As long as Peyton Manning is playing quarterback in Denver the Broncos will be the class of the AFC West. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

One thing is for certain, the AFC West is going to look drastically different in 2013. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers have completely overhauled their operations both in the front office and on the sideline. Only time will tell if that will be a good thing for their franchises. But it’s not going to take much for the rest of the division to improve on their poor performance in 2012.

Including the Oakland Raiders, the other three teams in the West combined to win only 13 games. San Diego was the runner-up in the final standings yet still had a losing record. Kansas City and Oakland were complete embarrassments. The stellar play of the Denver Broncos coupled with the incompetence of these other teams allowed Denver to dominate with a 6-0 divisional record. It certainly won’t be quite that easy next season, but make no mistake; the Broncos will own the AFC West for the foreseeable future.

The biggest reason for this boils down to one man, and he is Peyton Manning. People can analyze, debate, and make judgments based on every aspect of a franchise. But winning or losing in the modern day NFL  typically comes down to the quarterbacks, especially over a 16-game season. So regardless of what else happens during the offseason the West will come down to Denver and San Diego in 2013. Manning and Philip Rivers are the best quarterbacks in the division, and until that changes the title will come down to these two. New Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith could be a wild card this year, but he has a lot of work to do to be mentioned in this group. Even if he puts together a good year there is no doubt that Manning is at the head of this class.

The Broncos also own the best roster in the division from top to bottom. They had a top ranked defense last year and the key components are all returning. The duo of Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas is one of the best in the league and they should continue putting up monster numbers. And this team is going to get better! Surprisingly, at the start of the offseason it was the Broncos who had the most cap space available in the West. That puts them in great position to make improvements to the roster.

Now that they’ve used the franchise tag on Ryan Clady the Broncos have roughly $8 million of cap space, and that could go up with contract restructuring and/or player cuts. It is being reported that much maligned linebacker D.J. Williams will finally see his time with the Broncos end. That move alone would give Denver about another $6 million to play with.

The Broncos are going to have a great chance to land the free agents they desire. Playing with Manning, and for John Elway, on a team that is going to be a serious Super Bowl contender is not a very tough sell. The Chiefs’ Dwayne Bowe practically admitted he wanted to play with Manning when he was falling all over himself to get a picture with him last season. This all bodes well for Denver’s offseason plans.

The NFL free agency period officially begins on March 12th and the draft is about six weeks later. We will know very soon just how much the teams in the division improve, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Denver wins the offseason as well. Just another reason why the Broncos own the AFC West.

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Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee walks off the field after an epic comeback against the Chargers. (Credit: US PRESSWIRE)

Qualcomm Stadium was not a fun place to be for Denver Broncos fans during halftime last night. Despite the fact there were tens of thousands of Denver fans to commiserate with, there was no escaping the ugliness of a 24-0 deficit to the San Diego Chargers after two quarters of play. Bronco backers were looking for any sign of life as the third quarter began and they didn’t have to wait long. Denver sprang to life with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Demaryius Thomas, and they dominated in all phases down the stretch to complete a stunning and improbable comeback. By the time the dust settled, the Broncos had won 35-24 and the AFC West race had been turned on its head.

In the sea of orange behind the Broncos bench, lifelong Denver fanatic Brent Miller was one of those fans desperate for the Broncos to turn it around. During the Thomas touchdown catch, Miller had his head lowered and missed the play. In order to keep the Denver momentum going he kept his head down and also didn’t see the Tony Carter fumble return for a touchdown a few minutes later. As superstitious NFL fans usually do he wasn’t going to change anything as long as the Broncos were playing well. It’s only crazy if it doesn’t work. Even though he was 14 rows from the field during the miraculous Manning comeback, Miller didn’t see any of it. Not a single play. When asked if he regretted missing the biggest comeback in Monday Night Football history, Miller responded with a laugh. The Broncos had won and that was all that mattered.

