Denver Broncos' defense packed with sacks in 4-0 start By Woody Paige Denver Post October 4, 2015 In every trial, the defense for Denver never rests. The Broncos' Sacknados caused havoc, chaos, disaster and another turnover, and victory, at the finish Sunday. Four in a row. An interception there, a fumble recovery here, a strong stop on fourth down, a knockdown, another pick, yet another fumble. The hits just keep on coming. And Sacks Galore. Rookie Shane Ray made his first sack Sunday and said: "Our mentality every week is to attack. We want to make it as difficult as we possibly can on an opposing offense. That's how you win, just being relentless." Three minutes into the Broncos' entanglement with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, safety T.J. Ward slammed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a 15-yard loss, forcing a punt. With 35 seconds left in the game, Ward again flew into the backfield and strip-sacked Bridgewater, forcing a fumble and the end of the Vikings' hopes and dreams. Rest in peace, Ragnar. On the sideline before the last stand, "DeMarcus (Ware) brought us all up and said, "We have to make a play to win this game, and if that ball gets on the ground again we have to recover it this time,' and that's what happened," Ward said. "I think there was about six guys that made huge plays." In between T.J.'s sacks, the Broncos' defense had five others. The last time the Broncos had more than seven was 19 years ago. The Broncos now own 18 sacks in four games, a pace that would tie the NFL record of 72 set by the Chicago Bears in 1984. The "D" in Denver had one more sack, a club sandwich of Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Malik Jackson, that was called off because of a defensive holding penalty. And the league's No. 1 defense probably would have produced three or more more sacks if Bridgewater hadn't been such a nifty getaway man. Afterward, those guys on the side of the locker room reserved for defensive linemen and linebackers were celebrating the fourth consecutive taut, tense triumph and trying to figure out who deserved the most sacks, as if they worked at the checkout counter at King Soopers. ""Well, when they look at the film, I'm getting that one instead of you," Jackson was saying to Sylvester Williams. Down the hall coach Gary Kubiak was describing his team as humble. "Humble?" I said. "Humble in the locker room," Kubiak said.

Various members of that humble team were saying: ""We are the best . . . We always step it up a notch in the fourth quarter . . . It's better for our mental toughness because we always feel like we can win the game . . . When it's on the line, we know we're going to come through." Their biggest supporter may be quarterback Peyton Manning, who was talking about this defense even if he rarely sees it perform. He's rather busy studying the pictures of the opposing defense when his own is on the field. "I have a special appreciation for great defenses — and players like Adrian Peterson," Manning said. Except for one spectacular run on a fourth-on-1 for a 48-yard touchdown (untouched), Peterson was held in check by the Broncos. "We let him get away once, but, and I take responsibility for that, but, otherwise, I thought we did a good job on him," the nose tackle, Williams, said. Just when it seemed as if the Broncos had run out of fantastic finishes, Manning, who threw two costly interceptions, pushed the Broncos to a field goal and a 23-20 lead, and the defense got the turnover to win the game. Sound like Baltimore? Sound like Kansas City? Sound like Detroit? This is beginning to sound repetitive. The Vikings took possession at their 20 after the field goal, and moved to a first down just shy of midfield. But, on second down, the Broncos came calling, with Ward driving Bridgewater down. The ball squiggled free, and Von Miller, who had gotten his own sack moments before, dove onto the ball. The crowd sighed. Get used to it. The Broncos aren't blowing out anybody, but there hasn't been any blowback, either. "It was a dogfight and I enjoyed it," said Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, "just like all the others. We can never rest." In 2015 the defense never rests, but it hasn't lost.

These Denver Broncos true believers By Mark Kiszla Denver Post October 4, 2015 The Broncos win only because they cannot lose. Was their tense 23-20 victory against Minnesota built on the magic found in the instant where hearts skip a beat? Is their 4-0 record the result of dumb luck? Or is something more at work? Consider this: Peyton Manning is older than Yoda. And the Force is definitely with the Denver defense. Star Wars numbers didn't get the Broncos a championship. But maybe a little Star Wars philosophy can. "Faith moves mountains," Denver defensive end Antonio Smith said Sunday. "The more you go out believing you will win, and you just so happen to find a win? It builds momentum." So far this NFL season, all the bounces seem to fall Denver's way. If it's not star Baltimore receiver Steve Smith dropping a pass in the end zone, it's Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles fumbling away a game. After beating the Chiefs, linebacker Von Miller joked that the Broncos defeated Kansas City through mind control. "I call it the Jedi mind trick. Yoda was the best at it," Smith said. "Von (Miller), he's almost at Yoda status. He might already be at Obi-Wan level." Maybe it's nothing more than the lack of oxygen reaching my brain at 5,280 feet above sea level. But even a curmudgeon like me can see: Destiny has hopped on board the big orange bandwagon. There's definitely something in the Denver air. All right. Go ahead. Insert your own marijuana joke here. But give me whatever the Broncos are smoking. The Mile High Magic is back. Tell me this isn't the truth: Victories by the Broncos haven't felt so preordained since Tim Tebow played quarterback. Come to think of it, some of the wobbly passes thrown by the 39-year-old Manning evoke those ducks flung on blind faith by Tebow back in 2011. Manning tossed two more interceptions against the Vikings, and the pick he threw between the numbers of linebacker Anthony Barr late in the second quarter turned what appeared to be a laugher for the Broncos into chew-the-nails indigestion. It's bewildering. One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history now hand-delivers turnovers like a bouquet of flowers. But, on the first possession of the second half, with Denver clinging to a 13-10 lead and Manning looking shaky, the Broncos marched 80 yards in eight plays, then found the end zone on a fourth-down gamble that paid off with a 1-yard pass to tight end Owen Daniels. It was a play coach Gary Kubiak said the team had repeatedly rehearsed during its Saturday walk-through practice.

The only hard part about the short touchdown catch was Daniels was so wide open that Manning didn't want either one of them to mess it up. "I feel that's kind of the hardest throw and the hardest catch," Manning said. "I'm telling you, I'd rather throw it between two guys than have that wide-open one. You see it too many times: Just don't miss a layup, as they say." Denver scored a TD to take a 20-10 lead, when a field goal would have been the safe decision. Aren't you glad Kubiak is now coaching this team instead of John Fox? Maybe the Broncos are the worst 4-0 team in the league. It's a compliment delivered with the back of the hand. But being undefeated and lucky is far better than being 2-2 despite having Andrew Luck on your side, as I'm confident Indianapolis would agree. "I do not believe the New England Patriots, all the years they were winning, had the most talent in the NFL," Smith said. "It's true. They never had a team full of talent. But they had a belief that every time they come against you, they're winning." The Broncos stumble. But they find their way, despite the bloody shins and ugly wins. "That's a good sign, right?" Manning said. Does the power of belief play a factor? "Sure," said Manning, whose 68.9 quarterback rating against the Vikings merited a D+ grade, although all that counts is that it will be recorded as a W. Without digging out the old VCR from the crawl space and rewinding a video that was due back to Blockbuster sometime in 1998, I'm pretty sure it was Yoda who said: Do. Or do not. There is no try. Every time the Broncos pull a game out of their ... faith, if you listen closely above the din of 75,000 Denver fans screaming, you can hear that little voice of Yoda.

Broncos defense holds off Vikings' late push, Denver wins 23-20 By Troy Renck Denver Post October 4, 2015 Stand in the locker room after an NFL game and the scene provides goosebumps. The coach gathers up his players, gives away game balls, then throws in a few expletives and fist pumps. The emotion is raw, serious. Into this backdrop walks linebacker Von Miller. After the Broncos pulled off a breathtaking victory at Kansas City, he eschewed Rockne in favor of psychology. "You have to have mind control," explained Miller, keeping a straight face. "When I first said it I was being funny. But I have kept saying it after that game and at practice. Guys started believing. So how do we keep pulling this off? We've got mind control." Sunday provided more Freud for thought as the Broncos twice squandered 10-point leads before securing a 23-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, a lead preserved in the final seconds when safety T.J. Ward sacked Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, forcing a fumble that Miller recovered. It's becoming easier to appreciate the Broncos' 4-0 start than explain it. The Broncos blend dominance with clumsiness, brilliance with foolishness, but when the spotlight shines brightest they display eye-opening talent and uncommon resolve. They vanquished the Baltimore Ravens on Baltimore's last offensive play. They scored twice in nine seconds at Kansas City, a loss from which the Chiefs have yet to recover. They marched down the field late in the fourth quarter to snuff out the Detroit Lions. So perhaps it was no surprise an outcome that appeared decided after Ronnie Hillman's 72-yard scoring run in the second quarter and Owen Daniels' 1-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter hung in the balance with 1:51 remaining. These Broncos don't leave Thunder panting from sprints after touchdown drives. They leave games with dirt under their fingernails, scowls on their faces and hearts in their collective esophagus. A defense that suffocated Bridgewater early, but wobbled in the fourth quarter, required one last stand. The Broncos made an important adjustment, with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips returning to a front that created trouble in the first quarter. Ward lined up on the left side over tight end Kyle Rudolph, feigning man-to-man coverage. He inched out before the snap, blitzing just as he did in the first quarter on the Broncos' first sack. It forced the Vikings to make a difficult decision on how to account for everyone. They tempered the effectiveness of DeMarcus Ware and Miller after halftime by going to a split back set and chip blocking them with tight ends. "It was getting harder to get there," said Ware, who is the only player in the league with a sack in every game this season. "We knew we had to change it up." Ward took off with bad intentions, and right tackle T.J. Clemmings missed him, as did running back Adrian Peterson. Ward reached Bridgewater, who finished 27-of-41 for 269 yards, and stripped the ball

loose. Miller pounced on it. Consider it Pepto-Bismol to the growing ulcers in the bellies of Broncos' fans. "As a defense, we aren't losing a game put on our shoulders," defensive end Malik Jackson said. "We are built to finish." Drama appeared ready to become a stranger in the second quarter. Hillman took a toss sweep, and raced down the left sideline into the end zone to revive a doormat running attack. Hillman's 72-yard run represented more yards than the Broncos rushed for in any of the three previous games. "That was the spark. We need to just keep punching the card," said Hillman, who finished with 103 yards on 11 carries while sharing time with C.J. Anderson. "We never let up. To pull this off, you have to have a huge set of. ..." Let's say guts for the kids. The Broncos grabbed a 10-0 lead then showed similar boldness on fourth-and-goal at the 1 in the third quarter. If running backs have to make tacklers miss it follows that coaches have to make defenders guess. The Broncos began their formation with reserve center James Ferentz at fullback. He jogged forward, flanking left tackle Ryan Harris. Max Garcia flanked right tackle Michael Schofield, who performed well in his first NFL start. The set howled power run. Instead, the Broncos tickled with a feather. Daniels lined up on the right side behind the tackles, and darted across the line at the snap. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who completed 17 passes for 213 yards, but kept the Vikings close with two interceptions, faked the run and lobbed the ball to an uncovered Daniels in the end zone, pushing the Broncos ahead 20-10. "A great call by the coaches. I think the defense was fooled," Daniels said. "I kind of tried to stay hidden and get as low as I could." Tied at 20 after Peterson's 48-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 and a Blair Walsh field goal — "We just needed to make one more play," Peterson said — the Broncos mocked pressure. They marched 50 yards for the game-winning score, with Manning rebounding from interceptions to ignite the drive with a 17-yard strike to Emmanuel Sanders. Brandon McManus, 9-for-9 on field-goal attempts this season, drilled a 39-yarder for a 23-20 lead. The game rested in the defense's hands. Bridgewater had the Vikings on the move. Yet no Broncos' player felt they were going to lose. "Not one person. That's what coach Kubiak spoke about with the team afterward, about how he loves how we always believe," defensive end Antonio Smith said. "Call it what you want. Von calls it mind control. The other team thinks they are going to win, but we have mind control over them."

Ronnie Hillman breathes life into Broncos' run game By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post October 4, 2015 Broncos coach Gary Kubiak explained, succinctly, what needed to happen. After three games and three wins and three shaky offensive showings, Kubiak still was searching for a run game that, in January, validated his reasoning to move to the zone-blocking scheme. Heading into Sunday's game against Minnesota he still was searching for the performances that helped running back C.J. Anderson to his first Pro Bowl a year ago and could help alleviate the pressure on 39-year old quarterback Peyton Manning. So Kubiak issued the challenge last week. Sometimes, he said, despite all the changes on the offensive line in front of them, the running backs have to create their own space. They have to make defenders miss. On Sunday, in the Broncos' 23-20 victory over the Vikings, the backs met the challenge. After gaining just 171 yards rushing through three games, the Broncos ran for 146 yards on 22 carries. It was Ronnie Hillman, a backup, who did the most to breathe life into a run game that had been on life support, gaining 103 yards on 11 carries. In the second quarter, Hillman fielded a pitch to the left from Manning out of the pistol formation and bolted through the scrum and up the left sideline 72 yards for the score and a 10-0 lead. It was the fourth-longest run from scrimmage in Broncos history. "You always need something to spark the running game," Hillman said. "This week, it was just our time." Kubiak described it as a "huge play," but one wasn't enough to change his plan on how to use Anderson and Hillman. "We're going to play them both. I think they both improved over the course of this past week. We banged pretty good on Thursday and I think they responded," Kubiak said. The opportunities and the handoffs kept coming to Anderson, even after Hillman's score. But so did the frustration. On third-and-10 in the final seconds of the third quarter, Anderson plowed through the line for a gain of 9 yards. He slapped the ground and stood up with a glare of dissatisfaction, knowing he came up short. "There were a couple big runs that I knew I could have had if I stepped out of a tackle," said Anderson, who ran for 43 yards. "So I was really more frustrated with myself. I wasn't frustrated with what was going on. It was more with me, in breaking the tackle and getting out of there." Anderson had a huge run with the game on the line. After a defensive holding call on Minnesota moved the Broncos to the Vikings' 38-yard line with the game tied at 20 and the clock at 2:20, Anderson burst through the line for a 13-yard gain. That set up Brandon McManus for a game winning 39-yard field goal.

"A lot of lanes today," Anderson said. "It's up to me and (Ronnie) to step out a little bit more on tackles so we can get what we want. But give credit to the O-line. They played their (butts) off today, and that's what you love as a running back. It's up to us to make that one person miss so we can have those big runs, like Ronnie had." The Broncos' offensive line continued its dance. A shoulder injury to starting left tackle Ty Sambrailo forced Kubiak to call up Michael Schofield, a second-year player who, before Sunday, had yet to take a regular-season snap. Schofield moved in at right tackle, with veteran Ryan Harris shifting to the left. In a blocking scheme that requires the line to migrate to one side, pull the defense along with it and open up quick and tight lanes for the backs to run through, the new front five had to work in unison with little practice. "I think the O-line just got tired of the outside noise," Hillman said, "and they started giving us lanes." But from Kubiak's vantage point on the sideline, the call was answered by more than the young faces in front of Manning. The Broncos showed their running game. There were warts, but there also were yards. "We asked a lot out of them and I think they're starting to respond," Kubiak said. "Hopefully, we took a step in the right direction running the ball." A run for the books Ronnie Hillman's 72-yard touchdown run in the second quarter tied for the fourth-longest in Broncos history. Here's a look at his company in the books: Rank Player Opp. (Date) Yards 1. ... Gene Mingo ... vs. Oakland (Oct. 5, 1962) ... 82 yards 2-T. ... Mike Anderson ... at Seattle (Nov. 26, 2000) ... 80 yards 2-T. ... Floyd Little ... at San Francisco (Oct. 25, 1970) ... 80 yards 4-T. ... Ronnie Hillman ... vs. Minnesota (Oct. 4, 2015) ... 72 yards 4-T. ... Javon Walker ... at Pittsburgh (Nov. 5, 2006) ... 72 yards 4-T. ... Joe Dawkins ... at Kansas City (Oct. 7, 1973) ... 72 yards

Von Miller reacts to sack dance fine … with more dancing By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post October 4, 2015 Von Miller’s sack dance that went viral came at cost. A big cost. Miller was fined $11,567 by the league for unsportsmanlike conduct for his rendition of a Key & Peele skit. So on Sunday, as he sprinted out of the tunnel for the start of the Broncos’ victory over the Vikings, Miller issued a message to the league, to the tune of three pumps. Again. “They don’t record that, do they?” he asked afterward. Miller tempted the league once again after he and DeMarcus Ware split a sack in the second quarter that was negated with a defensive holding call. Miller assumed his position and was about to go through the motions, but held short of the rest. He’s already shelled out enough money. And he plans to make the next one worth it. “Them pumps are expensive,” he said. “I’ve saving that for a big-time sack. I’m only going to get more sacks. If I keep pumping, it’ll get out of control.”

They Said It: Gary Kubiak, Peyton Manning, others react to win over Vikings By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post October 4, 2015 The Broncos extended to their perfect record to 4-0 with a 23-20 victory over the Vikings at home on Sunday. Here’s what coach Gary Kubiak, quarterback Peyton Manning and others had to say afterward: GARY KUBIAK, BRONCOS COACH On having talent at every position: “The entire team, like I look at Bennie (Fowler). We need to get Bennie the ball. Every time he touches it, he makes a play. What Ronnie does today, we played a little bit more two-tights today, so I think Virgil (Green) was more of a factor in what we were doing. I think everybody’s getting a chance to contribute. I think we’re continuing to find out exactly what we are in some situations, but I know we’re very deep. Hopefully we stay healthy and that’s a problem all year long.” On the fourth-down touchdown play to Owen Daniels: “Actually, we rehearsed the situation yesterday at the practice field. I told (offensive coordinator) Rick (Dennison) and the guys, if we get in this situation, this is where I’m going. We rehearsed the play a couple times throughout the course of the week and found a way to make the play. I think it’s important right there. We’ve got to be aggressive. Our defense, the way they’re playing, we end up with somebody pinned. I don’t know that you make that decision every day, but it worked out this time.” On not losing confidence in Manning: “I told (Dennison) and (quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp), ‘We’re going to keep throwing it because he’s the guy that will get us back in position to win the game.’ We ran the ball pretty well at the end there, too. I know that he has a couple of throws that he’d like to have back, but you trust him in any situation and he’s going to find a way to get his football team in position to win. I’m proud of him for being able to do that.” PEYTON MANNING, BRONCOS QB On the effectiveness of the stretch running play: “It was a toss play. With Ronnie, I love when he gets in the open field, he has that breakaway speed. It was nice to get him a chance to break away and take it down the field for a long touchdown. It’s definitely a deflating play for a defense. It was really good to see that and was a great play by Ronnie.” On scoring on fourth-and-goal: “I certainly knew that the play call was high on the charts. Obviously, we would have liked to score on that third-down play, but on fourth down you never know how a defense is going to play. Usually they’re going to sell out in one thing. They’re either going to sell out thinking that you’re either going to pass the ball or sell out thinking that you’re going to run the ball. They were pretty heavy on the run. It was a great misdirection play. Coach Kubiak and coach Dennison have some of those great roll out plays in this offense and that was one of them. Virgil kind of occupied two guys and Owen slipped away underneath. I threw it right for the sideline. I felt that’s kind of the hardest throw and the hardest catch.

He’s so open that you don’t want to overthrow him, but Owen has to be like, ‘Hurry up, let the ball get here.’ I’m glad that it ended up in his hands.” On throwing to a wide-open receiver: “I’m telling you, I’d rather throw it in between two guys probably than have that wide open one. You see it too many times, just don’t miss a layup, as they say. I think it’s all on the receiver as well because it’s an easy one to lose your concentration on.” T.J. WARD, BRONCOS S On how much he’s enjoying the aggressive play calling of Wade Phillips: “I love it. It allows me to make a lot of plays at a lot of different positions and it allows everybody else to make plays. I think there was about six guys that made huge plays today and that’s kudos to coach Wade’s defense.” On how many times he was called on a blitz today: “I was called on it about three times and I think I blitzed on my own once.” CHRIS HARRIS, BRONCOS CB On the defense posting seven sacks: “A lot of times we were able to get Bridgewater scrambling and things like that. Usually, sometimes he forces the throws on those, but today he was like, ‘No, I’m just going to take this shot.’ And he didn’t really force anything. He took the easy throw all day.” RONNIE HILLMAN, BRONCOS RB On his 72-yard touchdown run: “That was definitely a big run for us. We had to get the run game sparked this week. We had three bad weeks of running the ball and tonight we got it started.” BRANDON MARSHALL, BRONCOS ILB On whether the big defensive play late in the game is becoming something the defense now expects to happen every week: “Oh yeah. We look for that every drive. Every drive, we go out there and say ‘Let’s get one. Let’s get a turnover.’ Everybody is running to the ball, hustling, plucking at the ball and trying to get it out. We have great rush ends. Quarterbacks try to throw the ball quick and hopefully they make an errant throw. They’ve done that the last three weeks. This time, we didn’t get an interception but we got a sack and fumble when we had to.” VON MILLER, BRONCOS OLB On the team winning another close game: “I don’t even think of it as close games any more, that’s just how we play. It’s just how football is. You stop thinking about the days when we would put 40 and 50 (points) on teams; this is the National Football League and we’re playing tough teams every week. I don’t want to call it close because that’s just how it’s going to be in this league. It was another great game for us.”

EMMANUEL SANDERS, BRONCOS’ WR On Hillman’s touchdown run: “Oh man, he was gone. The whole time, I was like, ‘Run! Run!’ When I saw him score, I was excited because you know we’ve been getting a lot of scrutiny because of our run game, so it’s good to see him run the ball like that.” DEMARCUS WARE, BRONCOS OLB On if this season is one of the best starts of his career: “I think that it’s a really good start. I always talk about being consistent. It’s just the consistency that I’ve had through the first four games and letting it carry over into the rest of the season. I’m thinking about that. I have a good supporting cast with T.J., Von and all of these other players on the team. It’s a good thing to have that.” TEDDY BRIDGEWATER, VIKINGS QB On the Broncos’ defensive speed: “You have to make faster decisions with the football — get the ball out of your hand faster. At the same time, you can’t be too worried about the rush. [We] just have to continue to just execute our offense. Sometimes it was tough to step up. Those guys on the edge do a great job of rushing up field — Von Miller and Demarcus Ware. The guys up front — the two inside guys — do a great job of understanding how Denver rushes. They know that the quarterback is going to have to step up in the pocket, so they kind of close those lanes. Like I said, some of those sacks could have been avoided. We’re not here to point fingers.” On being sacked seven times: “This isn’t a finger pointing session. We’re going to watch the tape tomorrow and we’re going to make some corrections and go from there. I take credit for that, too. Maybe if I throw the ball away or something like that — throw the ball in the dirt and live to see another down — avoid some sacks, then maybe we’ll be in a different ballgame.” ADRIAN PETERSON, VIKINGS RB On the Broncos’ defensive speed: “Offensively you have to play fast tempo. They present trouble. For the most part, I think we did an OK job. You never want to give up the sacks that we did, but there were opportunities where we chipped. The tackles did a great job on the defensive ends, but we’ve got to make sure we execute. They present a heck of a lot.” On his fourth quarter touchdown run: “(The line of scrimmage) spread like the Red Sea; it just opened up. I think (Broncos CB Aqib) Talib, maybe, he was right in the middle of the field, and he was already pursuing in so I just had to cut. He turned his hips, but it was too late. I was already gone.” On Von Miller: “He’s a great talent and a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed playing against him. I really didn’t have too many encounters with him, but that might be good for both of us. It was a fun game. Anytime you’re playing a defense where you have Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, those guys up front, Talib on the outside

— they’ve got a good defense. I look forward to playing teams like that. (I have) just the up-most respect for them. I have to salute those guys. They did a good job today.”

