0 with a 35-19 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday.

Running back Knowshon Moreno set a career high with three rushing scores, all of which came in the second half.

Quarterback Peyton Manning finished 28-of-42 for 295 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception for a rating of 92.9.

Manning’s two touchdown passes both came in the first half – first from 3 yard out to tight end Julius Thomas and then from 20 yards to wide receiver Wes Welker.

Stay tuned for plenty more coverage from DenverBroncos.com.

Three-and-Out Courtesy of Jackson By Brandon Moree DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

DT Malik Jackson had two sacks and a tackle for loss on three consecutive plays in the third quarter.

DENVER – One week ago, defensive tackle Malik Jackson picked up the first full sack of his career. After the 35-19 win against Jacksonville Sunday, he’s got two more and they came in quick succession.

Late in the third quarter, the second-year defensive lineman sacked quarterback Chad Henne for a loss of seven yards on first down. On the next play, he dropped running back Maurice Jones-Drew for a loss of one and on third down he dropped Henne again, this time for a loss of five yards.

A three-and-out and a loss of 13 yards, courtesy of Jackson.

"It was critical,” Jackson said of the series. “We needed it. I was fortunate enough to have the good series. Danny Trevathan came up with the big pick at the end (of the game). So I think we're a good defense and we're rolling and we're getting better every week."

Jackson credited Shaun Phillips for his play on the series opening things up for him and Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio for his play calling.

That quick series came just after Knowshon Moreno stretched the Broncos’ lead to 11 points and put the ball back in the Broncos’ hands.

Fellow defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson agreed that it was a big set of plays for the defense.

“That was a big series,” Vickerson said. “(Jackson) had back-to-back rushes and that’s what we ask of a young guy – come in and step up. So that was a plus.”

Jackson said that he’d never had a series quite as productive as that one.

“No, I really haven’t,” he said. “This is my first time really going out there and performing like that. The greats keep it up and I’m just trying to keep it up and keep working and get many performances like that. ”

Jackson played in 14 games in 2012 but registered only five tackles. This season he’s made progress that has been especially visible in the last two weeks.

“He’s a young player that’s continuing to improve,” Head Coach John Fox said. “We have a lot of new faces there from a year ago that are starting to jell.”

Jackson finished the game with seven total tackles, the second-most on the team.

He said after the game that getting his first sack last week felt like a breakthrough and he hopes that the sacks will keep coming.

“I was working really hard this season to get those sacks,” Jackson said. “They kept slipping out of my hands. Last week was the first one and I’m just glad. Hopefully they just keep falling in my lap.”

Bailey Returns By Brandon Moree DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

CB Champ Bailey made his 2013 debut against the Jaguars.

DENVER – After watching from the sidelines for the first five weeks of the season, veteran cornerback Champ Bailey made his 2013 debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Bailey completed his first practice of the 2013 regular season with full participation on Wednesday.

“It was a tough challenge,” Bailey said of his first game back, a 35-19 win. “I’ll tell you that. It definitely wasn’t a cake walk. It was challenging but I’m glad I got one under my belt and I feel good going forward.”

Late in the second quarter, Jacksonville’s linebacker Paul Posluszny returned an interception for a touchdown to draw the Jaguars within two points of the Broncos.

But when the Jaguars attempted to tie the game before the half with a two-point conversion, Bailey jumped in front for an interception.

Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne was trying to hit Justin Blackmon in the back of the end zone but Bailey hauled it in and got both feet in bounds to secure the pick. Though he won that particular battle, Bailey credited Blackmon for putting up a strong fight during the game.

“He’s going to be a good receiver for a long time,” Bailey said. I really gave him props because he worked hard. He’s on a team that is (0-6) and guys can get down but that shows how special he is. He kept working and kept grinding.”

Bailey finished the day with a game-high three passes defensed and six total tackles – tied for the third most on the team.

But those numbers weren’t the only impact he had on the game.

"It was fun to have Champ out there,” Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said. “When he's out there, you tend to get balls your way. That's a challenge I was looking for today."

