Oct 28 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) prepares to throw during second quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Sports Authority Field. (Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

Peyton Manning has been proving his doubters wrong on a routine basis and he did it again on Sunday night. Manning got the best of Saints quarterback Drew Brees behind 3 touchdowns, 305-yards passing and a QB rating of 138.9. In the process he became the first player in league history to throw for at least 3 touchdowns, 300 yards, and a completion percentage of 70% in 4 straight games. Manning not only has the Denver Broncos in the driver’s seat of the AFC West with a 4-3 record, he is a frontrunner for the league MVP and Comeback Player of The Year awards.

Here are some thoughts on the Denver Broncos 34-14 dismantling of the New Orleans Saints:

• How long has it been since you’ve come away from a Broncos game feeling like they can legitimately contend for a Super Bowl? The answer should be a very long time. The Broncos proved against New Orleans that they are a team to be reckoned with the rest of the year. Nearly everything the Denver offense did worked yesterday. Granted, they were playing the worst defense in the league, but good football teams dominate an opponent’s weakness, and the Broncos did just that.
• The offensive statistics are mind boggling. Manning went over 300 yards, Willis McGahee finished with 122-yards rushing and a score, Ronnie Hillman pitched in with 86 yards including an electrifying 31-yard scamper in the third quarter, and Demaryius Thomas racked up 137 yards and a touchdown. The Denver stars shined on the biggest stage yesterday and decorated the stat sheet. Denver is not going to lose many games where they have production like that at all levels of the offense. In total the Broncos finished with 530 yards and put on a clinic against the beleaguered Saints defense.
• It simply isn’t possible to praise the defense too much for their effort against Drew Brees. They gave up only 252 total yards and held the Saints to a 1 for 12 conversion rate on third downs. And they accomplished that while only registering a single quarterback sack! Typically a team would have to hammer Brees in the pocket to hold him down, but the Broncos played sound defense all the way around and did a great job in the secondary to slow the prolific New Orleans passing attack. Clearly the defense is starting to come together, and if they can keep this edge going the Broncos are going to be very tough to beat.
• Wesley Woodyard was the brightest spot on the defensive side of the ball by a large margin. He had the only Denver sack, the only Denver interception, and he also chipped in 13 tackles, 2 deflected passes and a tackle for loss. Linebacker was a position of concern for this team coming into the year, especially with the D.J. Williams suspension, but Woodyard is doing his best to alleviate those concerns.
• Trindon Holliday started to make up for his fumble issues two weeks ago in San Diego. He returned 4 punts for 43 yards and showed some of the flashes that Denver needs to see in their return game. Keep an eye on him; there are some big plays in his future.
• For everything that this team has going for them right now, their Achilles heel showed itself again yesterday. This team MUST get their fumble problem figured out. A McGahee fumble early in the game led directly to a Saints touchdown, and Hillman fumbled after a big play in the second half that luckily bounced out of bounds. In total Denver has lost 10 fumbles this season and it’s easily the biggest concern going forward. Most Denver fans find themselves holding their breath every time a Bronco gets the ball in the open field. Hopefully John Fox makes solving this problem a priority at practice.
• The most telling moment last night was when the cameras caught Peyton Manning coaching up the offense on the sideline after they scored to go up 24-7. He was animated and worked up. The strength of his leadership seeped through the television screen. Everything was going Denver’s way at that point and Manning had every reason to take a breather. But that’s just not who he is. Manning is never satisfied and is always striving for bigger and better. He is seeking perfection in everything the offense does and won’t rest until they reach it. If that didn’t give you goose bumps as a Broncos fan you weren’t paying attention. Peyton Manning is taking this team to high places, and we are truly lucky to be able to see it.
• The Broncos looks like they are finding their groove. They had the hardest schedule in the league over the first 6 games and they have the weakest schedule over their final 10. If Denver keeps playing like they did last night the wins are going to start piling up. In recent years past, it was a concern when the Broncos hit a soft part of their schedule because they had a knack for playing down to the level of their competition. With Manning behind center, that is no longer a concern. He is a killer and will take care of business against teams they should beat. One of Manning’s best attributes is he dominates divisional competition. He did it for years and years in Indianapolis, and he’s already 2-0 in the AFC West. Look for that record to improve in 2012.
• Sunday was a dream day for Denver fans. Not only did the Broncos destroy the Saints in a nationally televised primetime game, but the San Diego Chargers fell in embarrassing fashion to the lowly Cleveland Browns. Denver sits alone in first place in the AFC West and is above .500 for the first time since the season opening victory against Pittsburgh. Next up they hit the road for a matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon. Go Broncos!

Make sure to follow @MileHighMonday on Twitter and Predominantly Orange on Facebook.

Peyton Manning (18) and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) talk following the Broncos 34-14 win at Sports Authority Field. (Byron Hetzler-US PRESSWIRE)

The Denver Broncos drew their fourth largest home crowd in team history (76,832) when the team hosted the New Orleans Saints on national television.

The recipe was seemingly right for the Saints to upset the Broncos. Interim coach and Sean Payton’s right hand man, Joe Vitt, was back after serving a six-game suspension. The team appeared to be hitting its stride, winning its last two game after losing its first four. Drew Brees has a cannon arm and plenty of targets to throw to. The Saints wanted to “win this one for the Gipper.”

All went completely wrong for the Saints who fell to the Broncos 34-14, however.

“There’s nothing I can do to put pixie dust on this team to make it play better, to make it play more emotional, and there’s probably more hype than substance on my part,” Vitt said.