Omar Bolden, Ty Sambrailo among Broncos' inactives vs. Vikings By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post October 4, 2015 The Broncos (3-0) host the Vikings (2-1) in a Week 4 matchup that pits the top overall defense in yards allowed per game with one of the top rushing offenses. Here are the game's inactives and top storylines: INACTIVES Safety Omar Bolden, quarterback Trevor Siemian, outside linebacker Lerentee McCray, guard Shelley Smith, left tackle Ty Sambrailo, defensive end Kenny Anunike and tight end Mitchell Henry will be inactive for Sunday's game against Minnesota. Sambrailo, who injured his shoulder last weekend at Detroit, was ruled out Friday. Veteran tackle Ryan Harris will move to the left side to take his spot, and Michael Schofield will take over at right tackle. Sunday's game will be Schofield's first regular-season game of his career. Inactive for the Vikings: quarterback Trevor Heinicke, receiver Charles Johnson, cornerback Jabari Price, safety Andrew Sendejo, linebacker Edmond Robinson, tight end Chase Ford and defensive end Justin Trattou. Ripple effects of new offensive line. Peyton Manning's front five, again, has yet to play regular-season snap together. A shoulder injury to Sambrailo forced at least one move along the line, but the Broncos opted to make two: Harris to left tackle and Schofield to right. The shuffle is just the latest among many dating back to last season, when, in effort to boost the run game, former offensive coordinator Adam Gase moved seven players on the line by the season's end. The Broncos opened this season with a group that had yet to play together, because left guard Evan Mathis hadn't signed until midway through the preseason. And the transition showed: Manning was sacked seven times in the first two games, the run game struggled to pick up yards and the offense, as a whole, failed to find a rhythm while trying to marry the styles of coach Gary Kubiak and Manning. Changes are nothing new to this offense. But the timing of this one is unfortunate. After three games, the Broncos' offense appeared to find a sort of compromise, allowing Manning to play out of the shotgun and pistol formations at Detroit. He was 31-of-42 for 324 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the win, and he was sacked only once. But Manning and the line face another stout pass-rushing defense Sunday. Minnesota's Mike Zimmer, a defensive-minded coach Manning holds in high regard, even labeling him as a founder of the type of 4-3 he runs, was DeMarcus Ware's defensive coordinator from 2005-06 in Dallas. In Minnesota, he has another elite pass rusher in defensive end Everson Griffen (3.0 sacks), giving the Broncos' line no time for adjustment. Kubiak said Friday that he felt "comfortable" with the protection in last Sunday's game at Detroit, but can only hope the shuffle doesn't lead to more hits on his quarterback.

Kubiak added that a point of emphasis going into the Week 3 matchup was creating plays on first down. The Broncos found ways to get the ball to receivers but, again, struggled to the run ball, compiling only 41 yards on 19 carries in the win at Detroit. This week, the onus remains on the running backs and the lines to create holes and dart up field, but they won't come easy, even against a defense that has allowed the ninth-most rushing yards (119.3) this season. Kubiak made it clear he's looking for more from C.J. Anderson and his backs, and although they face a challenge with yet another iteration of their offensive line, the yards must come. "Sometimes as a back, you've got to do a little bit more," Kubiak said. "You're in this league to make some plays that nobody else can make sometimes. We're calling on those guys to do some of that. We're all trying to get better and calling on everybody's best." Adrian Peterson vs. Broncos' D. Ware and Von Miller are tied with a league-leading 21 pressures (quarterback hits, hurries and sacks combined) through three games this season, according to Pro Football Focus. And the Broncos' defense as a whole has allowed 259 total yards and 176.3 passing yards per game, league lows in both categories. Last weekend, the Broncos' pass rush and secondary faced two of the NFL's top receivers in Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. Now the defense will be tested on the ground; the Broncos rank sixth against the run (82.7 yards per game) and will face the No. 3 rushing offense (144.3 yards per game) in the Vikings. Peterson, who returned this season after missing more than year, had only 10 carries in his first game but quickly ran his way back to being the top-ranked rusher through Week 3, with 291 yards. "For us to be a defense that we know we can be, we've got to go in here and we've got to play our best against A.P.," Miller said. "He's going to make plays and we've got to limit those 60-yarders and those 80-yarders. ... There has never been a running back like him in the league. He's going to make plays. We've just got to keep them down to a minimum." Penalties. The NFL set a record with penalties called in the first three weeks of the season. The Broncos alone have accounted for 25, costing them a total of 224 yards. The majority have been on the defensive side. Miller and Ware have disputed a few, but both said they won't let the penalties affect their aggression. There is a fine line, however, and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, along with Kubiak, has emphasized that the line shouldn't be crossed. Not at this rate. "Coach Kubiak talked about the penalties," Phillips said. "I said we've got to be smarter about some of the penalties. We want to be aggressive, but we want to be smart aggressive. The drives that they've had against us, several of them have been really helped by penalties. We understand that. We're working hard on that and I think we'll do better as we go."

Demaryius Thomas shakes off big hit, provides key offensive spark for Broncos By Cameron Wolfe Denver Post October 4, 2015 Demaryius Thomas was en route to perhaps his best game of the season Sunday. His chemistry with quarterback Peyton Manning was at its apex. And Minnesota had no answer in coverage as Thomas caught a career-high tying seven first-half passes for 74 yards. Then the Vikings found an answer in the form of safety Harrison Smith's helmet. On a third-and-11 play early in the third quarter, Manning threw a screen pass to Thomas to the left for a short gain. Smith delivered a chilling helmet-to-helmet hit on Thomas. Thomas' neck snapped back, forcing him to the locker room for further evaluation. He returned later and made critical plays in the game-winning drive, finishing the day with nine receptions for 93 yards. "I haven't got hit that hard in a minute," Thomas said. He was in a laughing mood after the game mostly because he was OK and the Broncos escaped with the victory. But at the time of the hit, it was a scary moment for Thomas, the only Broncos receiver with more than two receptions Sunday. His usual partner in causing mayhem, receiver Emmanuel Sanders, was shut out during the first half. "We feed off of each other a lot," Sanders said. "We understand that we want to be the best tandem in the NFL. Today he had a great game. I had a mediocre game. And sometimes it's going to be like that." As it turned out, Thomas was about all the Broncos needed in the passing game. His return to the field was integral to the Broncos' final scoring drive. Thomas drew a key second-down pass interference call on Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes to keep the drive moving forward on Minnesota's side of the field. Four plays later Brandon McManus kicked the game-winning field goal. Manning pointed out a key play Thomas made that most receivers would have not. That was a third-down reception where Thomas pulled his best Shaquille O' Neal impression and boxed out Vikings safety Robert Blanton for a 24-yard reception. While Thomas shined, the offense as a whole is a work in progress. Thomas said he sees improvement every week, but eliminating turnovers and penalties is the next step. Ronnie Hillman's 72-yard touchdown run provided hope that the run game will get well again. "We got a group of guys that never quit," Thomas said. "It's not a lot of teams that can say that they are 4-0."

Broncos’ bests/worsts vs. Vikings: Michael Schofield, defense By Cameron Wolfe Denver Post October 4, 2015 The best and worst from the Broncos’ 23-20 win over Minnesota in their Week 4 game on Sunday… BESTS Tackle Schofield did right by his performance. Right tackle Michael Schofield played his first snap Sunday. Schofield didn’t give up any egregious sacks and looked like a competent starting right tackle. Mission accomplished. Objective No. 1 for the Broncos’ defense this week was to stop Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. Mission acccomplished. Peterson came into Week 4 as the NFL’s leading rusher. He had a big run in the fourth quarter, but finished with less than 100 yards. That’s a win for Denver. Opportunistic D. For the fourth straight week, a defensive play saves the day. On Sunday, it was a T.J. Ward’s strip sack, and Von Miller recovered the ball. WORSTS Coverage, penalties haunt secondary. We’ve learned to develop high standards for the Broncos secondary. But Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby struggled with penalties and missed assignments especially in the first half. It only takes one. Sly Williams was pushed aside on Adrian Peterson’s fourth-quarter 48-yard touchdown run. The run defense played well, but that one rush brought life to a the Minnesota offense. Missed opportunity. Cody Latimer didn’t play any offensive snaps in Week 3 and his only meaningful play Sunday was a first-quarter hold on a run call. Grades Offense: B- Coach Gary Kubiak let Peyton Manning continue with what worked at Detroit: playing out of shotgun and the pistol. The running game came alive with Ronnie Hillman’s 72-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and the backs collectively finished with 144 yards. But Manning, playing behind the re-shuffled offensive line, was sacked twice and threw two interceptions. He ended the game 17-of-27 for 213 yards and one touchdown. Defense: A- Wade Phillips threw the kitchen sink at the Vikings and held Adrian Peterson to only 34 yards rushing through three quarters. More impressive: The Broncos recorded seven sacks, the last of which was a strip-sack by T.J. Ward to seal the win. But Peterson sprinted through the Broncos’ defensive line on a fourth and 1 early in the fourth quarter for a 48-yard touchdown run. And, a defensive holding call on Aqib Talib on a third-and-7 in the second quarter extended a Minnesota drive that finished with a field goal. Special Teams: A

The Brandon McManus Show goes on. On a day the league as a whole struggled with kicking, McManus made all three of his field-goal attempts, the last of which (39 yards) was the game-winner with 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter. He also made a 33- and 47-yarder to extend his perfect streak to 9-of-9 this season. Coaching: A Kubiak & Co. decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 in the third quarter, and Manning hit tight end Owen Daniels with a play-action pass in the left corner of the end zone. Phillips’ creativity on the defensive side resulted in seven sacks of Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and contained Peterson on the ground for three quarters. Game balls Ronnie Hillman. His 72-yard touchdown run in the second quarter breathed life into the Broncos’ running game that entered Sunday’s matchup with only 171 yards in three games. His run tied for the fourth-longest touchdown run in Broncos history. T.J. Ward. A strip-sack in the final seconds gave the Broncos seven sacks for the day and sealed the Broncos’ 23-20 victory. Ward, who also had the Broncos’ first sack of the game, now has 7.5 in his career and is the only NFL safety to record at least one in each of the past five seasons.

Adrian Peterson's big play impressive, but so is Broncos' defense By Mike Chambers Denver Post October 4, 2015 Adrian Peterson’s 81 yards rushing Sunday included 48 on one play, a touchdown run on which he went untouched. In his 15 other carries from scrimmage, the Minnesota Vikings star felt like he was covered in molasses, averaging 2.2 yards per carry. Peterson said the Broncos' defensive speed was the difference. "Guys just had to kind of adjust to the speed," Peterson said. "I feel like once we did that, we were able to create some drives and make some big plays and really extend those drives." Peterson was kicking himself for missing a block on Minnesota's final snap from scrimmage when Denver safety T.J. Ward sacked quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and forced a fumble. Linebacker Von Miller recovered the ball to seal the Broncos' victory. "Definitely frustrating, especially when I feel like it's my fault," Peterson said. "Denver did a good job of disguising, bringing Ward off the edge, kind of hesitating behind 54 (Brandon Marshall). I released, (Ward) shot and made the play. "That's one down I'll definitely learn from. Personally, I look at that and put that on me. It doesn't matter what happened throughout the game. We were in that moment. I've got to come through and make that block for Teddy." Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who also said Denver's defense played with extreme speed, tried to offset Peterson's struggles on the ground by going with a pass-heavy attack. But Denver sacked Bridgewater seven times and nearly got to him a half dozen others. "We couldn't block them when we were throwing the ball," Zimmer said. "We had to get used to the speed of their defense. They were shocked at Denver's speed." Vikings left guard Brandon Fusco said, "They had some great rushers across the board." Peterson entered the game with 291 yards rushing and a 4.9-yard average. His average against the Broncos was 5.1, thanks to his 48-yard run on a fourth-and-1 play when a huge hole opened over left guard. "It spread like the Red Sea," Peterson said. "Offensive line did a great job. It was a critical down, and we needed a yard. I love the way the guys fought." Peterson had high praise for Miller and Denver's defense as a whole. "He's a great talent, and a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed playing against him," Peterson said of Miller. "I really didn't have too many encounters with him, but that might be good for both of us. It was a fun game. Anytime you're playing a defense where you have Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, those guys

up front (and cornerback Aqib) Talib on the outside — they've got a good defense. I look forward to playing teams like that. Just the utmost respect for them. I have to salute those guys."

Manning shakes off picks to lead Broncos to 23-20 win By Mike Klis 9 News Sport October 4, 2015 As an NFL quarterback in his 18th season, Peyton Manning isn't the type who easily loses confidence. Quarterbacks don't last that long, or set all those records, by letting a couple interceptions get his dobber down. Manning overcame two picks that led to 10 Minnesota Vikings points by engineering a clutch, field goal drive on his final possession to lift the Denver Broncos to another hard-earned victory, this one by a 23-20 score on a comfortable, early-October Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. "You've got to have a short-term memory in this league as a quarterback," said Manning, who has shaken off 239 regular-season interceptions and 77 losses to also record 536 touchdown passes and 183 wins. "Yeah, two disappointing turnovers there ... but on both occasions we responded with a scoring drive.'' After blowing a 13-0 lead late in the second quarter, the Broncos were tied, 20-20 when Manning went back on the field with 5:11 left in regulation. Although Manning had overthrown Demaryius Thomas on his previous pass -- the ball landing in the arms of Minnesota safety Harrison Smith for an interception that led to a Vikings' game-tying field goal -- Denver's quarterback came out firing. Manning immediately completed a 17-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders, then hit Bennie Fowler for 11 yards. A couple nice runs by C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman, who earlier scored on a 72-yard touchdown run, set up a go-ahead, 39-yard field goal by Brandon McManus with 1:51 remaining. "I told Rico and Knapper we're going to keep throwing it," Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak said, referring to his offensive coordinator Rick Dennison and quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp. ''Because he's the guy we expect to get us back in position to win the game. We ran the ball well at the end there, too, but I know he had a couple he'd like to have back but we trust him in any situation that he's going to find a way to get his football team in position to win. I'm proud of him for being able to do that." On a day when kickers throughout the NFL missed extra points and short field goals, McManus stayed perfect for the season by going 3 of 3 on field goals and 3 of 3 on extra points. It was then up to the Denver defense to preserve that 23-20 lead. Von Miller came through with a sack – the Broncos' sixth sack of the game -- to force third-and-10, but Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is a gamer. "Bridgewater is a hell of a player," said Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. "We just have to tip our hats to them with how they battled." Bridgewater scrambled for 10 yards and a first down, then hit Mike Wallace on an 18-yard completion. But on second down, strong safety T.J. Ward blitzed and stripped Bridgewater of the ball. Miller recovered with 29 seconds remaining and the Broncos improved to 4-0. Ward's sack was his second of the game and seventh for the Broncos' defense.

"We're not really finding ways to win -- we're making ways to win," Ward said. "I I think we played a really good football team today," Kubiak said of the 2-2 Vikings. "We did some things that kept them in the game. I think we knew it would be a grind. I think we're improving in a lot of areas. We obviously need to protect the ball better. But I think we are improving, we improved today offensively with running the ball. We had a new lineup up front and proud of the way those guys played." With starting left tackle Ty Sambrailo out with a shoulder injury, the Broncos shifted right tackle Ryan Harris to the left side and inserted Michael Schoefield into right tackle. Left guard Evan Mathis missed a practice with a sore hamstring and shin while right guard Louis Vasquez missed a practice with knee soreness. Schofield, a third-round draft pick in 2014, was playing in his first NFL game. Yet, Manning only took two sacks while completing 17 of 27 for 213 yards and a 1-yard touchdown pass to Owen Daniels, while Hillman (103 yards on 11 carries) and C.J. Anderson (43 yards on 11 carries) combined for a season-best 146 yards on 22 carries, a 6.6 yard average. "I felt like we really responded," Harris said. "We accepted the challenge." Hillman's 72-yard touchdown run -- the fourth-longest in Broncos history -- lifted a weight off the maligned offensive line's collective shoulders. "That was a great run to get it going and get the energy flowing,'' said center Matt Paradis. "it did feel like we were 10 pounds lighter after that, maybe." The second half began with an explanation as to why the Denver Broncos always defer when they win the coin toss. Going into halftime, the Vikings had all the momentum, even though the Broncos were leading 13-10. The Broncos were up 13-0 until the Vikings got a 38-yard field goal from Blair Walsh -- who missed from 38 yards out earlier -- with 1:37 remaining and then an interception by Minnesota linebacker Anthony Barr of a Manning pass set up a Teddy Bridgewater touchdown pass to Mike Wallace with 17 seconds left in the half. But since Manning signed with the Broncos in 2012, the team has always chosen to defer when it wins the opening coin toss rather than take the ball to start the game. With the first possession of the second half, the Broncos quickly changed momentum with an 80-yard drive highlighted by a 43-yard pass from Manning to Sanders and finished with a fourth-and-goal, 1-yard toss from Manning to tight end Owen Daniels, who snuck from right to left behind an all-blocker, no-receiver front to find himself wide open along the left side of the end zone It was 20-10 Broncos entering the fourth quarter. But the Vikings got back in it thanks to their superstar running back Adrian Peterson. Although he was held in check most of the game, Peterson turned a game-on-the-line, fourth-and-1 into a 48-yard touchdown explosion to close the Vikings to within, 20-17 with 10:01 remaining. "It spread like the Red Sea," Peterson said of the hole he ran through the line -- and then was in the clear one step into the second level as Minnesota caught Denver in an aggressive, run-stopping blitz. "It just opened up."

Peterson's sensational run was matched and then some by Hillman in the second quarter. Entering the game ranked 31st in rushing, Denver got it going for the first time this season thanks to a simple lateral toss left to Hillman. The Denver Broncos' fourth-year running back timed it perfectly, waiting for the tight ends in front of him, Daniels and Virgil Green, to seal off the defenders. They did so while wedging a nice crease for Hillman. Speed did the rest. Hillman took off on a 72-yard touchdown run that gave a much-needed jolt to the Broncos' struggling game. "The offensive line pulled -- I don't know who it was that got the corner (Daniels) and I just saw the lane and I just ran through it and tried not to get caught," Hillman said. "it definitely felt like it got a monkey off our backs as far as our running game.'' Hillman's sprint and tenacious pressure by outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and the Denver defense were the difference until the Vikings put it together in the final 5 minutes of the first half. Bridgewater was sacked three times by three different Denver Broncos in the first quarter. Superb defensive pressure and a 33-yard field goal by Brandon McManus gave the Broncos a 3-0, first quarter lead against the Minnesota Vikings. The Broncos have yet to give up a first quarter point this season. "To start, (we) were shocked at Denver's defensive speed," said Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer. "they hit us with a couple blitzes that we hadn't seen." At 4-0, the Broncos lead the AFC West Division by two games against the 2-2 Oakland Raiders and 2-2 San Diego Chargers. The Broncos next play at Oakland next Sunday.

Bronco notes: A week later, left toss to Hillman works By Mike Klis 9 News Sport October 4, 2015 A week ago, the toss play left to Ronnie Hillman wound up giving left tackle Ty Sambrailo a bum left shoulder. Sambrailo couldn't play this week, leaving the Denver Broncos' offensive line with a scary, patched-up collection of never haves (Michael Schofield), barely playeds (Ryan Harris at left tackle) and black and blues (guards Evan Mathis and Louis Vasquez). And it's not like the 2015 Broncos' offensive line was reminding anyone of the 1980s Washington Hogs when healthy. "You have to work a little harder when you shift guys around, get used to playing next to some new guys," Mathis said. The Broncos entered week 4 of the NFL season ranked No. 31 in rushing. They were the only 3-0 team in NFL history that had not run for at least 70 yards in any of their three wins. So what happens when Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak calls that same left toss play to Hillman a week later against the Minnesota Vikings? Hillman goes 72 yards for a touchdown. "It's great to get that monkey off our back," Harris said of that touchdown run, which was the fourth-longest in Broncos history. "We've been fielding a lot of tough questions and we're just happy to come together as a unit and show what we are able to do." Hillman finished with 103 yards on 11 carries. And after a slow start, starting tailback C.J. Anderson rushed for 43 yards on 11 carries. "We had three bad weeks of running the ball and tonight we got it started," Hillman said. "This week, it was just me and C.J. got tired of everyone trying to tell us that we can't run the ball. It was just our time." Demaryius shaken up The two most visible injuries to the Broncos were suffered by receivers Demaryius Thomas and Cody Latimer. Thomas temporarily left the game with a neck injury and Latimer strained his groin. "I got hit hard,'' Thomas said. "I haven't got hit that hard in a (while). I hurt my neck and my back, but I was fine. I wanted to go back and finish the game." Thomas finished with nine catches for 93 yards. His partner, Emmanuel Sanders, had three catches for 68 yards. Bronco Bits

The longest run in Broncos history? Gene Mingo went 82 yards in a 1962 game against Oakland on Oct. 5, 1962, or 43 years ago. Floyd little in 1970 and Mike Anderson in 2000 each had 80-yard runs. … This is the eighth time the Broncos have started 4-0. They made the postseason six of the previous seven times, failing only in the Josh McDaniels' fast-sinking-ship season of 2009. … Peyton Manning is now 100-30 lifetime in regular-season home starts. … Inside linebacker Brandon Marshall led the Broncos with nine tackles. He also had a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit and pass deflection in another all-over-the-field performance.