Fellow cornerback Chris Harris Jr. added that playing with Bailey makes things easier because over the past two years they have developed strong communication skills – each knows what the other is thinking.

Head Coach John Fox thought that the defense also benefitted from Bailey’s leadership on the field.

“I think our guys felt his leadership.” Fox said. “When you’re out there playing the game, you need a calming effect. Champ definitely gives that to our defense, especially with Wesley Woodyard not out there really for two weeks in a row. It was very exciting to have him back.”

Bailey said that he felt like he was in good shape but has some things he wants to work on moving forward. As far as the pain in his foot, it’s still there, it’s just not too much for him to handle.

“Well my foot’s not the only thing that’s going to aggravate me,” Bailey said. “That’s just how this game is. You’re never going to get over things completely but it’s just something that I can deal with and it didn’t affect me as far as my performance.

“That’s why I feel good about it.”

Broncos Honor Helton Pregame By Brandon Moree DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

Former Rockies first baseman was an honorary captain for the Broncos' game with the Jaguars.

DENVER – Before the Broncos kicked against the Jaguars Sunday afternoon, they honored recently retired Rockies first baseman and former college teammate of Peyton Manning, Todd Helton

Helton was an honorary captain for the coin toss, which the Broncos won.

“It was fun to be out there for the coin toss,” Helton said. “It was a very classy thing of the Broncos to do having me out there. I’m a big fan so it was nice to be out there and be on the field.”

The 2013 season was Helton’s 17th with the Rockies. In that time Helton racked up 2,519 hits in 2,247 regular season games for a career average of .316. He holds the Rockies’ records for career hits and homeruns.

He was a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger and three-time National League Gold Glove Award winner. In 2000 he won the NL batting title.

In his final game at Coors Field he blasted his 369th homerun.

Since the season ended Helton said that he has been hunting, relaxing and spending time with his family.

The fans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High gave Helton a standing ovation during his introduction – which included the song he used as his pre-at bat music this season.

“The Broncos are great, obviously,” Helton said. “Peyton probably helped me out a little bit. I appreciate it. I’m very honored to be out here.”

Inactives: Broncos vs. Jaguars By Brandon Moree DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

These players will not be active for Sunday's game between the Broncos and the Jaguars.

DENVER -- The following players are inactive for Sunday's game between the Broncos and the Jaguars.

Broncos:

QB Zac Dysert

RB C.J. Anderson

CB Tony Carter

LB Wesley Woodyard

G John Moffitt

T Winston Justice

DE Robert Ayers Jaguars:

QB Blaine Gabbert

WR Stephen Burton

CB Dwayne Gratz

G Jacques McClendon

T DeMarcus Love

TE Marcedes Lewis

DL Jeremy Mincey

Bruton's Fake Punt Provides Boost By Mike Morris DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

Safety David Bruton's 35-yard run on a fake punt was the Broncos' longest run from scrimmage this season.

DENVER -- The Broncos’ special teams have made a habit out of producing big plays throughout the team’s 6-0 start to the season – and in Sunday’s win over the Jaguars, it was the unit's captain’s turn to answer the bell.

David Bruton certainly didn’t disappoint.

Bruton broke off a 35-yard run on a fake punt late in the third quarter, keeping the Broncos offense on the field after an apparent three-and-out and vacuuming the momentum of the Jaguars’ defensive stand.

And for Bruton, the timing of the play could not have been any better.

“It was just great,” Bruton said after the game. “We had the field position where we wanted to, and they gave us the look. Any time we can swing momentum our way, it's been huge, and that's definitely a big thing with our special teams this year -- we've always had a play, some way, that's definitely swung the momentum in our favor in a huge way.”

The fake was something that Broncos coaches had taken into consideration in preparing for the game during the week.

“It’s something that (Special Teams Coordinator) Jeff Rodgers and (Assistant Special Teams Coach) Derius Swinton had looked at all week,” Head Coach John Fox said. “That was the first time we had it up that we had the look that we wanted. It was great execution really on the whole left side of the punt team.”

And for Bruton, it was a play that was a long time in the making.