What the Saints may have inadvertently put on the back burner through all the hype this week was the biggest name on the other side of the ball. Peyton Manning.

Manning torched the Saints for 305 yards on 22-for-30 passing with three touchdowns. Manning out-shined Drew Brees even though he passed for a touchdown for the 50th straight game.

Manning was typical Manning. That’s why when he hurt his thumb right before halftime, hitting it on another player’s helmet, concern around Broncos Country quickly rose.

“Probably the biggest fear is always the thumb on the helmet of the defensive lineman, so that’s what happened,” Manning said of the injury. “Mostly the nail, the fingernail. It’ll be sore tomorrow, but I’m probably a little bit lucky.”

Rest easy, Broncos fans. Manning threw two touchdown passes after that, and worked his way to a 138.9 quarterback rating.

In front of nearly 77,000 fans in the seats, and a much larger contingent at home, Manning put on another show. It was his fifth consecutive game throwing for 300+ yards. He became just the 2nd player in NFL history to throw for 300+ yards and 3 touchdowns in four consecutive games (Steve Young was the other one).

That $96 million investment is providing many, many returns. Namely to the tune of four wins and first place in the AFC West. The Broncos are coming on strong in the AFC with the Bengals (3-4), Panthers (1-6), Chargers (3-4), Chiefs (1-6), Buccaneers (3-4), Raiders (3-4), Ravens (5-2), Browns (2-6), and Chiefs coming up. That’s just one team with a winning record in the next nine games.

You can’t tell me Manning isn’t drooling over this scenario. This is the Broncos race for the taking.

Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.

Wesley Woodyard makes an interception in the second quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Sports Authority Field. (Byron Hetzler-US PRESSWIRE)

The Denver Broncos 34-14 win over the New Orleans Saints was Big and somewhat Easy, or so it seemed. The Broncos now have sole possession of first place in the AFC West, and they’re above the .500 mark for the first time since week one.

Peyton Manning led drives of 98 and 93 yards chewed up time and kept Drew Brees off the field. Manning went 22-for-30 for 305 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

Starting from the Denver 2-yard line, Manning threw his first big pass to Demaryius Thomas for a gain for 41 yards. The end of the drive was capped off by a Willis McGahee 14-yard run and then a 1-yard punch in for the score. With the first score of the game, McGahee tied Maurice Jones-Drew for the second most touchdowns among active NFL players.

“Our running game really came alive tonight,” Manning said. “I thought that sort of set the tone for us offensively. All the deep passes were off play-action. If you’re not running the ball well, there’s on reason for the defense to bite on play-action.”

The passing game came alive after that. Manning found Eric Decker in the end zone for a 13-yard pass. That was enough to stoke Decker’s fire. Before the touchdown grab, Decker had just 1 catch for 5 yards. He finished the game with 4 catches for 43 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The second longest drive of the game was a nearly five and a half minute drive to open the second half. Manning threw a perfectly placed ball over Demaryius Thomas’s right shoulder for the 1-yard touchdown score to put the Broncos up 24-7. Thomas led the team in receiving with 7 catches for 137 yards.

“He is pretty good isn’t he,” wide receiver Brandon Stokley said of Thomas. “It is fun to watch him and Decker. They both played great and I love watching those guys do their thing, make great catches, and score touchdowns.”

Manning’s third and final touchdown of the night came off a 2-yard pass to Decker.

It wasn’t just steady offensive drives though. This Broncos defense held the No. 1 ranked passing offense to just 201 yards, or 148 yards below their average.

The guy to jumpstart the defense was none other than linebacker Wesley Woodyard. He sacked Brees for a loss of 12 yards and forced a fumble on the play. That didn’t turn into points right away, but it injected vitality into the defense.

The play of the game came when Woodyard intercepted Brees on 4th-and-2 in the second quarter. The Saints decided to go for it at mid-field, and Woodyard was locked in.

“They ran that play earlier in the drive and I wasn’t there to make that play so I knew I had to come back and make something happen,” Woodyard said.

Woodyard finished the night with 12 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 interception. He had 9 tackles by halftime.

“That’s what he does,” Champ Bailey said. “He’s been making plays all year. Double digit tackles is easy for him. I expect more out of him to be honest with you. I know what he can do. I’ve seen him do it in practice several times. He’s hungry, he’s young, and I love that about him.”

As D.J. Williams’ replacement, Woodyard leads the team in tackles, and he made it his mission to turn Sunday night into his national stage. His teammates, in turn, helped him with that mission.

“My D-line clicked,” Woodyard said. “Before the game they told me that they were going to keep me free, let me go around and make plays. That’s what it’s all about; playing as a team, dedicating yourself to one another.”

The Broncos finally put a full 60-minute game together, and they were finally able to string two wins in a row together.

“I’d say probably without looking at the tape yet, I thought we played 60 minutes,” head coach John Fox said.

“That’s what Coach Fox has been preaching to us about trying to find some consistency,” Manning said. “You sure hope you would be better coming off the bye week. The bye week came at a good time.”

Perhaps though, the bye week was more beneficial to the defense than the offense. Coming in the Saints were ranked 2nd in third down conversions. Sunday night, the Broncos held the Saint to 1-for-12 on third down.

Post bye week, it’s clear that this is a newly polished Broncos team.

Rest has turned out to be work’s sweet sauce, indeed.

It’s evident that the Broncos are the best team in the division, and barring injury, should be able to play well into the winter months.

Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.