Von Miller doesn't excessively celebrate Broncos 7 sacks By Mike Klis 9 News Sport October 4, 2015 Von Miller got his sack with 1:27 left in the game, rose up and … moved around and … did nothing. What? No sack dance? No Key and Peele double pump? We understand no triple pump. But not even one pump? "Them pumps are expensive," Miller said. The NFL fined Miller, the Denver Broncos' star pass-rushing linebacker, $11,567 for unsportsmanlike conduct last week stemming from his sack dance celebrations in previous games. Miller was impersonating the Key & Peele comedy sketch on excessive celebration where two pumps from the touchdown-scoring Key were allowed but three pumps drew a penalty flag from Peele the ref. Miller used only two pumps following his sack against Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith in week 2 and Detroit's Matthew Stafford in week 3. Miller did not draw a flag for either sack celebration but he was stiffly fined. So he had no demonstrative celebration after his late-game sack in the Broncos' 23-20 win Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. "I'm saving that for a big time sack," Miller said. "I mean, I see the dilemma the league is in. I'm only going to get more sacks. If I keep pumping it, it's going to get out of control. I understand it. If that's my biggest problem, coming up with a new sack dance, I'm good." Miller did deliver the Key & Peele three pumps as he strutted out of the home tunnel during starting lineup introductions Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. But that was his way of protesting the NFL for not knowing the clear rules between two pumps and three. "I did three just because," Miller said. Miller had one of seven sacks the Denver defense put on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Early on, it was a mismatch between a young quarterback and the most experienced defensive-minded coach in the NFL. "You have to make faster decisions with the football," Bridgewater said. The Vikings' second-year quarterback may be beyond his years in poise and maturity, and Wade Phillips, the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator in his 37th season as an NFL coach, may be young-minded with all the creative blitzes he keeps coming up with. But in the first quarter, Phillips' blitz schemes got Bridgewater sacked by three different Broncos. "To start (we) were shocked at Denver's defensive speed,'' said Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. "They hit us with a couple blitzes that we hadn't seen. They had the strong safety coming off the edge."

That was sack No. 1. It was forced by Broncos right outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who stunted up the middle. Bridgewater momentarily pivoted away from the pursuing Ware – but right into Broncos' strong safety T.J. Ward, who had been blitzing in from Ware's usual outside edge spot. The second sack was again on a Ware blitz up the A gap, only this time he cleaned up Bridgewater himself. The third sack was by Shane Ray, who was in subbing for Ware at right outside linebacker. The sack by Ray, the Broncos' first-round draft choice, was the first of his NFL career. Ware now has 4 ½ sacks in four games and 131.5 in his career to rank 13th all-time – one behind Lawrence Taylor and Leslie O'Neal, who are tied for 11th. After getting no sacks in the second and third quarters, the Broncos dropped Bridgewater four times in the fourth quarter. Defensive linemen Sylvester Williams and Malik Jackson shot up the middle to split the Broncos' fourth sack; inside linebacker Corey Nelson got his first career sack with 5:50 left. Then when the Vikings got the ball at their own 20 with 1:51 remaining, Miller got sack No. 6. Ward got his second sack of the game, seventh for the team, by stripping the ball out of Bridgewater's passing hand. Miller recovered the fumble with 29 seconds remaining. Ballgame. No sack dance. And there should be no fine. "One, was the situation," Miller said in explaining his restraint. "Two, I was tired. I was trying to save all my energy for the next rush."

'Brady vs. Manning'' book leans toward the former By Mike Klis 9 News Sport October 4, 2015 When I first heard my colleague Gary Myers was writing a book, "Brady vs. Manning,'' my immediate reaction was: you mean no one has written a book about Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, yet? Most of us NFL reporters have written multiple "Manning vs. Brady,'' stories as they have led their teams against each other 16 times. They are 2-2 in playoff games against each other with Manning's team winning the last two. But a book? Why didn't anyone think to write the definitive book about this quarterback rivalry before Myers? I am a daily reader but for most books I fall asleep after four or five pages. To show how easy the read is of this 254-page non-fiction book, I got through it in four or five days. I see why Myers, a longtime NFL writer for the New York Daily News, entitled the book, "Brady vs. Manning," and not, as I would have done, "Manning vs. Brady." From my vantage point, the book was pro-Brady. I thought this because very early in the book, as in the Introduction, Myers declared Brady the greatest quarterback of all-time. And Myers restates this position a couple more times in the book. Never mind Manning. I have always said Joe Montana was the greatest. Since when does a 4-2 record in Super Bowls surpass 4-0? I know. I know. Montana didn't have near the arm or physical stature as other greats. He did benefit greatly from the genius of Bill Walsh and the West Coast system. But regardless of coaching and system influence, poise under pressure and passing accuracy are the most important characteristics to a quarterback. And in these two areas, Montana was incomparable. He decisively outplayed both Dan Marino and John Elway head-to-head in Super Bowls. Those were my tiebreakers. "Declaring Brady the greatest ever was the columnist in me coming out," Myers told me via e-mail. "I had Montana first before the latest Super Bowl. I think Brady getting to six Super Bowls is the tie-breaker over Montana getting to four. "I also think Brady has been consistently better than Joe over the course of his career. It's splitting hairs. They are both great. I didn't think I could write 82,000 words without letting the reader know my opinion." Fair enough. And it wasn't like Myers was anti-Manning. Far from it. He did call Manning the greatest regular-season quarterback of all-time, only to dock him for his 11-13 playoff record. Fair or not, Manning's playoff record has damaged his legacy. (As a side note, it may be worth pointing out he's still playing.)

This book, though, was more a dual biography of the two best quarterbacks of the past 20 years than it was a dissertation about which was better. I was far more riveted by Brady's story, probably because as a Broncos' beat writer, I was more familiar with Manning's. I came away liking both quarterbacks. I like how Manning is engaging with the press and not afraid to put himself out there publicly through shows, commercials, speeches and self-deprecating humor. Yet, Manning closely guards his private life. I like how Brady is reticent of public gatherings and humorless, feeling more comfortable instead to pose quietly as a magazine model. Brady has been Belichick-ed. I always took the counter-intuitive approach that Brady had it easier than Manning. Manning as the No. 1 overall pick always had the enormous pressure of living up to the highest of standards. Brady as a sixth-round selection always had more rope. Ask Jeff George, Tim Couch, David Carr, JaMarcus Russell, Eric Fisher, even Jadeveon Clowney and Alex Smith if life wouldn't have been easier if they were selected in the second round. Stardom often leads to isolation and this book reveals how Manning and Brady have become good friends. Loneliness loves company. Myers is a reporter first, and it showed with the numerous interviews he did for this book – including one-on-one time with both Brady and Manning. I did enjoy the Manning anecdote about his flight with Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay the day the superstar quarterback would be released on March 6, 2012 – a move that two weeks later benefited the Denver Broncos. All in all, this book is a keepsake for NFL fans. The title alone assures that. We're all interested in what makes the great ones tick. This book provides some answers.

TJ Ward the key to another great game by the Denver D By Rod Mackey 9 News Sport October 4, 2015 Gary Kubiak called TJ Ward the player of the game in the last Broncos game, but against the Vikings, the safety was even better. Ward had the first and the last of Denver's seven sacks on Sunday, including a strip sack at the end of the game to clinch the win. "We were just talking about how we are find a way to win, well we're not really finding ways to win, we're making ways to win, we're making plays to win games and that's what you've got to do," Ward said. "We talked as a defense on the sideline, DeMarcus brought us all up and said, 'we have to make a play we have to win this game, and if that ball gets on the ground again we have to recover it this time' and that's what happened." Von Miller, who also had a sack, fell on the fumble forced by Ward, the only turnover by the Broncos. "TJ just made a great play for us and was able to get the ball out and get a turnover for us. We were getting the ball out this game, but we weren't ever able to get on it. TJ was able to make the play when it counted," Miller said. "We had enough points to win the game," added DeMarcus Ware. "We knew on that drive, I don't know, there was 1:40, or whatever, we knew that this was a stand that we needed as a defense to let us know if we really want to be the defense that we need to be, this is the stand that we need to have. Guys came out and answered to that." "We look for that every drive," said Brandon Marshall, the teams leading tackler on Sunday. "Every drive, we go out there and say 'Let's get one. Let's get a turnover.' Everybody is running to the ball, hustling, plucking at the ball and trying to get it out. We have great rush ends. Quarterbacks try to throw the ball quick and hopefully they make an errant throw. They've done that the last three weeks. This time, we didn't get an interception but we got a sack and fumble when we had to." The Broncos would prefer to put up more points, but with the way their defense is playing, they don't need to.

Von Miller looking for breakout game against Minnesota By Rod Mackey 9 News Sport October 4, 2015 DeMarcus Ware may be the NFL Defensive Player of the Month, but don't be surprised if Von Miller has a better game against the Vikings. Miller didn't have a single sack or tackle last week against the Lions and even though he was his usual disruptive force, he wants to be better this week. "I don't think it's bad luck," said Miller. "We're doing pretty well on defense. I don't know numbers, but I think we're leading the league in amount of yards they get in a game. I don't keep up with that stuff, but I know we're doing well on defense. I know I have my role and I know I've been doing my job. There is always more I can do and I feel like there is more I can do like everybody on defense. Out of three games, I feel like we feel pretty good where we're at right now." Statistics don't always tell the true story. Denver Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips believes Miller has been playing very well. "He has a sack and he had one in this last game that got called back. I believe he had, I'm guessing out of 39 rushes, he got by his guy at least 30 times in the game. He had a heck of a game as far as pressure and people don't count that, but we do because he makes the quarterback have to throw it too quick if they don't hold the ball. It helps us." Ware and Miller and the rest of that Denver defense will have to play their "A game" today. When you face Adrian Peterson everybody needs to be all in. It's the best vs the best, the best running back in the NFL vs the NFL's best defense.

Broncos hope Ronnie Hillman provides needed spark on offense By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com October 5, 2015 When the Denver Broncos wanted to cook up something to resurrect what has been a maddening, confounding, unforeseen problem in their offense, they went back to the most basic of basics. They went to the proven bread with the old reliable butter. "If you picked one play in this offense, that would be it," said Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman of his 72-yard run following the Broncos' 23-20 victory against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday in Sports Authority at Mile High. "Zones and lanes. That's what you want, zones and lanes and that play is zones and lane." And as the Broncos played yet another fingernails-on-the-chalkboard game -- they're 4-0 with their four victories coming by a combined 28 points -- they found at least a glimmer of the run game they think can put their offense back in the fast lane. It was a foundation play in the offense Gary Kubiak learned from Mike Shanahan, and that Shanahan learned, in large part, with the San Francisco 49ers dynasty. Out of a two-tight-end set -- the only time the Broncos lined up in a two-tight set in the first half of Sunday's win -- quarterback Peyton Manning wheeled, and tossed the ball to Hillman. And right out of the textbook it came, left tackle Ryan Harris cut-blocked Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway on the inside, tight end Owen Daniels pushed cornerback Terrance Newman to the outside and Hillman darted into the tailor-made crease. Hillman then broke an arm tackle of defensive end Danielle Hunter, and then outraced safety Robert Blanton and Gerald Hodges Jr. up the left sideline. "I knew it, right after I got past that first line," Hillman said. "I just wanted to run, in my head I'm just thinking, don't get caught." There it was. A glimpse of what Kubiak believes the offense can be. An offense with a future Hall of Famer at quarterback, two Pro Bowl receivers, all with the room to work because the Broncos can run the ball with effectiveness when needed. Hillman's 72-yard run was the Broncos' longest since Mike Anderson went 80 yards in the 2000 season. It was the biggest chunk in a 145-yard rushing day for the Broncos. Hillman finished with 103 yards in his 11 carries, easily the best day in what had been a trying start for the ground game. "We all know when he gets in the open field, he has that breakaway speed," Manning said. "It was nice to get him in the open field and give him a chance to break away ... definitely a deflating play as a defense." The repairs, however, aren't complete. While the Broncos can take some solace in the idea they did all of this with yet more movement in the offensive front, with Harris having moved over to left tackle from

the right side to play for the injured Ty Sambrailo, and Michael Schofield making his first career start at right tackle, their other 23 rushing attempts in Sunday's game netted 72 yards. That's just over three yards per carry for the carries that weren't Hillman's touchdown. Kubiak wouldn't bite on whether Hillman should be the team's No. 1 back. Hillman has looked the most comfortable in the new offense throughout training camp, the preseason and now a month into the regular season. All Kubiak would offer was to say "we're going to play both," as he pointed out they split the carries Sunday, 11 each for Hillman and C.J. Anderson. But for one 11-second sprint up the sideline, the Broncos hope they saw a little more of the future. "We banged pretty good on Thursday [in practice] and they responded well as players, we asked a lot of them," Kubiak said. "I think they're starting to respond, hope we took a step forward running the ball."

Broncos continue bumpy ride to 4-0 with win over Vikings By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com October 4, 2015 While it is certainly not the formula their faithful have become accustomed to over the previous three season, these Denver Broncos continued to grind their way through the season Sunday with a 23-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Despite two interceptions from quarterback Peyton Manning, the Broncos cranked up just enough of a running game (145 yards) to keep themselves among the league’s undefeated. The Broncos, after some success in the pistol formation against the Detroit Lions last week, were in pistol much of the time -- 30 snaps through three quarters -- against the Vikings. What were they thinking? Despite the fact they had to move right tackle Ryan Harris to left tackle to play for the injured Ty Sambrailo to go with Michael Schofield at right tackle for his first NFL career start, the Broncos continued to play out a three-receiver set almost exclusively in the first half. After some initial success, the Vikings were able to consistently pressure Manning and throughout the game the Broncos were efficient out of their power looks. One reason to get excited: This team’s defense, with seven more sacks added to the list against the Vikings, will be the biggest reason the Broncos are in any postseason conversation. The Broncos had three sacks in the first 19 offensive snaps – excluding punts – the Vikings had in the game and the defense continues to set the tempo for a still undefeated team. While Adrian Peterson’s 48-yard romp in the fourth quarter, on a fourth-and-inches play, was a significant blemish, until the offense finds more rhythm the Broncos are as good as their defense makes them. One reason to panic: Opposing defensive coordinators will say privately the pass they feel like they can make a play on with Manning is the ball to the left flat when the Broncos have the single receiver lined up to that side. Defenders have jumped that route repeatedly, including Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr in the second quarter Sunday. Fantasy watch: Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who entered Sunday’s game leading the Broncos in catches, receiving yards and targets, left the game in the third quarter with a neck injury after a hard hit from Vikings safety Harrison Smith to close out a 4-yard gain. Thomas was evaluated and eventually returned to the game, but it will bear watching in the coming week. Ouch: Thomas’ injury was certainly the most notable, but wide receiver Cody Latimer also left the game with a groin injury and safety David Bruton Jr. was evaluated for a concussion. Bruton was cleared to return to the game by doctors on site. Double up: Given the Broncos would seem to prefer to operate out of a more wide-open look on offense, they gave a glimpse of something that could use a longer look. The Broncos were in a two-tight end formation for one snap in the first half of Sunday’s game and it was for Ronnie Hillman’s 72-yard run for a touchdown against the Vikings’ base defense. In the first three snaps they used the formation in their opening possession of the second half, the Broncos drew a pass interference penalty that gave

them a first down to go with a 4-yard run and a 43-yard completion to Emmanuel Sanders. By contrast, the Broncos were in a four-wide receiver set, with an empty backfield, for two snaps in the first half – a sack and an interception by Manning. Decisions, decisions: The Broncos have tried to regulate Hillman’s carries at times. At 195 pounds, the Broncos don’t want to over-work him and put him in harm’s way, but there is no question right now he is the best fit in the team’s run game and his 100-yard game Sunday was proof of that. The Broncos have spent the offseason program, training camp and the season’s early going with C.J. Anderson as the lead back, but Hillman has earned a longer look.

Broncos' offensive line issues will be tested against Vikings By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com October 4, 2015 There is plenty of hand-wringing to go around among the Denver Broncos’ faithful. Sure, the team is 3-0, and sure, the defense is ranked No. 1 in the league. And while that would have been more than enough to sustain folks five short years ago, Peyton Manning and the team’s offense is usually the mood ring for its fan base. With injuries and uncertainty in the offensive line and a limping run game, the Broncos still are the proverbial work in progress when they have the ball, but they also have lost just two regular-season home games since Manning signed with the team in 2012. So, with all of that in mind, here’s a little W2W4 in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings at Sports Authority Field at Mile High: Handle the pressure: Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is a respected tactician on defense – Manning called him “in my opinion, is a founder of kind of the type of defense that he runs’’ – and Zimmer will certainly test the Broncos’ lineup up front. Defensive end Everson Griffen is the go-to guy in the pass rush, but Zimmer always has been adept at finding the weak spots as well as noticing the situations when opposing offensive lines don't communicate well. His calling card is a variety of different pressures out of what looks like the same formation, so it can be difficult for a quarterback to figure out where the rushers are coming from. And his players routinely play hard and force the issue. The Broncos will have to move the ball quickly to get it out and be aware for the delayed extra rusher coming off the ball. The third phase: Former Broncos special teams coach Mike Priefer now has the same job with the Vikings and the Vikings have been one of the league’s best on special teams in the season’s early going. Vikings opponents have had the league’s worst field position following a punt, with an average drive start at their own 13-yard line. The Vikings’ offense also has had the league’s second-best average starting field position, at the 35-yard line. The Broncos blocked an extra point in Detroit this past Sunday and their hope is Emmanuel Sanders will pop one as a punt returner as they move through the season and Sanders settles in a little more. Keep the heat on: Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been sacked just six times this season, but none of the three teams he has faced this season (San Francisco, Detroit, San Diego) can bring the kind of pressure that the Broncos have shown this season. Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner likes to use plenty of motion and screen passes to force defenses to dial back a bit. Bridgewater is accurate and poised, but doesn’t have a power arm and while he would prefer to work from the pocket, he will throw on the move when needed. So the Broncos can’t get too deep into the backfield with their rush lanes or Bridgewater will escape. The Vikings have deep speed in the formation with Mike Wallace, but it’s tight end Kyle Rudolph who leads the team in targets (19) and is tied, with Wallace, for the team lead in receptions (12). Swarm: Vikings running back Adrian Peterson leads the league in rushing and is coming off back-to-back 100-yard games. He has power at the point of attack and speed to finish things off when he finds room

to work. And the Broncos know Peterson is going to get the ball plenty along the way. Or as defensive coordinator Wade Phillips put it this week when talking about getting players to know what the opposing offense is going to do: “Hey, it's not guessing what they do; it's anticipating what they're going to do. That's the difference. If you start guessing on things, you get in trouble. If you anticipate -- like I anticipate this week when 28 (Peterson) is in the backfield, they're going to give him the ball. That's kind of the way it is. After our game, our guys are going to say, 'Hey, we knew he was going to run the ball.’" The Broncos have surrendered just four run plays in three games longer than 10 yards – all four by Jamaal Charles in Week 2. They have to get multiple players to the ball every time Peterson has it. The Vikings have been most productive when they get Peterson to the edge, with average gains of 7.3 yards per carry around the right end, 8.7 yards per carry around left end and 5.5 yards per carry off left tackle.

A diminished Peyton Manning still stands between Patriots and Super Bowl By Ian O’Connor ESPN.com October 4, 2015 Wearing a sweat-soaked T-shirt and game pants, his thigh and knee pads still firmly in place, Peyton Manning worked a receiving line of well-wishers near his corner locker Sunday night while his boss, John Elway, looked on approvingly. The quarterback of the Denver Broncos offered up handshakes and, better yet, semi-meaningful eye contact before joining this procession of giddy, middle-aged men for a photo. On some level, yeah, Peyton Manning is still Peyton Manning. He still does and says all the right things after a game even before he takes a shower. He's the same person, the same face and voice of the league. Just not the same football player, and it's probably not even close. And that's OK. Manning gets it. He's ready to win ugly at 39 and prove to his teammates he's willing to be a drummer or guitarist in the background rather than the omnipotent leader of the band. "He's shown with the new offense we've installed that he's a really unselfish guy," tight end Owen Daniels told ESPN.com after the Broncos beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-20 to make Manning a 4-0 quarterback for the sixth time in his career and to make him the NFL's second starter to win 100 home games (Brett Favre won 113). "Peyton's been doing this so long his way," Daniels continued, "and to have to change things up at this point of his career, you've got to give him credit for being super unselfish like that." But guess what? Even at a time when he's better described as super unselfish rather than just plain super, Manning might be the one and only player in the AFC who can prevent the New England Patriots from making their seventh trip to the big game in the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era. Take a quick look around the conference. If you believe Andy Dalton is your man for the job, good luck with that. No, on this day Manning didn't look like someone who could stop the defending champs from winning ring No. 5. His two interceptions nearly cost Denver the game. The first set up Minnesota's touchdown at the end of the first half, and the second set up Minnesota's tying fourth-quarter field goal with 5:11 left. But Manning responded both times on the next possession. He opened the third quarter with an 80-yard drive finished by his 1-yard scoring pass to Daniels (after two Ronnie Hillman runs failed to punch the ball in), and then he drove the Broncos toward the winning field goal that would've been the winning touchdown had Demaryius Thomas pulled in a very catchable ball. Manning passed five times on that deciding drive, proof the Broncos know their quarterback has to remain a significant player -- just not their only significant player -- if Manning is to win a second title. Before that possession, right after Manning threw his second ghastly pick, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak told his offensive assistants the following: "We're going to keep throwing it, because he's the guy that will get us back in position to win the game."

How long will he continue to be that guy? Among the Super Bowl winners of his generation, Manning projects the least amount of confidence in playing multiple seasons beyond this one. Drew Brees has said he will play into his 40s. In a private email to a friend made public, Brady predicted he would go another seven or eight seasons while his frenemy Peyton was down to a measly two. "Brady and Brees both talk about how long they're going to play, and they may very well do it because they're playing so well now," Peyton's father, Archie, told ESPN.com. "But they haven't had four neck operations like Peyton has. And I hope they don't have to." Excuse the first father of the NFL for sounding a tad defiant. Archie was the one catching passes for Peyton after those surgeries, the one who saw his own flesh and blood struggle to throw a 10-yard lob. "It was pretty ugly," Archie said. "It made you wonder if Peyton could ever be an NFL quarterback again, and nobody was sure he could do it. There wasn't anyone to build on. No quarterback or baseball pitcher had gone through what Peyton had. But I've never seen anybody work as hard as he did. "People are making a big deal out of Peyton losing arm strength and maybe too big of a deal. I heard a few people talk about it that really shouldn't be talking about it, and that's OK. That's the world we live in. No, he didn't come back four years ago with the same RPMs, but I'm proud of the adjustments he's made." In Peyton's old age, Elway the GM wants to replicate the system once built around Elway the QB, who had this terrible habit of losing Super Bowls until Denver found him a difference-maker at running back. Terrell Davis rushed for 3,758 yards and 36 touchdowns in the 1997 and '98 regular seasons, and then for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns in the subsequent postseason runs that allowed Elway to retire with no worries he'd have to face the questions that will forever haunt his contemporary, Dan Marino. Elway was good for only six touchdown passes against three interceptions in the seven postseason games that made him a back-to-back champ. As relentless as his defense is (and this might be the best defense Peyton has ever worked with), no way Manning will get away with that. He doesn't have a Terrell Davis or an Adrian Peterson behind him. He has got Hillman and C.J. Anderson, two backs who combined for a grand total of 162 yards and 1 touchdown on 60 carries over the first three games. Hillman hit a home run Sunday, taking a pitch to the left from Manning and racing 72 yards to paydirt. But again, he failed on two cracks near the goal line in the third quarter, forcing Manning to throw his one-yard touchdown pass. "The more balanced we can be," Peyton said, "I think the more pressure you can keep on a defense. I think for them to not know what you're going to be doing on any first or second down, that's what you're looking for." The Broncos ran the ball 24 times and threw it 27 times, and Elway and everyone else went home happy. Everyone except the fans longing to see Peyton Manning in his prime. His 39-year-old throws wobble more than his 29-year-old throws, and every slant pass is an adventure that leaves the crowd holding its collective breath. Manning never had Elway's arm, true, but his off-speed stuff is more off-speed than ever before. That's why Manning joked last week he's a grown-up member of The Bad News Bears trying to foul off pitches and fake his way to first base.