Here are some thoughts on the Denver Broncos historic comeback over the San Diego Chargers:

• Credit is due to the Denver defense. They gave up only a single touchdown drive that went longer than 19 yards, and 17 San Diego points were a direct result of turnovers by the offense. They also improved their third down efficiency and held the Chargers to a 6 for 15 conversion rate.
• The Broncos forced six turnovers and made several game changing plays in the second half. The defense has had trouble making impact plays in big spots, but they came through on Monday Night Football. Chris Harris had a pick six to put the game away late and Tony Carter returned a fumble for a score late in the third quarter. Denver also recorded four sacks. Two were credited to Elvis Dumervil, and Derek Wolfe and Von Miller recorded one each.
• Peyton Manning was completely unstoppable in the second half and is now in the running for league MVP. It’s amazing how things can change in two quarters of football. Manning compiled a quarterback rating of 129.0 and finished with 309 yards and 3 touchdowns. He only threw a single incompletion in the second half and showed incomparable poise in the pocket. Manning is one of the best players in the NFL, period.
• Eric Decker was responsible for a fluke 14 point swing in the second quarter. He fell on his face without being touched while running for a certain touchdown, and Manning threw an 80-yard pick six to Quentin Jammer a few plays later. If the Broncos would have lost Decker would have shouldered a ton of the blame. Even though the team is flying high after this victory the offense must get their first half woes figured out. They won’t be able to spot good teams 24 points and win in the future.
• Philip Rivers played his worst game as a pro. He looked horrendous after halftime and was responsible for a shocking 6 turnovers! He also finished with a paltry 54.2 quarterback rating. The Denver comeback was sweet, but seeing Rivers implode in primetime was a dream come true.
• Winning a divisional game on the road is one thing, but to do it on Monday Night Football is huge. On top of that the Broncos get to carry the momentum from the incredible comeback into the bye week. Meanwhile, the San Diego Chargers have to swallow a heartbreaking loss and must stew on it for two weeks. At 3-3, Denver sits in first place in the AFC West and is in perfect position going forward.
• Next up: The New Orleans Saints come to Denver in two weeks. The Broncos will be riding a wave of momentum and Mile High Stadium should be rocking. Go Broncos.

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Philip Rivers (17) is pressured by Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) during the first quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. (Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE)

As Denver Broncos fans, it’s easy to dislike Philip Rivers, the football player. He’s the Broncos longest tenured division rival at quarterback and runs his mouth like a motorboat, especially when he makes a big play.

He’s been tormenting the Broncos for years. The difference is now he has more of a right to trash-talk.

“The thing was back then, he was talking when he shouldn’t have,” Champ Bailey said of Rivers. “I think he hadn’t earned his respect around the league at that point, but now it’s a different story. A few years ago, I think he really mostly hated our quarterback at the time (Jay Cutler). I know what type of person he is. He’s one of those guys, you hate to play against him, you love to play with him.”

Let’s see how much talking Rivers is able to do with Von Miller on the other side. Last week, Miller was the only bright spot on defense for the Broncos. He had 2 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 8 total tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection against the New England Patriots.

After being named the AP’s defensive rookie of the year last year, some people expected Miller to fall into what’s called the “Sophomore Slump.” Instead he’s stepped up to a second-year surge.

“His second year in the league, I don’t think he’s really looking at it in terms of trying not to slump,” Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said. “I think he’s looking at it in terms of trying to continue to get better and help the team win, doing everything he can within what he’s being asked to do to get it done and make plays.”

Miller is 9th in the league with 5 sacks, and he has 23 tackles.

“He’s got some rare abilities and he’s working hard,” Del Rio said. “You combine those two things, it usually leads to some good stuff for you. It’s a treat to coach a guy with that kind of talent that brings it and competes the way he does. I’m happy for him, I’m proud of him, and obviously we need it to continue. We need our real star football players, our really talented football players to play well for us.”

Lucky for Miller and the rest of the Broncos defense, Rivers is the 8th most sacked quarterback in the league with 14 sacks.

Last season against the Chargers, Miller recorded 12 tackles and 2 sacks in two games.

“He’s an explosive player,” River said of Miller. “He’s obviously one of the guys that jumps off the film.”

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