“They just gave us the look that we've been working on for years, since I first played protector,” Bruton said. “We've been waiting to run that play for quite some time. They showed tendencies and we took advantage of it.”

Bruton’s fake punt wasn’t the only big play special teams chipped in during the afternoon.

The Broncos also snuffed out a Jacksonville fake punt on the game’s opening series, stopping the Jaguars’ run attempt easily short of a first down and giving Denver excellent field position for its first offensive possession.

It was a key stop that Bruton credited to the Broncos being aware of the possibility of a fake after other teams had run such a play in similar situations.

“We were just prepared for it, talked about watching the fake, and just being prepared,” he said.

Head Coach John Fox agreed that the team was ready for the fake.

"I think that was evident,” he said.

And on the subject of his own fake punt, Bruton’s 35-yard run is the longest by a Bronco this season – a mark that he appreciates, but certainly won’t have much attachment to.

“Hey, I will keep that as long as I can,” Bruton chuckled. “Hopefully one of the guys breaks it. And then I'm going to have to do it again.”

Manning: Moreno was ‘Awesome’ By Mike Morris DenverBroncos.com October 13, 2013

Running back Knowshon Moreno scored three crucial touchdowns in the Broncos' 35-19 win over the Jaguars.

DENVER -- When he touched the ball in the red zone on Sunday, Knowshon Moreno made sure to make it count.

Moreno scored three touchdowns in the second half of the Broncos’ 35-19 win over the Jaguars, with all three of the running back’s scores coming on runs from inside the Jacksonville 10-yard line – and all three scores giving the Broncos a crucial lift in distancing themselves from a determined Jaguars team.

“His red-zone running was huge,” quarterback Peyton Manning said after the game. “Knowshon was awesome, especially down there in the red zone.”

Moreno’s touchdown hat-trick moved him into the league lead with seven rushing touchdowns on the season. More importantly, however, his penchant for finding the end zone ensured that the Broncos put up points when they moved the ball deep into Jaguars territory – something that was pivotal to the game’s final outcome.

“He really had some great runs that allowed us to stay in the game,” tight end Julius Thomas said. “If we have to run it, if we have to throw it or whatever it is – we’re going to do what we have to do to put points on the board.”

Moreno’s touchdown trifecta began when he barreled into the end zone from a yard out on the Broncos’ opening drive of the second half, giving Denver a 21-12 lead with 12:16 to play in the third quarter.

At that point, however, the running back was merely getting warmed up.

After the Jaguars trimmed the Broncos’ lead to 21-19 midway through the third quarter, Moreno helped provide a strong response on the ensuing drive.

On third-and-2 from the Jacksonville 8, Moreno took a handoff from Manning and burst up the middle, fighting through four Jaguars defenders and powering into the end zone.

The touchdown capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive and effectively seized the momentum back for the Broncos – something that Denver would never cede the rest of the way.

"When you're putting points on the board to help your team out, that's all that matters at the end of the day,” Moreno said.

Moreno’s encore – a 3-yard touchdown scamper with 9:09 remaining – capped the scoring and effectively put the game out of reach for the Jaguars.

“Just going out there trying to make plays,” Moreno said. “At the end of the day, that's all it was. We were just trying to make plays as an offense, as a team and playing for each other.”

Moreno’s contributions ultimately were felt all over the field on Sunday.

He finished with 42 rushing yards on 15 carries, and he added 62 receiving yards on seven catches – including a key 28-yard reception on 3rd-and-20 on the Broncos’ opening possession that kept the drive alive and led to Manning’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Thomas.

Despite playing well enough to win, however, Moreno pointed out that the offense left much room for improvement.

"Like a 'C.' A 'C' is good enough,” Moreno said of how he would grade the offense. “It was good enough today, but it's not good enough to win games down the road. They played a really hard game all day and we made a lot of mistakes.”

At the end of the day, however, the final result on the scoreboard was the most important statistic for Moreno.

“We're happy that we came out with the win versus a really good team,” Moreno said. “Now we've got to move on."