"He knows he's in the twilight," Archie said. It's a damn good way to go out, in fact. Ever since his surgeries and missed 2011 season, Manning is 42-10 in the regular season with 137 touchdown passes against 41 interceptions, accompanied with a third Super Bowl appearance punctuating his record-smashing 2013. These days he gets jumpy under pressure, and he needs considerable pocket space to step into throws and drive the ball down the field. But even on a day when a kid, Teddy Bridgewater, seemed like the more dangerous quarterback, Manning still knows how to bring it when the Broncos need it most. "I'm always trying to improve," he said. Manning has to improve to beat the Patriots when it counts in January, where he has actually beaten them in their past two AFC Championship Game duels. Some people around the league are already wondering if the Patriots can go 16-0 like they did in 2007, and you can count Manning's father is among them. "You look at the first three games they played," Archie said, "and you say, 'My God, who is going to beat New England?'" Probably nobody in the AFC. Nobody except, maybe, a diminished 39-year-old who doesn't need a fastball to find his way out of a jam.

Monday NFL preview: Dolphins, Eagles among teams in trouble By ESPN.com Staff ESPN.com October 5, 2015 AFC EAST Buffalo Bills: Same stuff, different week: Rex Ryan will face similar questions Monday to those he fielded two weeks ago after the Bills committed 14 penalties in a loss to the Patriots. The Bills were flagged 17 times against the Giants in Sunday's loss, and while Rex Ryan resisted the idea that the Bills are an undisciplined team, it's a legitimate question. The Bills lead the NFL in penalties, and it's costing them games. -- Mike Rodak Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins return from their trip to London with many more questions than answers following Sunday's loss to the Jets. The biggest topic is the shaky job status of coach Joe Philbin entering the team's bye week. -- James Walker New England Patriots: Patriots players return to work after having the past four days off as part of their bye week. Tight end Rob Gronkowski had said football was still going to be on his mind, as he would be watching the Cowboys-Saints game. The Patriots visit the Cowboys on Sunday and are 11-4 after the bye under Bill Belichick. -- Mike Reiss New York Jets: After an eight-hour flight back from London, the Jets are off Monday -- a treatment day for several banged-up players. They practice Tuesday and will have five straight days off for the bye week. -- Rich Cimini AFC NORTH Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco looks to remain perfect at home against the Browns on Sunday, although it's going to be a challenge without No. 1 receiver Steve Smith (back). At M&T Bank Stadium, Flacco is 7-0 against the Browns with a 95.2 passer rating. He has averaged 249.1 yards per game against Cleveland with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. -- Jamison Hensley Cincinnati Bengals: At 4-0, the Bengals are off to their best start in a decade. Quarterback Andy Dalton remains a big reason why. When the Bengals go through film review Monday, their captain likely will be hearing his share of compliments. He already got a couple from coach Marvin Lewis following Sunday's win over the Chiefs. Said Lewis: "He executed and ran the offense well. The runs he got us in and out of were great." In addition to Dalton's 321-yard passing performance, the Bengals had four rushing scores. -- Coley Harvey Cleveland Browns: The Browns stagger back to Cleveland following a tremendously painful loss to San Diego. The Browns' biggest issue this week: Figure out what is wrong with the defense, which had another poor game, giving up 358 yards passing and three TDs to Philip Rivers. -- Pat McManamon Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers reconvene Monday for the start of San Diego game prep, which means a full week of trust development between Michael Vick and Antonio Brown. The Steelers know much of their offensive success while Ben Roethlisberger is out hinges on those two hitting it off. Vick didn't want

to force throws to Brown last week against Baltimore, but after a frustrated Brown had 42 yards last week, Vick might have to trust more. -- Jeremy Fowler AFC SOUTH Houston Texans: The Texans have allowed 74 first-half points this season, the second most in the league. They've scored only 19 first-half points, the fewest in the league through four games. Now they have three days to make corrections before facing the Colts on Thursday. -- Tania Ganguli Indianapolis Colts: It's uncertain if quarterback Andrew Luck (shoulder) will practice Monday, but he'll be at the facility working out with the goal of playing in Thursday's game against the Texans. Sunday was the first time since 2009, when he was at Stanford, that Luck had missed a game due to injury. -- Mike Wells Jacksonville Jaguars: Coach Gus Bradley is going to face some tough questions on Monday about how the Jaguars managed only 13 points and lost to a Colts team without Andrew Luck. They had a chance to steal a victory and take over first place in the division and blew it. -- Mike DiRocco Tennessee Titans: The Titans return Monday from four days off and begin a more thorough look at the Bills, who come to Nashville on Sunday. The Titans enter the week 1-2 overall. -- Paul Kuharsky AFC WEST Denver Broncos: It will bear watching through the week, but wide receiver Demaryius Thomas left Sunday's win over the Vikings after he took a hit from Vikings safety Harrison Smith in the third quarter. Thomas did return to the game and had a 15-yard reception in fourth quarter, but he took a pounding Sunday and it could well impact his practice schedule this week. -- Jeff Legwold Kansas City Chiefs: Finding a third cornerback to go with starters Sean Smith and Marcus Peters is essential. The Chiefs tried their third different nickel back in three games, but Ron Parker wasn't much better than either Marcus Cooper or Jamell Fleming. Opposing quarterbacks have taken to working on that third corner, often with success. -- Adam Teicher Oakland Raiders: The Raiders' maddening trouble covering tight ends bit them again in Week 3. Chicago tight end Martellus Bennett had 11 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. Get ready for this: Oakland has allowed the tight end to catch 32 catches for 388 yards and six touchdowns in four games. Wonder if Peyton Manning -- the Raiders host Denver on Sunday -- has taken notice of that? -- Bill Williamson San Diego Chargers: It wasn't pretty, but San Diego got a scrappy 30-27 win at home over the Browns to get to 2-2 on the season. Now the Chargers have an extra day to prepare for a Monday Night Football matchup against the Steelers at home. "We just wanted to get a win," running back Danny Woodhead said. "Any time you get a win in this league, [which] is so tough to do, it doesn't matter who it is and it doesn't matter who you are playing. As long as you win the game, it is definitely a good thing." -- Eric D. Williams NFC EAST Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys will welcome back defensive end Greg Hardy and linebacker Rolando McClain from their four-game suspensions. McClain has been able to work out and take part in meetings at the team's facility, but Hardy has not. Both should be available for this week's game against the New

England Patriots. Hardy will be a big boost for the pass rush, while McClain will help the overall scheme if Sean Lee is unable to play because of a concussion suffered Sunday in the loss to New Orleans. -- Todd Archer New York Giants: The Giants are 2-2, having won two straight after losing their first two games in crushing fourth-quarter fashion. Their mentality is that they gave those first two games away and should have won them. So they don't see themselves as an underdog clawing to stay in the race. "In our mind, we're 4-0," wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said. "So the mentality is to keep it going. 5-0, 6-0 and on and on." The Giants next play the woeful 49ers at home in the Sunday night game. -- Dan Graziano Philadelphia Eagles: If the Eagles are going to recover from their 1-3 start, they at least have some recent experience to fall back on. In Chip Kelly's first season, the Eagles lost three of four to start the season. They went 7-1 in the second half and won the NFC East with a 10-6 record. That was with a different core of players, of course. Kelly will begin trying to get his handpicked team turned around this week. -- Phil Sheridan Washington Redskins: The Redskins won to reach 2-2, but they will have another injury issue to worry about this week: tight end Jordan Reed. He left Sunday's game and was evaluated for a concussion. Coach Jay Gruden will update his status during his news conference on Monday, but it's clear the Redskins can't afford to lose Reed. He's a consistent threat in the pass game with 24 catches. -- John Keim NFC NORTH Chicago Bears: The Bears' 22-20 victory over Oakland came at a cost. Starting center Will Montgomery suffered a broken fibula, which is likely to end his year. The Bears need to know if third-round pick Hroniss Grasu has developed enough to fill the void. Grasu, a healthy inactive the opening four weeks, appeared overmatched at times in the preseason. In better news, Chicago may have dodged a bullet at safety if veteran Antrel Rolle only sustained a high ankle sprain. But injuries continue to mount on both sides of the ball. After Rolle left the game, the Bears went with the safety combo of rookies Adrian Amos and Harold Jones-Quartey. -- Jeff Dickerson Detroit Lions: As the Lions try to avoid going 0-4, a player to watch will be receiver Golden Tate. This is a homecoming game for him, facing the team that drafted him out of Notre Dame and the one he won a Super Bowl with before heading to Detroit. While Calvin Johnson vs. Richard Sherman will be the marquee matchup, a big game by Tate using underneath and quick routes would be the key for Detroit if it wants to pull the upset. -- Michael Rothstein Green Bay Packers: The Packers are going to be the toast of the NFL after Sunday's win at San Francisco kept them undefeated (4-0) and for a change, their day-after-the-game routine won't be filled with medical treatments. Perhaps the best news to come out of the game was that they sustained no sigificant injuries and actually could get back a couple of injured players, receiver Davante Adams and tackle Bryan Bulaga. -- Rob Demovsky Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings will spend the next two days together as a team before players disperse for the bye week, and fixing their protection issues figures to be the top order of business. The Vikings gave up seven sacks on Sunday, including two on the final drive, and they'll prepare for another formidable pass-rushing test on Oct. 18 when Kansas City comes to town. -- Ben Goessling NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons: Although Devonta Freeman looked phenomenal in scoring three rushing touchdowns for the second consecutive week, the Falcons running back gave the offensive line all the credit for opening gaping holes for him to run through. Freeman has seven touchdowns in his past three games. Fantasy owners would be wise to start him against Washington at home next week. -- Vaughn McClure Carolina Panthers: The Panthers will begin their bye week on Monday hoping to get back middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (concussion) and wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (ankle) for an Oct. 18 game at Seattle. They'll begin getting new defensive ends Jared Allen and Ryan Delaire more acclimated to the defensive scheme, although Delaire looked pretty good with two sacks and two quarterback hurries after three days of practice. But most of all they'll begin getting bodies rested in preparation for a tough four-game stretch that begins with the Seahawks. -- David Newton New Orleans Saints: After the overtime win over the Cowboys, the Saints avoided falling into an 0-4 hole, which is especially important because of the hot starts from NFC South leaders Carolina and Atlanta. Can Drew Brees, who threw his 400th career touchdown pass in the victory, and New Orleans get back to .500 soon? The Saints have Philadelphia on the road and Atlanta at home -- on a Thursday night -- on deck. -- ESPN.com staff Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs have multiple problems to address after their 37-23 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. First, Tampa Bay could look elsewhere after kicker Kyle Brindza missed two field goals and an extra point. Then there's quarterback Jameis Winston, who threw four interceptions. Coach Lovie Smith continues to preach the need for patience, but the Bucs must deliver better results in all phases in a hurry to save this season. -- Andrew Astleford NFC WEST Arizona Cardinals: Arizona will spend Monday watching the tape of what happened against the Rams, especially in the red zone, where they were 1-for-5 in a 24-22 loss. The Cardinals will also begin looking at whether running back Andre Ellington will be able to return Sunday in Detroit. -- Josh Weinfuss St. Louis Rams: Hello, Todd Gurley, hello, Rams offense. After sputtering through most of the first three and a half games, the Rams got a jolt from Gurley and receiver Tavon Austin in Sunday's win against Arizona. With Austin doing his damage on the outside, things opened for Gurley to get the Rams' previously anemic run game going with 106 fourth-quarter rushing yards. The Rams looked like the offense they hope to be in the second half. Now they must find some consistency in order to become a serious contender. -- Nick Wagoner San Francisco 49ers: While the 49ers' defense took a step forward in a 17-3 loss to the Packers, the Niners' offense looked particularly inept. The 1-3 start is their worst since they began the 2010 season 0-5. -- Paul Gutierrez Seattle Seahawks: There hasn't been a lot of buzz surrounding Russell Wilson early in the season, but the Seahawks quarterback is completing 70.3 percent of his passes and has been intercepted only twice in 101 attempts. Due mostly to protection issues, he has had trouble pushing the ball downfield, but that could change Monday night against a Lions defense that has allowed 12 pass plays of 20-plus yards in three games. -- Sheil Kapadia

The good, the bad and the ugly from kickers in Week 4 By Scott Miller ESPN.com October 4, 2015 In Week 4, kickers provided game winners, botched extra points and crushing misses in the biggest moments. Here's a quick recap of the highlights and lowlights. The good Cairo Santos, Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs kicker accounted for all 21 of Kansas City's points against the Bengals, making seven field goal tries. That's the most in a single game since Shayne Graham converted the same number in 2007 against the Ravens. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts: Vinatieri was already having a good day, converting a 54-yard boot to put the Colts up 3-0 in the first quarter. It got even better for the future Hall of Famer, as he split the uprights in overtime to win the game with a 27-yard kick. Robbie Gould, Chicago Bears: Gould had an extra point blocked in the first quarter, but he rebounded to hit a 49-yard kick -- into a strong headwind -- with two seconds remaining in regulation. It proved to be the difference in a two-point win for the Bears. Chandler Catanzaro, Arizona Cardinals: The second-year pro hadn't been used much coming into the week (just two field goal attempts in three games), but he got called upon five times on Sunday, converting all of his opportunities. Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos: McManus continued his perfect season, converting all three of his attempts on Sunday against the Vikings. His final boot -- a 39-yarder with 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter -- ended up being the game winner. Josh Lambo, San Diego Chargers: Lambo went from goat to hero in a matter of seconds. With time expiring in the fourth quarter and the game tied, he missed a 39-yard attempt, but was given a second try after the Browns jumped offside. He converted the redo, winning the game for the Chargers. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens: It's hard to think of a more money kicker than Tucker. He came up huge again on Thursday, making all three of his attempts including a 52-yard game winner. The bad Josh Brown, New York Giants: Brown missed his first extra point on the season. Luckily for him, it didn't cost the Giants the game, as they were able to convert a two-point conversion later in the game, cruising to a 14-point win over the Bills. Caleb Sturgis, Philadelphia Eagles: A week after being signed by the Eagles to fill in for injured starter Cody Parkey, Sturgis missed two kicks from 33 yards -- one field goal and one extra point. Those four points proved costly as the Eagles lost to the Redskins by three points.

Blair Walsh, Minnesota Vikings: Walsh missed a 38-yard kick in the second quarter. It was his second miss of the year and, ultimately, the difference in the game, as the Vikings lost to the Broncos by three points. The ugly Zach Hocker, New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees and the Saints perfectly executed a two-minute drive in the fourth quarter of a tie game against the Cowboys, only to have Hocker hit the upright from 30 yards out. C.J. Spiller bailed Hocker out with an 80-yard touchdown catch on the second play of overtime. Jason Myers, Jacksonville Jaguars: Myers had two different opportunities to provide the game-winning stroke against the Colts on Sunday. On the first attempt, he missed a 53-yarder as time expired in the fourth quarter. He got a chance for redemption with a 48-yard attempt in overtime, but again failed to come through. The Jaguars ended up losing the game one possession later. Kyle Brindza, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The 22-year-old had struggled in the season's first three games (5-of-9 on field goal tries and one missed extra point). Coach Lovie Smith stood by his kicker, but that might be harder to do after Sunday, when Brindza missed two tries and had another missed extra point. Josh Scobee, Pittsburgh Steelers: He missed two late fourth-quarter field goals against the Ravens on Thursday, which allowed Baltimore an opportunity to force overtime and eventually win by three. The Steelers released Scobee on Saturday.

Denver's defense leads Broncos past Vikings 23-20 By Arnie Stapleton Associated Press October 4, 2015 Bursting through the line for jaw-dropping plays is quickly becoming the Denver Broncos' calling card. Only this time, the offense joined the party that's been "pass rushers only" until Sunday. Ronnie Hillman raced around the left sideline on a classic stretch play for a 72-yard touchdown run, and the league's top-ranked defense collected seven more sacks in a 23-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. "We had three bad weeks of running the ball and tonight we got it started," Hillman said after his third career 100-yard game. "This week it was just me and C.J. (Anderson) got tired of everyone trying to tell us that we can't run the ball." The unbeaten Broncos (4-0) revved up their ground game behind Hillman and it came in handy on a day the Vikings (2-2) picked off Peyton Manning twice and turned the takeaways into 10 points. The Broncos came into the game averaging just 57 yards rushing. With Manning in the pistol formation behind a patchwork offensive line and two tight ends lined up on the left side, Hillman went left, gathered in Manning's pitch, hit the crease and was gone down the sideline. It was the longest touchdown run by a Broncos running back in 15 years. "I knew nobody was going to catch him," teammate Demaryius Thomas said. "I was happy. It's good for the offense, gives guys confidence we can hit those long runs." Hillman finished with 103 yards on 11 carries for his third career 100-yard game. Denver's top-ranked defense limited Adrian Peterson to 81 yards on 16 carries — when Peterson was the MVP in 2012, his lowest output was 86 yards against the Texans and Wade Phillips, now Denver's defensive coordinator. Peterson did get a 48-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-inches to pull Minnesota to 20-17 with 10 minutes left. Cornerback Aqib Talib was right there in the middle, but had already turned his hips and by the time he turned back, Peterson was by him. The line "spread like the Red Sea," Peterson marveled. "It just opened up." "That's just 'AP,'" Von Miller said. "We came into the game knowing that he was going to make plays and we're fortunate that that was the only big one." Free safety Harrison Smith's interception two plays later set up Blair Walsh's tying field goal from 33 yards with 5:11 remaining. Manning drove the Broncos 55 yards in nine plays, and Brandon McManus's 39-yard field goal with 1:51 left broke the tie.

"You have to have a short-term memory in this league," Manning said of bouncing back from his two turnovers. "On both occasions we responded the next series with scoring drives." Then, Denver's defense went to work to close out another game. Peterson missed the block on T.J. Ward and Miller smothered the loose football after the blitzing safety's sack-strip of Bridgewater at midfield with 29 seconds left. "Definitely frustrating, especially when I feel like it's my fault," Peterson said, explaining Ward was hidden behind linebacker Brandon Marshall. "(I've) got to come through and make that block for Teddy." All four of Denver's wins have come down to the closing minutes. "I don't even think of it as close anymore," Miller said. "That's just how we play. It's just how football is. You stop thinking about the days when we would put up 40 and 50 (points) on teams. This is the National Football League and we're playing tough teams every week. "I don't want to call it close because that's just how it's going to be in this league. It was another great game for us." NOTES: Manning, who threw a 1-yard TD pass to a wide-open TE Owen Daniels on fourth-and-goal, has now led his teams to a 4-0 start seven times, most in NFL history. Next up at four is Fran Tarkenton. ... Hillman's long run is tied for the fourth longest in franchise history. ... Bridgewater threw for 269 yards despite not having wide receivers Charles Johnson (ribs) and Jarius Wright (hand). ... Manning joined Brett Favre (113) as the only QBs to win 100 home starts in the NFL. ... Broncos WR Cody Latimer (groin) was the only injury of note. ... The Broncos are the only team that hasn't been scored on in the first quarter.

Defense saves the day in Denver; Broncos beat Vikings 23-20 By Eddie Pells Associated Press October 5, 2015 Broncos safety T.J. Ward swept around the end untouched and took a swipe at Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The ball came loose and Von Miller pounced on it. For the fourth time in four games, defense nailed down the win for Denver. On Sunday, Ward forced a turnover with 29 seconds left to stop a Vikings drive and wrap up a 23-20 victory. "We're not really finding ways to win, we're making ways to win," Ward said. Ward's sack was the seventh of the game for the Broncos (4-0), who came into Week 4 ranked third in sacks (11) and first in overall defense. Of Denver's four wins, only one has been by more than a touchdown. Every game has featured a forced turnover in the last four minutes with the Broncos tied or up by less than a touchdown. All of which is giving Peyton Manning plenty of time to find his way in the new offense being run under coach Gary Kubiak. Manning struggled again Sunday, finishing 17 for 27 for 213 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The second interception led to Minnesota's tying field goal with 5:16 left. But Manning answered by completing two passes for 28 yards on the next drive to lead to a 39-yard field goal by Brandon McManus for the winning points. The Vikings dropped to 2-2. Manning improved to 4-0 for an NFL-record seventh time. "You don't want mistakes to happen, but when they do, you want to be able to overcome them," Manning said. "I think we did that today." Things we learned from Denver's win over Minnesota: HILLMAN CAN, TOO: Adrian Peterson wasn't the only running back with breakaway speed in this game. Yes, Peterson busted a 48-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 to make the score 20-17 in the fourth. But Ronnie Hillman of the Broncos also broke a long one. His 72-yard score was the longest touchdown run for the Broncos since 2006. THE BRIDGE: If Bridgewater has a few more games like this, opposing defenses will put all the focus on Peterson at their own risk. Bridgewater threw for 269 yards and a score and also ran three times for 23 yards. He led the Vikings to scores after both Manning interceptions. His biggest problem: holding onto the ball too long. In Minnesota's two losses, he's been sacked 13 times; in the two wins — a grand total of once. "This isn't a finger-pointing session," Bridgewater said. "We're going to watch the tape tomorrow and we're going to make some corrections. We'll go from there."

O-LINE HOLDS UP: The Broncos' juggled offensive line, which included tackle Ryan Harris moving from the right to left side and second-year tackle Michael Schofield starting on the right side in his first NFL action, was far from perfect. But it held up well enough to win. It held Vikings sack leader Everson Griffen to a single tackle. Outside of Hillman's 72-yard score, Denver's runners averaged 3.5 yards on 20 attempts — not great, but certainly easier to stomach considering Hillman did get loose for the touchdown. AP'S WHIFF: Nobody will argue that Peterson gets paid to run the ball, not block. But when Peterson didn't see Ward blitzing and ran a screen pattern instead of putting his body on the Broncos safety, it led to the sack and strip of Bridgewater that spelled the end of the game. Peterson, who finished with 16 carries for 81 yards, was blaming nobody but himself. "Put that on me," he said. "We were in that moment and I've got to come through and make that block for Teddy." GOING FOR IT: With a three-point lead and facing fourth-and-goal from the 1 on the opening drive of the second half, Kubiak took almost no time to decide what he wanted to do. The team had practiced a play action pass from Manning to Owen Daniels a few times during the week for just that situation, and Daniels made the catch for a 20-10 lead. He has caught a pass in 107 straight games, longest streak in the league for a tight end. "I think it's important right there," Kubiak said. "We've got to be aggressive."

Bridgewater, Peterson Vikings tumble 23-20 to Broncos By Pat Graham Associated Press October 4, 2015 For all he did right, Adrian Peterson's main memory from Sunday will be his missed assignment that ended Minnesota's chance for a comeback victory over Denver. Instead of chipping a blitzing T.J. Ward, Peterson went out for a screen pass. The Broncos safety breezed around the edge, swatted the ball from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Von Miller pounced on it in the final minute to wrap up a 23-20 win. "Put that on me," Peterson said. "We were in that moment and I've got to come through and make that block for Teddy." The Vikings head into their bye week at 2-2 and with an offense that's starting to click — or shows signs, anyway. Granted, Bridgewater was sacked seven times by Denver's stalwart defense, including twice by Ward. But the second-year QB did lead Minnesota back from a 20-10 deficit against the Broncos (4-0) in the fourth quarter. "He had a solid game. He played well. Commanded the huddle," said Peterson, who wore a stylish all-shades-of-purple outfit after the game. "Gave us a chance at the end." Bridgewater tapped the football once as he drifted back, scanning the field for an open receiver. By the time he saw Ward, it was way too late and the ball was in the hands of Miller. "You have to make faster decisions with the football, get the ball out of your hand faster," Bridgewater said. "At the same time, you can't be too worried about the rush. You just have to continue to execute the offense." The blame for all those sacks? Bridgewater wasn't about to point fingers. "We're going to watch the tape and we're going to make some corrections," said Bridgewater, who completed 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards. "We'll go from there." Bottled up most of the day, Peterson broke free in the fourth quarter — just when the Vikings need him most. On fourth-and-1, he found a big seam in the Broncos defense and went untouched for a 48-yard score to slice the deficit to 20-17 with 10:01 remaining. Before that run, Peterson had 14 carries for 34 yards. Asked what he saw when he was about to hit the gaping hole, Peterson grinned and said, "End zone." Mike Wallace finished with eight catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, while Stefon Diggs had six catches for 87 yards. Peterson may be Minnesota's identity, but the receivers can step up, too.

"When you have that guy (Peterson), might be one day you get the ball, might be one day you have to block all day," Wallace said. "As long as we get the win, really doesn't matter. "We didn't get this win, but if we keep fighting like that we'll get a lot of wins on the road." Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said it took the team a while to get acclimated to Denver's speed on defense. "They ran a couple of blitzes there that we had not seen," Zimmer said. "They hit us with the strong safety coming off the edge. They hadn't been a big-pressure team. After a while, we settled down." Took a little too long — a lesson Peterson hopes they take away from this game. "We still have room to grow," said Peterson, who plans to spend the bye week relaxing with his family in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and working out. "I look back and there were some missed opportunities that you can't have back. A lot to look back on. I feel like we're OK. We'll be good." NOTES: Kicker Blair Walsh made field goals of 33 and 38 yards, but also missed to the left from 38. "It's disappointing," Zimmer said. "He needs to make those kicks." ... LB Anthony Barr and FS Harrison Smith picked off Peyton Manning. ... Broncos RB Ronnie Hillman had a 72-yard TD run, which is tied for the fourth-longest scoring romp in Denver history.

NFL Today, Week 4 By Staff Associated Press October 5, 2015 SCOREBOARD Monday, Oct. 5 Detroit (0-3) at Seattle (1-2), 8:30 p.m. The Lions rank last in rushing at just 45 yards per game, and try to avoid their first 0-4 start since 2010. Seattle RB Marshawn Lynch is plagued by a hamstring injury, but rookie Thomas Rawls rushed for 104 yards last week. ___ STARS Passing — Philip Rivers, Chargers, threw three TD passes and finished 23 of 38 for 358 yards to lead San Diego to a 30-27 win over Cleveland. — Drew Brees, Saints, threw for 359 yards and two TDs — including the 400th of his career — in New Orleans' 26-20 overtime win over Dallas. — Andy Dalton, Bengals, had 321 yards passing and a TD in Cincinnati's 36-31 victory over Kansas City. — Sam Bradford, Eagles, had three touchdown tosses and was 15 of 28 for 270 yards in Philadelphia's 23-20 loss at Washington. — Alex Smith, Chiefs, threw for 386 yards on 31-of-45 passing in Kansas City's 36-21 loss at Cincinnati. — Kirk Cousins, Redskins, had 290 yards and a TD on 31-of-46 passing in Washington's 23-20 win over Philadelphia. — Josh McCown, Browns, threw for 356 yards and two scores in Cleveland's 30-27 loss at San Diego. ___ Rushing — Chris Ivory, Jets, ran for a career-high 166 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries in New York's 27-14 over Miami in London. — Rookie Todd Gurley, Rams, had 146 yards rushing on 19 carries in his first extensive action as a pro while helping St. Louis top Arizona 24-22. — Doug Martin, Buccaneers, rushed for 106 yards and a TD on 20 carries in Tampa Bay's 37-23 loss to Carolina.

— Devonta Freeman, Falcons, ran for three scores in Atlanta's 48-21 win over Houston. — Ronnie Hillman, Broncos, had 103 yards and a TD on just 11 carries in Denver's 23-20 victory over Minnesota. — Jeremy Hill, Bengals, ran for three touchdowns to help Cincinnati top Kansas City 36-21. ___ Receiving — DeAndre Hopkins, Texans, caught nine passes for 157 yards in Houston's 48-21 loss at Atlanta. — Jeremy Maclin, Chiefs, had 11 receptions for 148 yards in a losing cause as Kansas City fell 36-21 at Cincinnati. — Vincent Jackson, Buccaneers, made 10 catches for 147 yards and a TD in Tampa Bay's 37-23 loss to Carolina. — Brandon Marshall, Jets, helped lead New York over Miami 27-14 in London with seven catches for 128 yards. — Allen Hurns, Jaguars, caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a TD in Jacksonville's 16-13 loss at Indianapolis. ___ Special Teams — Cairo Santos, Chiefs, kicked a club-record seven field goals — from 22, 40, 51, 34, 40, 29 and 51 yards — in Kansas City's 36-21 loss at Cincinnati. — Robbie Gould, Bears, booted a 49-yard field goal in the closing seconds of Chicago's 22-20 win over Oakland. — Adam Vinatieri, Colts, made a 27-yard field goal in overtime to lift Indianapolis to a 16-13 victory over Jacksonville. — Josh Lambo, Chargers, kicked a 34-yard field goal to win it, moments after getting another chance when Cleveland was offside on his missed 39-yard attempt in a 30-27 victory. — Chandler Catanzaro, Cardinals, kicked five field goals — from 21, 27, 42, 38 and 29 yards — in Arizona's 24-22 loss to St. Louis. ___ Defense

— Josh Norman, Panthers, returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown and another 34 yards to set up another TD in Carolina's 37-23 win at Tampa Bay. — Nate Stupar, Falcons, had an 84-yard fumble return for a score in Atlanta's 48-21 win over Houston. — Muhammad Wilkerson, Jets, had two sacks and forced a fumble in New York's 27-14 win over Miami in London. — Desmond Trufant, Falcons, returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown to help Atlanta top Houston 48-21. — Safety T.J. Ward, Broncos, had two of his team's seven sacks in a 23-20 victory over Minnesota. ___ STARTS Cincinnati improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2005 with a 36-21 win against Kansas City. The game marked the first time in franchise history in which the Bengals amassed at least 300 net yards passing (321) and four rushing touchdowns. ... Denver's 23-20 win over Minnesota marked the seventh 4-0 start Peyton Manning has had, the most of any starting quarterback in NFL history. ... Atlanta is 4-0 for only the fourth time in franchise history. The Falcons reached the NFC championship game the past two times they started 4-0, in 2004 and 2012. ... Cincinnati (4-0) matched the third-best start in franchise history, two wins shy of the club record. ... Green Bay has its first 4-0 start since winning the initial 13 games in 2011. ___ STREAKS & STATS The New York Jets had 207 yards rushing in their 27-14 win over the Miami Dolphins in London. Chris Ivory's 166 yards were the most by a Jet since Thomas Jones ran for 210 in 2009. ... Buffalo was flagged 17 times for 135 yards in a 24-10 loss to the Giants, two weeks after the Bills were penalized 14 times for 140 yards in a 40-32 loss to New England. ... Green Bay went on the road after a Monday night game for just the fifth time since 2006, improving to 4-1 in those games with a 17-3 win at San Francisco. The Packers also improved to 10-2 during the regular season in California since 1990. ... Miami was 0 for 12 on third-down conversions and 0 for 4 on fourth down in a 27-14 loss to the New York Jets in London. ___ MILESTONES Chicago's Matt Forte had 91 yards rushing and 64 receiving in the Bears' 22-20 win over Oakland, becoming the second-fastest player (111 games) in NFL history to reach 8,000 yards rushing (8,071) and 3,500 receiving (3,860). Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is the only player to reach the milestone in fewer games (107). ... Denver's Peyton Manning earned his 100th win at home as a starter, joining Brett Favre (113) as the only QBs to reach that mark. ... Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski matched Hall of Famer Tim Brown's club record by playing in his 240th game. ... The Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. finished with five catches for 38 yards in New York's 24-10 win at Buffalo, and upped his total to 1,612 yards, the most by an NFL player through his first 16 games. ... Indianapolis' Adam Vinatieri broke Mike Vanderjagt's

franchise scoring record with his first field goal, a 54-yarder, then became the first player in NFL history to top 1,000 points with two teams on his second field goal, a 32-yarder. He won it with this third kick. ... New Orleans' Drew Brees became the fastest to reach 400 TD passes in NFL history, doing it in 205 games. He joins Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Dan Marino and Tom Brady in the 400 TD club. ___ FLYING FALCON Atlanta's Devonta Freeman became the first player in franchise history to have seven rushing touchdowns in the team's first four games to begin a season. He's also the only player since at least the 1970 NFL-AFL merger to rush for at least three touchdowns in each of his first two starts. He is also the first player to rush for at least seven TDs in his team's first four games to start a season since LaDainian Tomlinson had eight in 2005. ___ SENIOR LIVING With a right shoulder injury keeping Andrew Luck out of an NFL game for the first time, 40-year-old quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and 42-year-old kicker Adam Vinatieri celebrated their personal throwback day. Hasselbeck led the Colts on a 53-yard drive in overtime Sunday and Vinatieri finished it with a 27-yard field goal for a 16-13 victory over Jacksonville. ___ JUST JOSHIN' Cornerback Josh Norman became the first Carolina player to return a pair of interception for TDs in the first four weeks of a season. He's also the first in the league to do it in the past five years. Norman returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown and another 34 yards to set up another TD in Carolina's 37-23 win at Tampa Bay. ___ LONDON CALLING The New York Jets' 27-14 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday was the 12th regular-season NFL game at Wembley Stadium, the home of England's national soccer team. Later this season, Buffalo will take on Jacksonville on Oct. 25, and Detroit will face Kansas City on Nov. 1. It was the first time the Jets played in the NFL's International Series, the third time for the Dolphins. Miami lost the first game in 2007, 13-10 to the New York Giants. Last year, the Dolphins beat the Oakland Raiders 38-14. ___ DIVISION DOMINANCE Indianapolis defeated Jacksonville 16-13 in overtime, giving the Colts their 15th consecutive division victory — which ties the 1972-73 Miami Dolphins for the longest streak since 1970. Indianapolis' active

win streak against AFC South opponents began on December 30, 2012, when the Colts earned a 28-16 win against Houston. The Colts can break the record Thursday night at Houston. ___ COMEBACK COUSINS Kirk Cousins capped a 90-yard drive with a go-ahead, 4-yard TD toss to Pierre Garcon with 26 seconds left Sunday, lifting the Redskins past the Philadelphia Eagles 23-20. Cousins finished 31 for 46 for 290 yards, the one TD — and, most importantly for a guy with a pair of two-interception games already this season, no turnovers. He did fumble a snap in the first half at Philadelphia's 1, but recovered it and plunged forward for a touchdown, with the help of a push from running back Matt Jones. ___ DISGRUNTLED DEMARCO Philadelphia's DeMarco Murray, who missed last week's victory over the Jets with a leg injury, gained just 36 yards on eight carries in the Eagles' 23-20 loss at Washington and voiced disappointment with the way he's being used by coach Chip Kelly. After leading the NFL in rushing last season for Dallas, Murray joined Philadelphia as a free agent, and has 47 yards on 29 carries so far. ___ NOT SO FAST San Diego's Josh Lambo kicked a 34-yard field goal to win it with 2 seconds left, moments after getting another chance when Cleveland was offside on his 39-yard attempt in a 30-27 victory. Lambo was wide right as the Browns jumped up and down, thinking they'd forced overtime. But Cleveland's Tramon Williams was whistled for offside, giving Lambo another chance. ___ SIDELINED Playing at Wembley Stadium, Miami lost top cornerback Brent Grimes to a knee injury in the first quarter of the Dolphins' 27-14 loss to the Jets. ... New York lost strong safety Calvin Pryor in the fourth quarter, also to a knee injury. Linebacker David Harris hurt a quadriceps muscle in the fourth quarter, and running back Bilal Powell hurt a groin muscle in the second quarter and didn't return. Jets rookie defensive lineman Leonard Williams also sprained an ankle late in the game. ... St. Louis inside linebacker Alec Ogletree, who was carted off the field with just over five minutes left in the third quarter in Arizona, will need surgery on his injured ankle. ... The Chicago Bears got Jay Cutler back from an injured hamstring Sunday, but they lost center Will Montgomery on the opening possession with a broken leg. ... Dallas LB Sean Lee sustained a concussion at New Orleans. Lance Dunbar, who'd rushed for 54 yards in the first half, had to be helped off the field with a knee injury after returning the kickoff to open the second half. ___

SPEAKING "Just seeing the ball pop up like a greased pig, nobody really panicked because Ed picked it up mid-stride. We've just got to work on him taking that car out of neutral when he's running." — Carolina's Cam Newton on 255-pound tight end Ed Dickson, who recovered a fumble and rumbled 57 yards for a TD in the Panthers' 37-23 victory over Tampa Bay. ___ "Thankfully I got a second chance. I missed the first one and I just started laughing. Then I saw a flag on the field and said, 'Oh, OK, let's try again.' Fortunately I had a second chance." — San Diego's Josh Lambo, who kicked a 34-yard field goal to win it 30-27, moments after getting another chance when Cleveland was offside on his missed 39-yard attempt with 2 seconds left.

Broncos' confident defense cements standing in win against Vikings By Lindsay Jones USA Today October 4, 2015 Von Miller put his arms behind his head and gyrated his pelvis in a dance move that is only safe for mature audiences – and that was only in pregame introductions, before the Denver Broncos' three first-quarter sacks in a 23-20 win against the Minnesota Vikings. This is a Denver defense that is unabashed in its swagger. This is a swarming, smashing, stifling defense that has, in just a quarter of a season, transformed the identity of the Broncos. Sorry, Peyton Manning: Miller and Co. are the real stars here, silly sack dances at all. Four games into this season – the 17th for the 39-year-old Broncos quarterback – the Broncos have had to change. And yet this much of a transformation, from an offensive team to a defensive one, and so quickly, is stunning. It wasn’t so much changes in personnel, though the return of starting inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall, who both missed significant time last year with injuries, has helped. It’s that this is a group that thrives on pressure – with 18 sacks in four games – and now forced a turnover late in the fourth quarter to close out each of Denver’s four wins. This time, safety T.J. Ward played the hero. He sacked Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater near midfield with less than a minute remaining and stripped the ball from Bridgewater’s grasp. Miller pounced on the football to kill the Vikings’ comeback bid. For it to happen once, as it did in Week 1 with safety Darian Stewart’s interception against the Baltimore Ravens, could be considered luck. That it has happened four weeks in a row, with a forced fumble by Marshall against the Kansas City Chiefs, and an interception by safety David Bruton against the Detroit Lions, is something that takes planning and skill. And maybe, defensive end Antonio Smith said, it requires some super powers. For weeks, Smith said, Miller has been preaching the virtues of mind control. Sure, Denver’s opponents might think they’re going to win – and the Vikings likely did after Manning’s second interception and Bridgewater’s second fourth-quarter scoring drive to tie the game – but Denver’s defense believes differently. “Faith is blind at first. Somebody can say, we're going to be the best defense in the NFL. But if he believes it the whole year, and then at the end of the year you see the stats, he becomes a prophet at the end. But the whole time, he believed. I think that's kind of what Von's talking about,” Smith said. “We keep doing it, we're going to make Von a prophet, because it's exactly what he says. We've got mind control.” Of course there too is talent, depth and an aggressive scheme called by new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Seven different Broncos had at least a half sack Sunday against Minnesota, as Phillips is

confident in rotating in different pass rushers to keep Ware and Miller fresh. He also calls a variety of creative blitzes, including two that led to sacks from Ward. “It’s attitude,” linebacker Danny Trevathan said. “We want to play with a frenzy.” There were vulnerable moments for the Broncos defense Sunday, including a 48-yard touchdown run from Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who burst through the line on fourth-and-inches and ran untouched to the end zone. Peterson had just 34 rushing yards before that play, and finished the game with 81 yards. After Manning’s second interception (his fifth of the season) and a game-tying field goal from the Vikings’ Blair Walsh, it was time for what Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson described as a “gut check.” It was Ware who led the huddle. “It was a lot of cussing,” Ware said. “The speech that says who we are.” Now after four games, that identity is quite clear. And that sort of dominating defense is changing things for Manning and the Broncos offense, something that was clear in a goal line sequence early in the third quarter. The Broncos took the third-quarter kickoff and quickly moved down the field, thanks in part to a 43-yard pass from Manning to Emmanuel Sanders, along with a personal foul penalty on Minnesota that set Denver up with a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. When two runs from running back Ronnie Hillman came up short of the end zone, the Broncos could have made the conservative choice of a short field goal. Instead, head coach Gary Kubiak called a fourth-and-1 play the Broncos added to their game plan during Saturday’s walk-through practice. Manning, in one of his rare times he was lined up under center, faked a handoff to Hillman, took a couple steps back and lofted a pass to his left, where tight end Owen Daniels was alone in the end zone for an easy touchdown catch. “We’ve got to be aggressive,” Kubiak said. “Our defense, the way they’re playing, we end up with somebody pinned. I don’t know you make that decision every day, but it worked out this time.”

One explanation for Denver Broncos' 4-0 start is 'mind control' By Paul Klee Colorado Springs Gazette October 4, 2015 Do the Broncos have a few screws loose? Or does their unusual explanation for a 4-0 start mean they are on to something Super? Denver's brand of football isn't perfect. With a running game as moody as a teething toddler and an offensive line bound together with Band-Aids, the first quarter of a long season has been far from ideal — except in the standings. How do they explain it? "Mind control," defensive end Antonio Smith said as he slipped on a cowboy hat after the latest nail-biter, a 23-20 win against Minnesota. Come again? "I guarantee you when that ball is supposed to drop, that team you're going against is wishing they can win," Smith said. "But for some reason we got a mental (thing) that says, 'There's no way I'm going to lose.'" Smith said he borrowed the explanation from good buddy Von Miller, who addressed the locker room after one of the four times they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. "He said, 'They think they're going to win. But we've got mind control over them!'" Smith recounted. "I can't help but laugh every time he says it." There's nothing funny about the way the Broncos' defense treats quarterbacks like pinatas. Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater should be proud of the way he got back up after seven sacks — the most in a single game by a Denver defense in 19 years — to give the Vikings a chance to win Sunday at Sports Authority Field. But when palms get sweaty and the fourth quarter clicks into the final minutes, the Broncos' defense waits for the perfect moment to strike. This time it was T.J. Ward smacking Bridgewater, again, forcing him to fumble. The first time it was Darian Stewart intercepting Joe Flacco on the doorstep of the end zone against Baltimore. The second time it was Bradley Roby scooping and scoring at Kansas City. The third time it was David Bruton picking off Matthew Stafford in the Lions' den. With five minutes left in each of the four games, the score has been tied or tighter than six points. In all four, the Broncos summoned their Voodoo and won. Seven previous times they opened 4-0; in five of those they played in the Super Bowl. Depending on how you view a beer mug blessed with Breckenridge Vanilla Porter — half empty or half full — the Broncos are either walking a tight rope without a net or riding a magic wave. But there's no doubt their confidence begins to soar when it's winning time. "We knew the play was going to come," Miller said of Ward's sack-fumble. "We just didn't know when." "It shouldn't have come down to that," Chris Harris Jr. said.

True, the Broncos twice allowed the Vikings to creep into a game that had the look of a blowout. But there's something to Miller's theory, a bizarre as it sounds. "I do not believe the New England Patriots all the years they were winning had the best players," Smith said. Smith recalled a playoff game against New England in 2013. A captain for the Texans at the time, Smith approached midfield for the pregame coin toss. "Just the presence of (the New England captains) coming to the toss. Most of them didn't even shake your hand," Smith said. "We have that same thing." Denver's mind trick is a team-wide belief that no matter what happens over three quarters, someone will make a play in the fourth that turns the game in their favor. It's a confidence thing, a swag thing and, for 16 seasons around here, it was a John Elway thing. "I'm a firm believer that faith moves mountains," Smith said. "If you believe you can do it, you've got more chances to do it than not." The Mile High concession stands should double down on Pepto Bismol and bourbon, whatever takes the edge off. With an adequate sample size that suggests 42-14 blowouts are history and 23-20 nail-biters are here to stay, the Broncos have a script and they are sticking to it: Keep it close, keep it close, keep it close. Then, boom! "Another great day out here at the stadium," Miller said. The pessimist says that's a precarious way to win a Super Bowl, that Peyton Manning can't have more interceptions (two) than touchdowns (one) if the Broncos are to escape the likes of the Patriots and Bengals, that Adrian Peterson's 48-yard scoring run was a great player making a great play, a precursor to what Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will do in November. Meantime, the Broncos are convinced it's mind over matter, that their fourth-quarter mojo is sustainable all the way through January and beyond. "There's nothing magic about what we're doing," Miller said. Seven players were responsible for the seven sacks, a testament to Wade Phillips' super-aggressive schemes and the absurd talent that lines the defensive roster. "Seven, and I only got one," Miller joked. Vonnie Football executed his NSFW sack dance in player introductions but stopped short during the game in order to avoid a fine after he was docked $11,000 last week. "I'm saving it for that $22,000 fine," he said. While the Broncos weren't comfortable with upchucking a 10-point lead and allowing the Vikings to tie the score with 5:11 remaining, they were 100-percent sure someone would make the big play that sent

the thousands of Minnesota transplants back to Highlands Ranch without a smile. Mind control is one explanation, according to their star linebacker. "Von, he's almost at Yoda status," Smith said. "He's maybe like Obi-Wan." Yes, these Broncos might have a few screws loose. They also might be on to something.

DeMarcus Ware says he's found the fountain of youth with Broncos By Paul Klee Colorado Springs Gazette October 4, 2015 The fountain of youth is available for purchase. Contrary to legend, this spring of juvenescence is not located in St. Augustine, Fla., nor did Ponce de Leon discover it. It comes corked, bottled, and you must ignore the price tag. "It's expensive," DeMarcus Ware said. When I asked for more detail, the Broncos star revealed a tidy secret that threatens to turn this season into a History Channel special and send anti-aging experts to a southwest region in France. "On Thursday nights I have a glass of wine," he said. So that's the elusive fountain of youth? "That's right. A 1982 Bordeaux." The Broncos star pass rusher was joking, but only kind of. When Ware copped his metaphorical fountain of youth before this season — a vintage from his birth year — the Broncos star did so as a reward to himself. On Thursday nights he pours a glass. By then Ware is finished with his obsessive film study, a review of 40 snaps with almost every fathomable situation he could face the next Sunday. This Sunday at Sports Authority Field, when Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater encounters third-and-long, Ware has seen over three dozen episodes of that scenario and filed them away in his mind's library. Hence, film study is his time machine, a glass of red the destination. The age of football stars is a big thing around here lately, even if the real world chuckles at the notion of a 30-something being old, washed up, over the hill. But the NFL is not the real world, more of a discriminatory planet where 30-year-old running backs and linebackers are yesterday's cuts. Football years are like dog years, multiplied by seven and rounded up. Then September happened, and Tom Brady, at 38, won AFC Offensive Player of the Month, and Ware, at 33, won AFC defensive player of the month - for the first time in his 11 seasons, a bizarre statistic considering a resume that includes eight Pro Bowls and membership on the All-Decade team of the 2000s. "DeMarcus, he's playing like he's 22," said Broncos rookie Shane Ray, who is actually 22. All those studies suggesting red wine can slow the aging process? Ware assured the secret isn't actually corked in a bottle, but stored on his team-issued iPad. He has 3.5 sacks and 21 quarterback hurries, tied with cohort Von Miller for the NFL lead. If those numbers aren't enough to rattle a quarterback, the detail of his film study should. Knowledge is power, and Ware's memory squats 900 pounds.

During one game this season, Ware told Ray the opposing center was rocking backward just before he snapped the ball. During another game, at halftime, the veteran told the rookie the opposing quarterback would lean on his heels the instant before the snap. Watch for that in the second half, Ware advised. "He does enough studying for about four or five of us," Miller said. During a game against San Francisco in which Ware scored three sacks, he had noticed that left tackle Joe Staley, a particularly athletic offensive tackle, would spin to stop Ware's rush. Ware feigned a spin move, Staley bought it, and the next exit was 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. "There is a lot more dedication to film later on your career," Ware said. "If you really want to excel, you start paying attention to the small things. The little, small things are in film study." It wasn't until Ware's third season of pro football that he devoted hours each week to rewinding tape. (The next season he had 20 sacks, a career high.) Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis invited him to one of his private sessions, a gesture Ware now pays forward by extending the same invitation to Ray and other young Broncos. "(Back then) I'm looking at it like: 'I don't see anything!'" Ware said. "It's the same thing they tell me (now): 'I don't see it! I don't see it!' I go in there and tell Lerentee (McCray, another pass rusher) and the light bulb comes on: 'I see it!'" Half the time, Ware is simply setting up a lineman for his next move. All the time, he tomahawk chops at the quarterback's arm to knock the football free. "How he wasn't a defensive player of the month (in Dallas) amazes me," Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. "That's Jerry Jones' problem, I guess." With 130.5 career sacks, Ware needs 70 to break the career record held by Bruce Smith. Ware has averaged 12.5 over his past five seasons, and, on that pace, would overtake the record at age 38, if he sticks around that long. Smith played to age 40, and the next three guys on the career-sacks list - Reggie White, Kevin Greene and Chris Doleman - played to 39, 37 and 38, respectively. With two more sacks, Ware ties Lawrence Taylor with 132.5, good for 11th all-time. "It's going to be exciting to see him again and play against him and make him get his money's worth," Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson said. If it's not attention to detail keeping Ware young - in football years, of course - it's time-traveling back with his traditional pregame song, "Eye of the Tiger," or giving a pregame speech to the Englewood High football team recently, similar to when Bo Jackson spoke to his Boys and Girls Club in Alabama. "I do feel like I've found that fountain of youth," Ware said. "It feels good." Or it's popping the cork on a specific vintage he purchased before this season - with the expectation he would find reason to celebrate. "I just feel like I opened a 1982 bottle of wine and I'm drinking it right now," he said.

It may not look pretty, but unbeaten Broncos just keep finding ways to win By Chris Burke SI.com October 4, 2015 The Minnesota Vikings would have liked nothing more than to head into their Week 5 bye off an upset of the undefeated Broncos in Denver. It wasn't to be, despite a strong effort from the visitors. The Broncos used a late Brandon McManus field goal and yet another defensive flourish to hold off Minnesota, 23-20, in one of Sunday's most entertaining games. Three thoughts on the game: 1. No such thing as style points: The Broncos' fans all might need prescriptions for blood pressure meds by about Thanksgiving, but they hardly can complain about a 4-0 start—all four wins coming against teams expected, at least in the preseason, to compete for playoff spots (Baltimore, Kansas City, Detroit and Minnesota). Look, this has not been easy. Not even close. Denver needed late defensive stands to take down the Ravens and Vikings, a scoring drive plus Jamaal Charles fumble to beat the Chiefs and held on for dear life through much of the second half in Detroit. Good teams find ways to win. The Broncos continue to do so, in most instances by asking their defense to bail them out. Which it did again Sunday. There were a couple of hiccups along the way, like allowing Adrian Peterson's 48-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-1 early in the fourth quarter. It was a T.J. Ward strip sack of Teddy Bridgewater, though, that sealed the game for the Broncos late, preceded a few minutes earlier by a stand that held Minnesota to three points following an awful Peyton Manning INT. All told, Denver sacked Bridgewater seven times, highlighted by Ward's late heroics. The Vikings scored 10 in the fourth quarter, but they did not even top 200 yards of offense until that final frame. Manning's offense, meanwhile, found enough in the tank to piece together a game-winning field goal drive after Minnesota tied the game at 20. This all has been a long way from flawless. But 4-0 is 4-0. 2. The Vikings are growing up in a hurry: The standings show Minnesota as a 2-2 team, quickly fading behind the Packers in the NFC North race. While both of those statements are true, the Vikings have shown plenty in the past three weeks to indicate that they're in the playoff discussion for the long haul, regardless of whether or not they can challenge Green Bay. Twice Sunday they trailed the Broncos by double digits—13-0 in the first half and 20-10 in the third quarter. Twice they battled back, doing so behind a defense that forced two Manning INTs and a rapidly improving offense.

It goes without saying that Peterson is a critical piece in the offense's chances this season. He found a rather difficult going in Denver, yet still managed to break loose for that momentum-swinging scoring run. Peterson is a home-run threat whenever he touches the ball, and the Vikings have learned from their Week 1 loss in San Francisco by leaning on him whenever possible. Bridgewater was the better of the game's two quarterbacks Sunday. Feel free to take that as at least a slight knock on Manning, but Bridgewater was sharp throwing the football. Unfortunately for the Vikings, he also committed the turnover in the pocket that ended the game. The second-year QB may not be playing as well as the hype surrounding him each week could lead one to conclude. However, he is progressing at a nice clip. Defensively, no one on the Vikings showed more evidence of growth Sunday than linebacker Anthony Barr. He entered the game with a team-leading 20 tackles and paced the way vs. Denver with another six. Better yet, he baited Manning—future Hall of Famer, arguably the smartest to ever play his position—into an interception just before the half, setting up his team for a critical touchdown. The Vikings are leaning on youth at a number of positions, which bodes well for a promising future that will be here sooner rather than later. 3. Did the Broncos find a little something in the run game?: The numbers are skewed—of the 144 yards Denver rushed for Sunday, exactly half came on a Ronnie Hillman touchdown run. Take that play out and the Broncos produced 72 yards on 23 carries, for a measly 3.1 yards per attempt. Hardly a breakthrough. That said, both Hillman's run and the Broncos' final drive could hint at better days to come. Denver's long rush of the season entering Sunday was all of 16 yards, also by Hillman. Even an occasional explosive play out the backfield would take some heat off Manning, both hypothetically and in terms of keeping opposing defenses honest. The Broncos' defense will force turnovers and the passing attack has found a few downfield plays the past two weeks, so runs like Hillman's TD are significant bonuses. Hillman and C.J. Anderson each provided important touches on the game-winning possession—Anderson moved the chains with a 13-yard run; Hillman carried three times for nine yards. The latter does not sound like much, and Denver obviously would have preferred Hillman pick up something on a 2nd-and-6 attempt, but that the run game got involved is progress in itself. The Broncos trusted their backs to keep the ball (and the clock) moving. On three of their four carries, they did so. Baby steps.

And at the End of the First Quarter, the Score is... By Peter King MMQB.com October 5, 2015 The football season always flies. (Easy for someone writing on a laptop, not tackling someone, to say.) But we’re already through 24 percent of the regular season, and this column will focus on some truths—bitter, euphoric, surprising, real—and some consequences after four intriguing weekends. For starters: • New England is the best team in the league. Tom Brady has come back with a vengeance, and I’d be surprised if they finish worse than 14-2. Toughest games left: Jets in October, Broncos in November, Jets in December. • In the NFC, Green Bay is the best. Four wins by at least eight points, a quarterback who will never throw an interception the rest of his life, and a sneaky good defense averaging 4.3 sacks a game. • While we’re at it, here’s the First Quarter MVP ballot. 1. Tom Brady, QB, New England. No franchise wideout, and running backs Bill Belichick picked out of a hat. 2. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay. Value increased by playing so well without Jordy Nelson. 3. DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Denver. Reborn under Wade Phillips. Watt-like impact, with so much help from his mates. 4. Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati. Stop laughing. Average yards per pass play: Dalton 10.2, Rodgers 8.1. 5. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta. Classic case of “makes everyone around him better.” • Kickers now fail, just like real people. PATs missed in 256 games last year: eight. PATs missed in 62 games this year, with the scrimmage line moved back 13 yards: 17. This was a particularly brutal weekend, with 10 kicks missed from 40 yards and in (six field goals, four extra points). Missing two on Thursday night cost Josh Scobee his job in Pittsburgh, and don’t be surprised to see rookie Kyle Brindza, who missed five in the past two Bucs games, walk the plank in Tampa. I think the trend has to do with the youth at the position—12 of 32 teams are using kickers in their first years with their teams—and the mental game the longer PAT has forced kickers to deal with. Kickers are lottery tickets. You just pick one and pray. • Joe Philbin’s got to go. One of the nicest coaches I’ve ever met, with a team that’s killing him. Count the ways: Outscored 37-3 in first quarters this year, a defensive front making a jillion dollars with one measly sack in four games, a quarterback playing tentatively, and losses by a combined 40 the past eight days to the two division teams—the Bills and Jets—their owner was counting on Miami to have vaulted past.

• Colin Kaepernick’s playing like a lost sheep in the pasture of life. DO NOT read this, Niner fans, if you feel a certain burning rivalry with the team across the Bay. Passer rating through four games: Derek Carr, Raiders, 97.7 … Colin Kaepernick, Niners, 67.7. Either his psyche or his mechanics, or both, need major surgery. Stat. • The Eagles have (crash-) landed. Chip Kelly overestimated a few things and/or people: Sam Bradford’s ability to resume his career at a high level after two bad knee injuries, DeMarco Murray, the smoothness of Nelson Agholor’s transition from college to pro football, new faces adjusting quickly on the offensive line, and the ability of ex-Seahawk Byron Maxwell to be a shutdown cornerback for $10.5 million a year. Don't listen to WIP this morning, Chip. • A mortal Manning. Pretty weird to see Peyton Manning rated 25th in the league, with six touchdowns and five interceptions. His arm’s not what it was even last October. But the Broncos are 4-0, and Manning finds a way to throw enough completions. He’ll be favored, incredibly, to enter November 6-0 with the Raiders, Browns and the bye coming the rest of this month. • The disappearance of RG3. In 2013, NFL players voted Robert Griffin III the game’s 15th-best player for NFL Network’s top 100 players series. Today he’s 25, healthy, and a healthy scratch. His status for the four Washington games so far: inactive, inactive, inactive, inactive. Washington coach Jay Gruden has Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy ahead of him on the depth chart. Someday, this will be a Coen Brothers movie. • The receiving boom. Last year, two receivers averaged 100 yards per game. This year seven are. It’s very early; weather and injuries tend to knock down prolific receivers as the year goes on. But Julio Jones (478 yards), Antonio Brown (478 yards) and Larry Fitzgerald (432 yards) look as special as ever. • Adrian Peterson, at 30, looks like Adrian Peterson, at 23. See him burst through the stout Denver front and sprint for an uncontested TD Sunday? His 372 rushing yards lead the league. This is a bit of a surprise: He’s won only two rushing titles, in 2008 and 2012, in seven full seasons. My guess is Peterson is pretty well aware of that, and wants to make it about seven before he retires. • We still have no idea who’s moving to LA. News bulletin: Owners will meet in New York this week, with the future of the league in Los Angeles the biggest item on the agenda. For the 68th meeting, owners will be briefed on the status of San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis bids to move to Los Angeles. Expected to happen: nothing. • The Colts are a hot mess. They’re also on the verge of being over .500 with a win at Houston on Thursday. The owner and coach and GM are not in love, and Andrew Luck has a bum shoulder. Fun times. • Roger Goodell is still commissioner, and the league is still trying to censure Tom Brady. Deflategate is out of sight, out of mind, sort of … except the league will continue to press its case to suspend Tom Brady for four games, only this time the case will be heard in 2016. The logical sentiment is to say, “Drop it.” Goodell and the league won’t do it, because so many teams around the league think Brady did something. But the league hasn’t proven its case. And stretching the battle into 2016 is not going to find the league more answers.

• Four most surprising teams (good): 1. Atlanta (4-0). A year and a half ago, no one in Atlanta had heard of Devonta Freeman and Dan Quinn. Times change. 2. New York Jets (3-1). And they get Sheldon Richardson back today from a four-game suspension. What a scary D. 3.Carolina (4-0). Not a shocker, but surprising given the dearth of weapons for Cam Newton. 4. New England (3-0). Not because they’re here and they’re good … but because they’re hammering teams as they did in 2007, and Tom Brady is quarterbacking like he did in 2007. • Four most disappointing teams: 1. Philadelphia (1-3). Stunning how bad the offensive line looks, not to mention the man they’re protecting. 2. Kansas City (1-3). In the last three games, the Chiefs are surrendering 35 points a game. 3. Baltimore (1-3). The gift of Josh Scobee won’t help against Seattle, Arizona and Cincinnati down the stretch. 4. Miami (1-3). Here because of apparent utter hopelessness. * * Now we know why Gurley went 10th Thirteen games Sunday, and the most compelling thing I saw was Todd Gurley’s fourth quarter. About 10 months past the reconstructive knee surgery that put the draft status of this Adrian Peterson run-a-like in doubt, here was the quarter-by-quarter performance of Gurley in his second game as a professional: First quarter: One carry, minus-3 yards. Second quarter: Three carries, 5 yards. Third quarter: Six carries, 38 yards. Fourth quarter: Nine carries, 106 yards, all in the final 12 minutes of the game. Total: 19 carries, 146 yards. Final score: Rams 24, previously unbeaten Cardinals 22. At Arizona. “I got one game ball!” St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher said in the Rams’ locker room. “Where’s 30? Thirty! Come up!” Fisher handed Gurley, No. 30, the football.

“This is just the beginning,” Fisher said. Afterward, what everyone was marveling about was the eight yards Gurley didn’t gain. On his last carry, the Rams were nursing the 24-22 lead. Arizona was hoping to make a stop at the Cards 38 on third-and-12 with 1:17 left in the game. The Cards had no timeouts left, but if they could stop the Rams and force a punt, they’d get the ball back deep in their territory with maybe 30 seconds left, and maybe Carson Palmer could pull out one stunning drive to a winning field goal. Gurley took a handoff from Nick Foles and darted left, through some traffic around left end and down the field. He didn’t need an escort. He broke into the clear past some exhausted but pursuing Cardinals, and as he galloped down the left sideline—looking so much like the man he was compared to a hundred times pre-draft, Peterson—teammate Tavon Austin started waving him downfield toward his first NFL touchdown. A Cardinal safety, Tony Jefferson, was all that stood between him and the touchdown. Then Gurley slowed a bit. He didn’t appear hurt, but maybe he tweaked something as he slowed some more and lowered himself to the ground inside the 10, falling at the 8-yard line. He wasn’t hurt. He was smart. Before the play, Gurley knew Arizona had no timeouts left, and he knew if he could get the first down and kill some clock, the Rams would be able to run the clock out without Arizona touching the ball again. If he scored with 65 seconds to play, what would happen if the Rams missed the extra point? They’d have an eight-point lead, and would be kicking to one of the most explosive offenses in football. Lying down inside the 10? A no-brainer. “The way I’ve been coached here,” Gurley said over the phone after the game, “I know in a four-minute situation at the end of the half or the end of the game, if you have the lead, you don’t go out of bounds, and you don’t stop the clock. On that play, I didn’t care about the touchdown. I just cared about the win.” Gurley shouldn’t get a medal for that. He should get some appreciation for making the smart play in that situation. It capped an impressive quarter, with runs of 52, 20 and 30 yards (the final run) that only emphasized to the Rams that picking him, higher than virtually any other team would have, paid off, at least on a day when the Rams pulled the upset of Week 4. Gurley, from the University of Georgia, talked some SEC trash with LSU product Tyrann Mathieu after Mathieu hogtied him down to halt the longest run. But for the rest of the day, he let his legs do the talking. “Oh man, it feels great to have a day like this,” Gurley said. “It definitely means a lot to me, and to us. Some of these runs give me confidence that I can really do this here. I definitely knew what I was capable of, and I felt the support from the coaches and my teammates.” And the knee? “It’s fine, fine,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me. I keep up on my ice, my cold tubs, whether I think I need it or not. I feel fine now, no pain. I’ll probably feel it tomorrow.” After his debut—six carries, nine yards last week—Gurley was hearing from those around the team that he’ll be fine, don’t worry, better days are ahead. He knew it. The lack of impact wasn’t a big deal to him. “Listen,” he said to one team employee, “nobody’s gonna remember my first four games. What’d Adrian Peterson do his first four games?” Peterson, in his first four games in 2007: 76 carries, 383 yards.

Gurley’s right: No one remembers. But for the record, Gurley’s got 228 yards to get in the next two games if he wants to catch up. I doubt he's too concerned with chasing yards like that—he gave up eight, and a touchdown, that he could have had pretty easily in his coming-out party. * * * Questions about the league’s international zeal … with Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vice president/international, after the Jets-Dolphins game at Wembley Stadium Sunday. The MMQB: How was this weekend, the first of three games in a month, different from other weekends you’ve had regular-season games in England? Waller: This was our first division-rival game, so this game definitely had a different feel. It felt louder, more intense. There were visibly more Dolphins and Jets jerseys in the crowd. Overall, it was a great weekend for us because of everything happening in the area this weekend. The Rugby World Cup is here, in full swing. That’s a very big deal. And of course, the Premier League has games all weekend. Our ability to sell the game again and hold our own on a weekend with so much happening here, with beautiful weather, makes us feel legitimately valid. The MMQB: The owners meet this week in New York. Will you announce your schedule of games for next year—and will that include a game somewhere other than London? Waller: We aren’t ready to announce the schedule quite yet. Our current agreement with the owners expires in 2016 for international games, so we’re going to ask them this week for an extension of the current agreement through 2025. On top of that, we’ll be asking for a resolution to allow the International Committee the ability to schedule games in other countries without going back to owners for approval. For next season, we could realistically look at four, or potentially five, [regular-season] games outside the United States. The MMQB: Germany, Mexico and Brazil, among other countries, have been mentioned. Any decisions? Waller: Those are all good candidates. We have visited those places. Germany is helped by the infrastructure from the World Cup [Germany hosted in 2006], and Brazil is helped by the too. Brazil also has excellent facilities with the Olympics being there [in 2016]. Both of those places have world-class stadiums. There is probably a little more work to be done at Azteca Stadium [in Mexico City], which needs some work done on locker rooms and other facilities. The level of interest [outside of England] is exceptionally high. But teams, when they are going to give up a home game, have to be assured they are going to have a first-class experience where they go. The MMQB: People around the league I speak to seem really hesitant about putting a franchise in London for a lot of the logistical reasons you’d expect. What’s your gut feeling about the future in Europe—a team or teams there, or a series of games every year? Waller: I think the nervousness about putting a team there is that you can’t really test it out first—you’ve just got to do it, and then you make it work. Our appeal as a league is that all 32 teams can win. All 32 teams, every year, have a chance. We’d have to make sure in anything we did that we had that principle in mind. Week in and week out, can this team compete with every other team in the league? And the only way you can know that is by putting a team. But I would say this. When we first put

regular-season games here, there was a lot of skepticism about whether this was sustainable. But now [including this year, 13 of 14 Wembley games have been sellouts], whether we put a team in the U.K. is now a legitimate conversation and not the pipe dream it was in 2007. * * * Intriguing Team of the Week Smart teams survey their situation every week and understand that their roster is a living being. Take the Ravens over the weekend. Baltimore was given life by the Steelers (and Josh Scobee) Thursday night, and the Ravens, even with the lowly mark of 1-3 at the one-quarter mark of the season, know they’re very much alive in a flawed AFC. One problem: Baltimore’s group of receivers is decimated, even after the trade of a seventh-round pick in 2018 Saturday for St. Louis wideout Chris Givens. With Torrey Smith gone in free agency before the season, and the top three receivers on the preseason depth chart all hurt, the Ravens might have to use some of their draft capital—or maybe even a relatively superfluous good player—to get another receiver before the Nov. 3 trading deadline. In fact, much sooner than that, probably. It’s not that GM Ozzie Newsome would be in panic mode. It’s more like realism mode. Four reasons why I would not be remotely surprised if the Ravens’ weekend trade is not their last deal for a receiver this month: 1. Baltimore’s not afraid. The Ravens have made nine player trades in the past 29 months, including the deal for starting tackle Eugene Monroe two years ago this weekend. If they’ve got a hole, the way they still do at wide receiver, they usually try to fill it, even during the season. 2. The receiver depth chart is the worst in the league right now. Would you believe Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown starting at wideout, with sixth-round rookie Darren Waller number three? The only other healthy body against Cleveland next Sunday would be Givens, assuming the Ravens get him up to speed at practice this week. Rising star Michael Campanaro herniated a disk against Pittsburgh and was placed on IR. Real star Steve Smith Sr., suffered multiple microfractures in his back against Pittsburgh; he’ll miss at least one game. First-round receiver Breshad Perriman hasn’t played or practiced hard since hurting his knee on the first practice of camp in July; he just had arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday and won’t play for a while. I believe GM Ozzie Newsome will try to fix the position—if he can. 3. The Ravens have to think they’re still in the race. Next two games: Cleveland at home, San Francisco on the road. Then Arizona on the road. If the Ravens are 3-4 then, with an advantageous November (San Diego at home, bye, Jacksonville at home, St. Louis at home, at Cleveland) coming, you can see why Baltimore would look down the road and think the season is very much alive. 4. Look at Baltimore’s draft depth they can deal from in 2016. The Ravens, if compensatory pick projections are correct, have four fourth-round picks in the 2016 draft. That allows Newsome to be free now to improve his team. They have a projected 12 picks in the seven-round 2016 draft. Four of those should be Compensatory Picks for lost unrestricted free agents—in the fourth, fourth and fifth rounds, and one other undisclosed round depending on the performance of quarterback Tyrod Taylor in Buffalo. (The other fourth-rounder came in a package from Denver in exchange for center Gino Gradkowski in the off-season.)

So what does Baltimore do? Look for a forward-thinking GM with receiver depth, or in selling mode. Chicago GM Ryan Pace, with wideout Eddie Royal. Seattle GM John Schneider, with Ricardo Lockette. Washington GM Scot McCloughan, with Andre Roberts (a surprise inactive Sunday because of two recent drops). Draft picks, especially mid-round ones, are gold these days, and the Ravens have seven pieces of gold in the first four rounds next spring to use. Newsome has shown he’s not afraid to do it. * * * Quotes of the Week I “No. Not at all. I’m worried about getting this team straightened out, fixed.” —Miami coach Joe Philbin, asked if he was concerned about getting fired in the bye week after his team started 1-3. II “I’m disappointed in me as a head coach. To go out there and perform like that, it’s on the head coach.” —Houston coach Bill O’Brien, after the 48-21 loss to Atlanta, dropping the Texans to 1-3. III “We deserve better than mediocre.” —Miami fan Casey Trigiani, who ran into special adviser to the president Dan Marino in London on Friday in advance of the Jets-Dolphins game at Wembley Stadium, according to the Palm Beach Post. Trigiani said he was not pleased with the status of the team. “I know, I know. We’re working on it,” said Marino. IV “We give you scholarships, we give you stipends and meals and a place to live! We give you nice uniforms! I can’t give you guts, and I can’t give you heart! Tonight, it was BYOG! Bring your own guts, and they brought some guts and some heart!” —Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney, in a barely audible-above-the-din ESPN on-field interview after Clemson 24, Notre Dame 22. V “I don’t care what sport, what competition it is. I want these players to see there’s usually another level you can make yourself go to. It’s in you. Find it.” —Atlanta coach Dan Quinn, in my story about his motivational techniques, including “Finish Fridays.”

VI “USFL owners probably were doomed the day a flamboyant owner strutted into their lives and said: ‘Hi, I’m Donald Trump.’” —The words of late, great sports writer Ken Denlinger of the Washington Post after the United States Football League lost its legal battle with the NFL in 1986, as relayed Saturday by Washington writer and peer Dan Daly. Denlinger died of esophageal cancer Saturday. He was 73. He wrote about pro football a lot, and other things, with clarity and great description. After nine-time all-AFL tackle Jim Tyrer, a 6-7 giant, killed his wife and then himself in 1980, Denlinger wrote: “In addition to helmets, so many NFL players wear unseen masks that hide their feelings from even close friends. Mostly, they offer a brave, haughty, sometime clownish front to maintain the proper macho air, to keep us from knowing that, as a lot, they are among the most insecure workers on the planet … The largest Chief was the weakest, the most outwardly secure the most inwardly bedeviled.” * * * The Award Section OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Drew Brees, quarterback, New Orleans. He picked a heck of time to craft his 400th career touchdown pass. Playing with a bum shoulder, moments after the Saints’ kid kicker missed the chippiest of all field goals that would have won the game at the end of regulation, on the second play of overtime, on a drive that would either save or doom their season, Brees hit C.J. Spiller streaking down the right sideline past blown Dallas coverage for the winning touchdown. New Orleans 26, Dallas 20, on Brees’ historic throw. For the night, Brees went 33 of 41 for 359 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Todd Gurley, running back, St. Louis. After his inauspicious debut last week, coach Jeff Fisher said that trained eyes could see Gurley was close to breaking some of his runs. Fisher, evidently, knew what he was talking about. Gurley owned the previously unbeaten Cardinals on the road Sunday. He ran 19 times for 146 yards, and did the smart thing on the final insurance drive, going to the ground instead of running into the end zone. Gurley knew the Cardinals wouldn’t get to touch the ball again if he played it that way. The Rams drafted Gurley 10th overall last spring, when he was only five months removed from reconstructive knee surgery. For one day at least, it looks like a brilliant pick. Kirk Cousins, quarterback, Washington. Down 20-16 to Philadelphia with six minutes to go, Cousins took the ball at his 10-yard line, knowing a field goal wasn’t going to be good enough—and knowing, too, that he’d prefer not to give the ball back to the Eagles with much time left on the clock. Cousins completed six of nine passes on the 15-play, 90-yard drive for the winning touchdown, finishing it with a four-yard strike to Pierre Garcon for the game-winner. Washington 23, Philadelphia 20. Life for 2-2 Washington. Big trouble for 1-3 Philadelphia. DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK T.J. Ward, strong safety, Denver. A great pass rush needs not just a speedy front seven but also the ability of players in the secondary to make the occasional impactful blitz. That’s one of the reasons GM John Elway imported Ward from Cleveland a year and a half ago, and it really showed at the key

moment of Sunday’s 23-20 survival test at home against Minnesota. With the Vikings driving at their 47 with 35 seconds to go and down a field goal, Ward sprinted in from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s right and strip-sacked the quarterback, forcing the ball to go bounding away into the hands of Von Miller. That was Ward’s second sack of the day—the Broncos had seven, and lead the NFL with 18—and he added six tackles and a batted pass. Josh Norman, cornerback, Carolina. For the second straight week, Norman wins this incredibly prestigious honor, and will have to clear a second spot on his mantel for the invisible plaque that goes with it. On the first Tampa Bay series of the day, Norman picked off Jameis Winston and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. On the next Tampa series, his blanket coverage on third down shut down a potential Winston-to-Mike Evans long gainer. Five minutes into the third quarter, with the Bucs trying to make one last gasp and make it a game, Norman picked a ball intended for Vincent Jackson, returning it 34 yards to set up the insurance touchdown. Norman has a league-high four interceptions after four weeks. He’s a bold, athletic and confident corner with great ball skills. SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Sean Spence, inside linebacker, Pittsburgh. Midway through the third quarter of a huge rivalry game (Steelers-Ravens always comes down to big plays in the second half), Spence made the best special-teams play of the season so far. Pittsburgh led 20-14, and Baltimore had fourth-and-two from the Pittsburgh 20. Justin Tucker was lined up to kick a 38-yard field goal. Holder Sam Koch took the snap and, immediately, left-wing player Nate Boyle, a backup Baltimore tight end, went into motion to the right and took a shovel pass from Koch. Spence knifed in through a slight gap in the Ravens’ line and dove at the Boyle, tackling him for a three-yard loss. It was amazing, as though Spence knew exactly what the play was all along. That’s the kind of play that doesn’t happen without great instincts by players, or without attentive coaching. Special-teams coach Danny Smith, the 21-year NFL coaching veteran, clearly got his field-goal defense team ready to sniff out possible fakes. Beautiful play. Justin Tucker, kicker, Baltimore. Tucker scored the last nine points of a game the Ravens needed desperately, and he did it in a stadium that is notoriously rough for kickers. With 10:14 left in the fourth quarter, his 40-yard field goal brought Baltimore to within 20-17. With three seconds left in the fourth quarter, his 42-yard field goal tied it. And with 5:08 left in the game, his risky 52-yarder was a strike, right down the middle, to win it. “We were having a conversation about maybe trying to draw them offside, get a little closer and get the first down,” coach John Harbaugh said after the game. “Joe Flacco comes over to me and says, ‘Just let him win the game.’ Good call.” COACH OF THE WEEK Hue Jackson, offensive coordinator, Cincinnati. I love the symmetry Jackson has created with the Bengals offense. On Sunday, Cincinnati ran 50 plays (26 rushing plays, 24 passing) and rolled up 445 total yards, for a gaudy 8.9-yard average gain per play. He’s finding a way to feature two very good backs, Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill, who combined for four rushing touchdowns against the Chiefs. And he's keeping Andy Dalton productive and clean. For the game, Dalton was not sacked by the usually ransacking Chiefs’ rush, and he was hit on only two of his 24 pass-drops. There’s a reason Cincinnati is 4-0, and it’s because of the balance and efficiency on both sides of the ball. It’s a tribute to Jackson that he’s able to keep a lot of talented players seemingly happy—and very productive. GOAT OF THE WEEK

Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle and the Miami defense. From the first Jets’ snap of the game—a 59-yard bomb up the left sideline to Brandon Marshall—to the Chris Ivory trucking of the lavishly expensive and ineffective Ndamukong Suh, to the four scoring drives in the first half, to allowing 47 points and 552 yards in the last two first halves, to the incredible ineffective pass-rush (one sack in the first four games of the season), the Miami defense has been the league's most embarrassing unit on either side of the ball in the first quarter of the season. Not that the unit is the worst defense in the league. But with the talent and the money the front office has spent on this defense, it’s awful how poorly it has played in losing to the teams Miami must beat in the AFC East to have any chance of a playoff spot. Playoff contention at this point is a dream, and probably a new coordinator away. * * * Stats of the Week I Last week, on the heels of his team being penalized a heavy 30 times in the first three games, Buffalo coach Rex Ryan said, “We want to be the least-penalized team in the league. No team spends more time looking at the rules than we do, I promise you.” Buffalo, playing in friendly home environs on Sunday, was whistled for offensive holding four times (once declined), unsportsmanlike conduct twice, false start three times, unnecessary roughness twice, illegal formation once, defensive pass interference once, defensive holding once, offensive pass interference once, running out of bounds on a punt once, an illegal pass once, and a chop block nullifying a penalty on a touchdown that was called back and would have cut the Giants’ lead to 24-17 in the fourth quarter. For the game: 17 accepted penalties, 135 yards. Both were week-four league-highs. Giants 24, Bills 10. “I’ve been a part of a 20-some penalty performance by the Ravens, okay? And we went on and fixed it. We’ll fix it here,” Ryan said. II It was supposed to take Jim Harbaugh a while—or, at least a while longer than five games—to turn around the Michigan football fortunes. • Michigan, 2014: 5-7. Average score: Opponents 22.4, Michigan 20.9 • Michigan, 2015: 4-1. Average score: Michigan 27.8, Opponents 7.6. * * * Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me Atlanta has the most advantageous remaining schedule of any team in the NFL. The Falcons do not play a team with a current winning record for the next nine weeks, and only one of their remaining foes (Carolina, twice) has a winning record this morning. The Atlanta slate: Week 5: Washington (2-2)

Week 6: at New Orleans (1-3) Week 7: at Tennessee (1-2) Week 8: Tampa Bay (1-3) Week 9: at San Francisco (1-3) Week 10: Bye Week 11: Indianapolis (2-2) Week 12: Minnesota (2-2) Week 13: at Tampa Bay (1-3) Week 14: at Carolina (4-0) Week 15: at Jacksonville (1-3) Week 16: Carolina (4-0). Week 17: New Orleans (1-3). * * * Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week This will be Ross Tucker’s travel note of the week, seeing that I did not travel anywhere in the past seven days. Tucker, the former NFL offensive lineman and current NFL media impresario, does a Sunday game as sideline reporter for Westwood One radio, and last weekend found himself in Nashville to do Colts-Titans. Tucker is the second-most famous person from Wyomissing, Pa. The first is Taylor Swift. And the night before the football game, lo and behold, Swift was playing Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Tucker knows Taylor Swift’s father, and texted him, and they met up. Scott Swift gave Tucker and his wife tickets to the show and backstage passes, and they met Taylor Swift before the show. “Most surreal moment of the night was walking by Mick Jagger in the hallway backstage,” Tucker said. Two other Tuckerian notes … 1. Twitter followers for each Wyomissing native, as of 6 p.m. Saturday: • Taylor Swift: 64,289,150. • Ross Tucker: 141,058. Still plenty of time to catch up, Ross. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. 2. Weekend in the life of Tucker: He worked in the booth for Columbia at Princeton on Friday night, William & Mary at Delaware on Saturday night, drove home to Harrisburg after the game, slept a few hours, drove five hours to Orchard Park, N.Y., did Giants-Bills on Sunday afternoon, and drove home to Harrisburg post-game. Now there’s a football weekend. * * *

Ten Things I Think I Think 1. I think this is what I liked about Week 4: a. Devonta Freeman. What burst and power. b. The fight of the Rams. c. J.J. Watt, in what was an unfair fight against undrafted Atlanta free-agent right tackle Ryan Schraeder from Valdosta (Ga.) State. Watt ran around Schraeder for a pretty easy sack, then batted down a Matt Ryan pass. d. Block of the day: Frank Gore’s blitz pickup. e. Excellent reversal in Chicago by referee Jeff Triplette, seeing that Amari Cooper got both feet in bounds on his touchdown in Chicago. f. Latavious Murray’s hands out of the backfield for Oakland. g. Terrific run-support by rookie cornerback Ronald Darby of the Bills. h. Great stat pointed out by Ben Volin of the Boston Globe: Through four weeks, there were three player trades in 2014 and 18 in 2015. i. This enlightening story by Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, on former quarterback Kevin Kolb and his history of concussions, and how former players are coping post-career. j. Scariest thing Kolb said to Dunne: “I could have hid every one of those concussions and tried to play through it. So if it’s a contract year, certain guys are going to choose that … You can’t blame the coaches for putting the pressure on the players because in the end they want to put the best players on the field to further their career. So who’s at fault?” All the more reason for the unaffiliated neurological consultants at every NFL game, and the eye-in-the-sky spotter that looks for woozy players on the field who are trying to play on through that kind of shakiness. k. Oakland running back Roy Helu, deking two Bears, changing course, and darting in for a touchdown. l. The vanquished Carson Palmer with this line on the Rams’ defense, which was formidable: “Very good front, very good defense. They do just enough to keep you on your toes every snap.” m. The Baltimore personnel department, with undrafted free agent James Hurst doing a good job—including a crushing block on Cameron Heyward on a first-half third-and-one conversion in Pittsburgh—and 2013 fifth-rounder Ricky Wagner, the right tackle, saving a touchdown on a Steeler interception return. n. Best two plays in a series this weekend: Ravens rookie defensive end Za’Darius Smith (fourth round, Kentucky), a starter, sacking Mike Vick twice on successive plays, for losses of six and seven yards. o. Justin Forsett looking like the 2014 Justin Forsett: 27 carries, 150 yards. p. Chicago defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, with good penetration on a hefty sack of Derek Carr of the Raiders.

2. I think this is what I didn’t like about Week 4: a. Kickers. b. The Miami offense and Ryan Tannehill. Yeesh. Week 4, and the Fins looked like Dead Men Walking in London. Averaging 16.3 points a game. c. Miami offense: 0-for-16 on third and fourth downs. d. Ndamukong Suh. Check out when Jets running back Chris Ivory muscled through Suh at the line of scrimmage in the second quarter and ran for a gain of 17 … and watch Suh jogging after him, not sprinting. e. That Kansas City offensive line, which is going to get Alex Smith hurt at some point this year. It’s the land of leaks. f. Eric Fisher’s performance at tackle. He just doesn’t look quick enough to handle speed. g. Oakland’s defense, with no one covering Martellus Bennett on the easiest touchdown catch of his life, at any level. h. Nigel Bradham of the Bills, whiffing on a tackle of Giants running back Rashad Jennings on what would have been a zero-yard gain. Instead, it was a 51-yard touchdown catch and run that sealed New York’s 24-10 victory in Orchard Park. i. There’s a reason Caleb Sturgis was unemployed. In his first game as an Eagle, Sturgis hooked a 33-yard field goal wide left as the clock ran out in the first half, Philly trailing 13-0. Thirty-three yards. That’s the distance of an extra point now. j. A couple of Buffalo personnel decisions: Cutting Jacquies Smith last year in Week 1; he has four sacks in the first four games for Tampa Bay. And cutting cornerback Ross Cockrell, who was a defensive stalwart (interception, fumble recovery) for Pittsburgh on Thursday night. k. The madness of this concept of “giving Mike Vick confidence” by having him throw microscopically short at the start of the Thursday night game. Vick is 35 years old. He has been in the NFL for 13 seasons. This was his 147th NFL game. If the Steelers have to “give Vick confidence” by having him throw two-yard passes at the start of the game, that’s not a quarterback I want playing for me. l. Understand what I’m staying: I don’t blame Vick. I blame the perceived mentality that a guy who’s played 146 football games has to be coddled at the start of No. 147 just because he’s starting with a new team. I just think that line of thinking, if it truly exists in the minds of coaches and not just announcers, is wrong. m. The tentative quarterback sneak by Joe Flacco with four minutes left in the Ravens’ season. n. Obviously, the Steelers bypassing Le’Veon Bell on both fourth-and-short conversion shots in overtime. o. I guess “Tyrod Taylor: A Football Life” is on hold by NFL Network.

p. Trying to read Bill O’Brien’s mind. My best guess would be: “Perhaps I made a mistake, yanking Hoyer five games too soon.” q. I mean, Brian Hoyer’s warming up and it’s 35-0 Atlanta, and O’Brien keeps Ryan Mallett in for the next series. 3. I think the worst nightmare of Jerry Jones has been realized. Sunday night in New Orleans, a loss to the previously 0-3 and fairly defenseless Saints, was the kind of game that, when Dallas looked at the schedule after the losses of Dez Bryant and Tony Romo, Jones had to look at and think, “We’ve got to win that one.” And last week’s home game against Atlanta too. With New England at home, the Giants on the road and Seattle at home the next three games, the Cowboys could be 2-5 and in danger of making the return of Bryant and Romo in two months borderline irrelevant. Dallas does get ace pass-rusher Greg Hardy and solid run-playing linebacker Rolando McClain back from suspensions this week. Doubt that means all the difference when Tom Brady squares off against Brandon Weeden in six days. 4. I think I love the three 9:30 a.m. ET starts this year. The next two London games are at that time—Buffalo-Jacksonville Oct. 25 (live-streamed around the world in all but the home markets), and Detroit-Kansas City Nov. 1. It’s like a free game to watch. But you know what I loved? That 11:35 p.m. ET San Diego-Oakland game a couple of years ago, giving the West Coast a real prime time game—and giving the nocturnal fans on the East Coast one last bite of the apple before Monday morning. It’s not likely to ever return, though, because the national ratings for the game aren’t as good late at night as they would be at other times of the day. 5. I think, for $114 million, Ndamukong Suh could make more of an effort to help the Dolphins get out of the rut, both on an off the field. On: According to Pro Football Focus, he’s been on the field for 129 passing downs, and gotten zero sacks and one quarterback hit in four games. He is playing the run well (despite Chris Ivory mugging him Sunday in London for a 17-yard gain). Off: No interest post-game in defending his coaches or providing any public leadership at a time of crisis for his team. Just a bad look. You can say, “He’s not getting paid to be a cheerleader.” And he isn’t. But there are times when you’ve got to step up and be accountable and support your team, and Suh didn’t do much of that yesterday. 6. I think congratulations are in order for one of the best NFL-related charities I’ve come across, the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, which had its annual gala Friday night in Manhattan. The fund honors Jay McGillis, a safety at Boston College when Coughlin coached there. McGillis died of leukemia eight months after his diagnosis at BC, and Coughlin saw the immense need for families who have to drop everything and often times quit their jobs to support children who contract cancer. The Jay Fund helps families with all related expenses when they are caring for a sick person in the family. Coughlin told his board he wanted to raise $10 million so the charity, which is continuing it annual fund-raising attempts, could be self-sustaining. “We’re at $5 million, halfway there,” he told me at the event Friday night. And by the end of the night, through donations and an auction, approximately $1 million was added to the fund. I run into so many worthy charities, and I’d never prioritize one over another, because money is needed for so many causes. But I know how good this one is. Coughlin should be lauded for doing something that matters to so many people. 7. I think this is what I hear from a longtime NFL scout who has been to Columbus, Ohio, in the first month of the college football season: “Depending on who comes out, they could have eight first-round draft picks. I honestly believe that could be the most talented college team I have ever scouted.” Maybe not if the guy watched Ohio State 34, Indiana 27 on Saturday.

8. I think Mike Mayock had a great point to Rich Eisen the other day about the reaction of the NFL if, say, LSU back Leonard Fournette skipped a year of college football so as not to get hurt before his NFL career began. That’s a thought making the media rounds—that Fournette, not eligible for the draft until 2017, is so good he shouldn’t risk injury in 2016, and simply spend the year training to be an NFL player in ’17. Said Mayock: “I feel very, very, very strongly that for every Leonard Fournette who may be ready, there’s 100 kids who think they’re ready and they’re not. Most [19-year-olds] … are not men yet—physically, emotionally, psychologically.” Mayock said he thought the majority of NFL talent evaluators (and I agree) would be against Fournette sitting out. “But another core group would say, there’s less tread on the tire. He didn’t take the beating of 12, 13, 14 games in the SEC.” 9. I think if the Steelers miss out on the playoffs by a game, or even two, they’ll be right to blame the revolving door of kickers. They’ve had four regular kickers in the past two months. Remember when Roy Gerela was their kicker for eight years? For 143 straight games? 10. I think these are my non-NFL thoughts of the week: a. Story of the Week, from Dan Barry of the New York Times, on the important pleasure of going to a baseball game with a sturdy friend diagnosed with ALS. b. Terrific piece, by ESPN The Magazine’s Tim Keown on Raiders owner Mark Davis. Some odd routines for Davis, plus an odd vehicle for the owner of an NFL team. c. I suppose it’s too soon, and too political, to suggest that we as Americans have an open and constructive dialog on gun violence, after the 141st school shooting incident since Newtown (less than three years ago) took nine lives at a community college in Oregon. I don’t know when the right time will be. All I know is, we’re a supposedly intelligent life form, and the same thing happens over and over again, and we don’t do a thing about it, ever. d. But okay, it’s too soon? Then “thoughts and prayers to Oregon.” e. That’s all we can do, right? f. When I Tweeted about this the other night, I got hit with a swarm of, “Give us a plan, genius. What’s your suggestion to stop all the shootings?” I don’t have a plan. It’s not my bailiwick. It’s like this: There’s global warming, and it’s not my field, but I sure want the leaders of the world to do something about it. With the gun violence, it seems like we should make it harder for sick people to get guns; the man who killed in Oregon, Christopher Harper-Mercer, had six guns with him when he laid siege to Umpqua Community College, and seven more were found in his home. Are we as a society fine with that? I know I’m not. We need a way to make it harder for people who either are deeply troubled or show signs of being deeply troubled to build up a cache of 13 weapons. That I know. g. One heck of an October baseball game, the Angels-Rangers tension-fest with the season on the line and the Rangers up 10-6 entering the ninth, and the Angels facing wild-card elimination with a loss, and the Rangers needing one win to clinch the AL West. The Angels got five runs on seven hits, the tying run on a broken-bat blooper to center, and Mr. Allie LaForce (Joe Smith) getting the save against the deflated Rangers in the bottom of the ninth. Angels, 11-10. h. There were 368 pitches in the game. The winner was a reliever named Jojo Reyes. He threw one. i. Each team used nine pitchers in a nine-inning game.

j. The game ended when Texas’ Elvis Andrus, the potential tying run, overslid second base and was tagged out by Erick Aybar. k. Max Scherzer. Wow is about all you can say. Nine innings, no hits, no walks, 17 strikeouts. Two no-nos in one year. And look at his totals in those two games: 18 innings, no hits, no walks, 27 strikeouts. No walks. Two perfect games spoiled by a very, very shaky hit-by-pitch against Pittsburgh and a throwing error on a routine grounder by third baseman Yunel Escobar. l. Feel this way at the end of every baseball regular season: I’ll miss 15 baseball games a day. This is the last morning to pore over a full page of box scores in the paper for the next 26 weeks. m. I’m really old. But what can I say? Baseball and football are the two games I grew up with, and when each is finished for the year, I know how much I’ll miss them. n. Amazing to see the symmetry in Blue Jay home runs: Josh Donaldson 41, Jose Bautista 40, Edwin Encarnacion 39. o. Said it last week, so I’ll use just one sentence for emphasis: The fact that the teams with the second-best and third-best records in baseball—Pittsburgh (98-64) and the Chicago Cubs (97-65)—are meeting in a sudden-death wild-card playoff game this week instead of a real series is just stupid, and blatantly unfair to two of the three best teams in baseball. p. Beautiful job by the Giants, taking Tim Hudson out at home, allowing him to be feted by an ovation from fans, and then hugging all his mates while the game was stopped. Perfect way to finish a career—and then, with a ceremony with his family there, in front of packed home park Saturday. The Giants really do things right. q. Great turnout in Montclair, N.J., last Tuesday for the last rites of Yogi Berra. Sandy Koufax came. Jim Bouton drove in from Massachusetts. And Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte (from Texas), and good friend of Yogi Ron Guidry (from Louisiana), so choked up he couldn’t speak at the funeral. Joe Torre was wonderful with his eulogy. Cardinal Dolan of New York was wonderful. And good job by the YES network, televising it. r. Last Week Of The Season Quote Of The Week, from Twins color man Bert Blyleven, in the third inning of the first game of a Thursday doubleheader at Cleveland, acknowledging that Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson wouldn’t be nibbling in the strike zone with a 3-0 count early in the game: “I think all 12 people in the ballpark know he’s gonna throw a strike here.” s. Good Luck Wednesday To The Buccos Dept.—Earned runs allowed in Jake Arrieta’s 12 starts since Aug. 1: 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0. t. I’d probably take Zack Greinke as the Cy Young winner in the National League. Better WHIP, better ERA (his 1.66 ERA is lowest in the National League since 1995), three fewer losses—despite three fewer wins. Arrieta, it seems strange to say, was good but not great for the first 10 weeks of the season (6-5, 3.40 ERA on June 20) and simply had an incredible last two months of the season. It was a Gibsonian 1968 stretch. But for the season, Greinke was consistently pretty great. It’s like saying you’ll take Rodgers over Brady, though. Both were ridiculously good, and deserving. u. Coffeenerdness: You know you’ve lived in your Manhattan neighborhood for a long time (four years this month for us) and frequented the same Starbucks for a long time when you walk in on a Saturday

morning, as I did two days ago, and there’s a long line, and you just wait to get to the head of the line and there, the barista/register person says, “Here you go, Peter—your drink,” and scans my phone for payment. Never even had to order it! Thanks for the great service, people. v. Beernerdness: For a beer note this week, instead of picking a beer to highlight, I’ll pick a Boston Globe story to highlight how difficult it is getting to actually pick a beer to drink. I mean, it’s amazing that craft beer is only 8 percent of the United States beer market. Seems like it should be 28 percent. w. Send to talkback@themmqb.com this week your favorite pumpkin beers. I’m going to try a few new ones this fall, and I’ll take your suggestions. x. I guess the moral of the story in Athens, Ga., on Saturday was this: It’s probably never a good idea to make Alabama the underdog. y. My heartfelt best wishes to all the people of South Carolina—and the neighboring states too—struggling so much after the endless rain that has pelted the area. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. Good luck to all. * * * Who I Like Tonight Seattle 23, Detroit 16. It’s all Marshawn, all the time in the Pacific Northwest, a week after the iconoclastic Marshawn Lynch was late coming out on the field for the start of the game against Chicago, a week after he strained a hamstring in the game, a week after he got dressed post-hamstring and watched the end of the game from a box upstairs—and two days after coach Pete Carroll said he’d be a gametime decision before this game tonight. The Lions, who have monstrous problems of their own (that comes with making the playoffs one year and starting 0-3 the next), would be pretty embarrassed if a free-agent rookie from Central Michigan, Thomas Rawls, ran the Seahawks to victory tonight. Rawls and 34-year-old Fred Jackson will be the Seattle ground game if Lynch can't go. Either way, I like Seattle to get to 2-2. * * * The Adieu Haiku Kickers. Tough life. But ... Steeler fans say to Scobee: “Dude, YOU HAD ONE JOB!”

Broncos lean on defense (again) to stay undefeated By Dan Hanzus NFL.com October 4, 2015 The Denver Broncos remain undefeated, getting another monster performance from their defense in a 23-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Here's what you need to know: 1. In case you needed a reminder, this Broncos' defense is for real. Not only did they keep Adrian Peterson mostly in check, they consistently made life difficult for Teddy Bridgewater. Denver piled up seven sacks, the biggest coming on T.J. Ward's strip for a turnover on the game's penultimate play. 2. Ronnie Hillman's second quarter 72-yard touchdown run down the sideline might have served as the exact moment C.J. Anderson lost his grip on a starting job. Hillman went over 100 yards and clearly was the preferred choice of Gary Kubiak down the stretch. 3. Let's call the hyped matchup of A.P. and Denver's D a draw. Peterson struggled to find running room for much of the day, but his 49-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 changed the complexion of the game with nine minutes to play. Credit goes to the Minnesota line, which opened a huge hole for the star rusher. 4. We've seen enough now to know what we're going to get from Peyton Manning at this point. The quarterback threw a pair of ugly interceptions and repeatedly demonstrated his limited arm strength. And yet, all he'll need to be is a league-average starter if the defense keeps up its tremendous play. That feels doable. 5. Consider this another great learning experience for Bridgewater, even if it didn't turn out his way. The second-year quarterback was far from perfect and often under siege in hostile territory, but he never seemed overwhelmed by the moment. It didn't end well, but Bridgewater still inspires confidence.

Legendary ‘Orange Crush’ members talk as Broncos team echoes their success By Drew Engelbart FOX 31 Denver October 4, 2015 After another great performance on Sunday, the Broncos defense is starting to draw comparisons to the legendary “Orange Crush” of the 1970’s. We went to the experts and watched today’s game with Broncos’ greats Billy Thompson, Steve Foley and Louis Wright. Three original members of the Orange Crush who think this team’s defense could also wind up in the record books. “Right now they are playing lights out and they have to continue it but we’ll see,” Thompson said. “I’m pulling for them. I hope they break all of our records. That means we’ll be on our way to the playoffs and hopefully another Super Bowl.” In 1977, the Orange Crush led the Broncos to the Super Bowl with the NFL’s number one ranked defense against the rush. And today, they loved to watch the Broncos new style of play. “I love defense. I love to see the defense play and the defense win so yes this is my kind of football,” Thompson said. Long-time Denver sports columnist Woody Paige was the first to coin the term “Orange Crush” for the Broncos defense. “This is probably a more talented team overall than that one. That one had a lot of spirit and camaraderie that hadn’t existed in Denver,” Paige said. Does this team deserve the comparisons to the dominating years of “Orange Crush” defense in Denver? “I think they are favorable comparisons but rather than four games you’ve got to do it for 16,” Paige said. The original members of the Orange Crush say the defense is what will lead the Broncos, once again, to the big game. “Defense wins championships,” Thompson said. “We’ve got a great one now. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse but if we keep playing this way, I’m looking for great things.”

Broncos improve to 4-0 with late Brandon McManus field goal By Josh Alper Pro Football Talk October 4, 2015 The Broncos pass rush caused problems for Teddy Bridgewater all day on Sunday, so it was fitting that it forced the turnover that allowed Denver to escape with a 23-20 win. T.J. Ward stripped Bridgewater of the ball as the Vikings tried to rally back after Brandon McManus’s field goal put the Broncos ahead late in the fourth quarter. It was the seventh sack of the day for the Broncos defense and it gave them a win on a day when they blew a 10-point lead in the final 15 minutes. Bridgewater completed 13-of-15 passes in the second half and Adrian Peterson went 48 yards for a touchdown on a fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter as the Vikings erased that Broncos lead to tie the game at 20 with 5:11 left to play. Peyton Manning completed a couple of passes to help the Broncos get in position for McManus’s third field goal of the day, but that wasn’t enough to make the day a great one for the Broncos quarterback. Manning threw a pair of interceptions that the Vikings turned into 10 points and was 17-of-27 for 213 yards overall. Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson combined for 146 yards on 22 carries, although almost half of them came on Hillman’s 72-yard touchdown run in the first half. It was another unimpressive offensive performance all things considered, but the Broncos remain undefeated thanks in large part to the defense that Wade Phillips has put together in his first year back in Denver. Peterson’s big run was the only moment that he had a major impact on the game and Bridgewater’s hot run in the second half came at the price of many hits and constant pressure in the pocket. That he stood up to it well enough to bring the team back reflects well, but the early struggles were enough to send the Vikings to 2-2 on the year. At some point, one would guess that the Broncos’ middling offensive production will catch up with them. At this point, though, they remain undefeated with a trip to Oakland and a chance to take firm control of the AFC West coming up next weekend.

Mantra of the Broncos' defense: 'We're not just going to sit back' By Andrew Mason DenverBroncos.com October 4, 2015 There is one truth evident about the Broncos' defense through four games of the 2015 season: There's never a bad time to attack. That philosophy provided a series of jabs, then finally the knockout punch in perhaps the Broncos' toughest win of their 4-0 start, a 23-20 triumph over the persistent Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos don't just attack when it's convenient. They do so from start to finish -- with the emphasis on the end. After all, when you think of most teams' late-game defenses, you often think of three-man rushes, soft coverages designed to concede underneath passes and general "prevent" looks. These hoary notions don't apply to Wade Phillips and his fast, deep, aggressive defense. Sure, he might rush four men on a few plays in a row; he did that on five consecutive snaps to open the final defensive series, although one might have been a five-man rush if Adrian Peterson had not come forward to begin a short route against David Bruton Jr., who was starting to approach the pocket. But you never know what sorcery the Broncos' defensive Dumbledore might conjure next. Phillips began Sunday's game with a 3-5 alignment that included Todd Davis as a third inside linebacker, which flooded the box and provided an indication of what the Broncos knew they had to do first and foremost: clog every lane through which Peterson might gallop. The 3-5 is where the game plan began, and it set the tone for a defense that corralled Peterson until his 48-yard run through a gaping hole on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter, a play that Marshall said will make the defensive "sick" to re-watch it. Phillips' tactics began with an unusual alignment. They ended 37 seconds before the final gun with the kind of aggressive call that few coordinators make, when he sent T.J. Ward and Brandon Marshall after Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, punctuating a five-man rush. "That's a hell of a call, man," said Marshall, the Broncos' leading tackler -- again -- who always smiles at the mere notion of being asked to blitz. "Wade is a tremendous defensive coordinator. He knew we had six sacks up to that point, and he's like, 'OK, we're going to come after him. We're not just going to sit back and play coverage,' and we did." Phillips' calls on the previous plays set it up.

"That was the perfect opportunity," said defensive end Antonio Smith. "They were chipping D-Ware and Von, trying to give Bridgewater a little more time. So I think the only logical thing to do was to change it up on them." As Ward and Marshall attacked, Phillips dropped Ware, the AFC's Defensive Player of the Month, into coverage. Ware added another sack in the first quarter to boost his season total to 4.5, but when the Broncos needed a pass rush the most, he moved away from the line of scrimmage to Bridgewater's left. All that was left was for the downfield coverage to hold up. Two plays earlier, Aqib Talib had lost his footing defending Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace, who capitalized by getting out of bounds with a 17-yard reception that toed the Vikings to their 47-yard-line, putting them just 13 yards away from a plausible game-tying field-goal attempt from Blair Walsh. But on this play, the secondary held firm. Bridgewater had two options: Peterson veering toward the right flat and Adam Thielen on a short crossing route representing his short option. But Ware was right there on Thielen, waiting to pounce if Bridgewater tried to throw it to the second-year wide receiver. "D-Ware was right in front of him," Smith said. "It's a sack every time." Ward got the sack and forced the fumble, Von Miller recovered, and the Broncos' undefeated start remained intact. There was no more appropriate end to a game in which the Broncos racked up seven sacks -- their highest single-game total in 19 years -- and became just the second team in the last decade to log 18 sacks in their first four regular-season games. Two of the sacks belonged to Ward, who blitzed four times Sunday and has benefitted from Phillips' aggressive use of him in the box. Phillips' primary sub package has become a dime personnel grouping with Bradley Roby and David Bruton Jr. as the extra defensive backs. Bruton and Ward take turns lining up in the box, with Ward sometimes aligning himself just wide of the outside linebacker. That's how he got his first sack Sunday, blitzing from Bridgewater's left along with Ware. Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil had to choose one or the other, and he blocked Ware, leaving Ward free to bring down Minnesota's quarterback In one day, Ward matched his previous career high for sacks in a season. "Coach knows he's a great blitzer, so blitz him," cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. "That's what he's doing. He's calling his name, and they can't block him. "We saw it last year, but we didn't get him a lot of blitzes. But now we're starting to get him going, and you see what he did today." And it provides yet another direction in which Phillips can wave his magic wand. Nine different Broncos hit Bridgewater on Sunday, including backups like Shane Ray, who notched his first career sack, and Shaquil Barrett, whose pressure one play before Ward's strip-sack fumble put the Vikings into second-and-10.

"It's a team sport and that's how we play on defense," Ware said. "Everybody has that will and the want-to to get out there and make plays, and we have some playmakers on defense. Like T.J. made a couple of plays at the beginning. Von, me, Malik [Jackson] -- it was a lot of guys out there playing and really wanting it. "To see how everything is coming together now, we're coming together at the right time." It wasn't perfect, of course. Peterson's run will stick in the defense's craw for a while. And despite the win, you didn't have to look far in the Broncos' locker room to find a defender frustrated with the unit's performance, because as daring as the final blitz call was, the players believed the game should not have been in doubt in the final moments. "That's why we're frustrated, because it should have come down to that at all," Harris said. "We had a lot of situations where we could have just easily spread out that lead. "But it's good to go through some things like this, some fights like this, to build up our mental toughness, because we always feel like we can win a game." And why do they feel that way? Because even though they'll get beat on some plays, the Broncos know three things: they can always make up for it, it's always a good time to make the offense uncomfortable, and there's never a wrong time to attack.

Peyton's Take: Broncos continue 'really good fourth-quarter football' By Allie Raymond DenverBroncos.com October 4, 2015 Four weeks into the season and each week, history has repeated itself for the Broncos. Like clockwork, the fourth quarter tolls and the offense finds its groove, followed by the defense making a big turnover to seal the win. This week’s episode of Denver’s last-minute rally concluded with the offense setting up kicker Brandon McManus for the go-ahead 39-yard field goal and the defense forcing a fumble and recovery in the waning moments of the contest as the Broncos walked off with the victory, 23-20. “We play really good fourth-quarter football,” quarterback Peyton Manning said. “We talk about in our goal sheet that we have about winning the fourth quarter and we have done that each week. “We’ve done some good things on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter. Defensively, obviously, we come up with some big plays or big turnovers or sacks or whatnot, but offensively we put some drives together at the right time and we had a setback today with a turnover and we were able to overcome that.” They say that good teams find a way to win, and the undefeated Denver Broncos have seemingly embodied that cliché. Manning and the offense suffered some "self-inflicted wounds" when it came to penalties and a pair of interceptions, but the team was able to brush itself off and forget about the miscues in their next possession. “I think that’s a good sign, right?” Manning said. “If you just keep making mistakes, or you let the mistake affect the next drive, that’s not what you’re looking for. So you don’t want the mistakes to happen, but if they do, you want to be able to overcome them and I think we did that today.” While there were missteps on offense, there were plenty of standout moments from both the running and passing attacks. Running back Ronnie Hillman broke out for a 72-yard touchdown sprint and Manning found tight end Owen Daniels for a touchdown in the second consecutive game, wide open in the end zone in the opening drive of the second half. For the Broncos, this kind of balance is what they’ve been striving for under Head Coach Gary Kubiak. “I think the more balanced we can be, I think the more pressure you can keep on a defense,” Manning said. “I think for them not to know what you’re going to be doing on any first or second down – that’s what you’re looking for. "You’re looking for them to be on their heels, are they going to run it here? Drop back and pass? Are they going to run play-action? … But you’re got to have productivity in each phase, so we’re always looking to do that whether it’s the passing game or the running game.”

Three Keys Unlocked: Denver 23, Minnesota 20 By Andrew Mason DenverBroncos.com October 4, 2015 It took a thunderous pass rush to finish off the Vikings, but what else happened to key the Broncos' 23-20 win? Let's take a look back at the three keys to find out: 1. CONTAIN ADRIAN PETERSON. Until 10:01 remained in the game, the Broncos did this. At that moment, Peterson had just 34 yards on 14 carries, and the Broncos had done a brilliant job at swarming him, with Vance Walker and Sylvester Williams consistently winning their one-on-one battles at the line of scrimmage. But Williams was pushed out of the way by Joe Berger on the fourth-and-1, and with no linebackers or safeties in range to clean up, Peterson took off with the 48-yard run that brought the Vikings back within three points and changed the complexion of the fourth quarter. That was Peterson's only explosion, however, and he finished below the 100-yard mark that has usually been the barometer of Vikings success, particularly since 2012. 2. KEEP PEYTON MANNING UPRIGHT. For the most part, the re-shuffled offensive line succeeded at this. Manning was sacked twice, including one on an A-gap blitz, but had enough time to get set and throw as the Broncos emphasized the pistol formation for a second consecutive week. In the second half, the Broncos made greater use of two-tight end formations and also used some pistol alignments with James Casey at fullback next to Manning to give him more time to throw. But the yeoman's work was done up front, particularly by tackles Ryan Harris and Michael Schofield, who responded to their expanded role with solid play throughout the game. 3. FORCE THE VIKINGS TO CHASE FROM BEHIND. For a while, it looked like the biggest drive of the game would be the Broncos' eight-play, 80-yard march to open the second half. That drive to Owen Daniels' 1-yard touchdown pass pushed the Broncos' lead back to 20-10 and forced the Vikings to stay in comeback mode. But the offense couldn't build on that, and stalled, allowing the Vikings a window to get back in the game -- and to re-establish field position. However, Minnesota remained reliant upon the pass, and the Broncos continued to tee off, finishing with seven sacks -- including the final one that allowed the Broncos to perpetuate their recent turnover trend. Minnesota had its chances, but after its first possession, never ran an offensive snap with the game tied.

Broncos string together sacks in first quarter By Ben Swanson DenverBroncos.com October 4, 2015 Pressure yet again thrust a Broncos' opposing quarterback into difficult situations early in the game as OLB DeMarcus Ware, S T.J. Ward and OLB Shane Ray took down Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a combined loss of 34 yards in the first quarter alone. For Ray, it was the first sack of his NFL career and he became the ninth Bronco of the year to record a sack. Ward's sack showed the versatility he has and the Broncos' defense's ability to disguise who blitzes. A flustered Bridgewater turned from pressure elsewhere and ran into Ward. Now with 6.5 sacks in his career, Ward is the only NFL safety with at least one sack in each of the previous five seasons. Ware, the AFC's Defensive Player of the Month for September, picked up where he left off, bringing his total to 4.5 sacks through 3.5 games. As a team, the Broncos have 14 sacks total in that span.

Broncos honor breast cancer survivors during annual pink game By Allie Raymond DenverBroncos.com October 4, 2015 The Denver Broncos honored breast cancer survivors during their annual Salute to Survivors Breast Cancer Awareness Game with a special champagne brunch. More than 125 survivors and their guests enjoyed a special brunch at Sports Authority Field at Mile High before the game and at halftime they will participate in a special celebration. Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis spoke to all the attendees about the importance of spreading awareness and announced that all pink gear worn by players will be auctioned off to benefit Susan G. Komen Colorado. “It’s absolutely amazing,” said Kristen Battenfield, Board of Directors for Susan G. Komen Colorado. “It makes me cry every year – it’s emotional. For our survivors, it’s the best day of the year.” The Broncos will take on the Vikings at home at 2:25 p.m. MDT.