December 2, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning drops back to throw the ball during the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

The Denver Broncos clinched their second consecutive AFC West Championship yesterday by taking down the Buccaneers 31-23. In the process they accomplished several things that haven’t been done in Denver for quite some time. It’s their first back-to-back division titles since the 1986-1987 seasons, and they also won their seventh straight game which is their longest winning streak since 1998. That season ended with a Super Bowl Championship, and these Broncos have the look of a team who may be able to add to the trophy case.

Here are some thoughts on the Denver Broncos victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

• The third quarter showed how explosive this Denver team can be. They won on the scoreboard 21-0 thanks to two Peyton Manning touchdown passes and a defensive pick six. They also held Tampa to two three-and-outs and benefitted from 78 yards on punt returns. If the Broncos can play like that over 4 quarters they will beat anyone come playoff time.
• While the Denver offense once again struggled to find a rhythm early, the defense stemmed the tide and slowed Tampa until the Broncos could get it going. There is no doubt this team is led by Manning, but the defensive effort over the last few weeks has been extraordinary.
• The Broncos were up 31-13 midway through the 4th quarter when they took possession deep in Tampa territory. A score would have ended the competitive phase of the game and Denver could have coasted to the finish. John Fox decided to conservatively run the ball and settle for the field goal. In recent Matt Prater fashion, he sent the kick wide right and Denver was forced to sweat out a tight ending to the game. It’s not hard to understand why a team like New England has a tendency to go for the jugular in that situation. Why deal with the stress at the end of a game? Peyton Manning was nearly unstoppable at that moment. Let him go after his fourth touchdown pass and put it out of reach. Instead, the Bucs staged a comeback and were within an onside kick of making it very interesting. Denver was also forced to leave the starters in until the end and expose them to unnecessary injury risk. Playoff games are tough to close out when you take the ultra-conservative route. Hopefully Denver learns that lesson soon.
• Tampa is bush league for diving at the legs of the opponent’s offensive line during game ending kneel downs. If the league is serious about coming down on injuries they should put an end to the pathetic practice employed by Greg Schiano and the Buccaneers. That is simply disgraceful.
• Is anyone else tired of seeing predictable running plays on 2nd-and-short situations that get stuffed? Ronnie Hillman and Knowshon Moreno ended up with 98 rushing yards combined. That’s a mediocre effort, and the Bucs certainly weren’t scared of the running game. Once Denver took the brakes off and let Manning throw the ball all over the field they became a force of nature. Let Manning take control and open it up!
• The Broncos defense registered only 1 sack on the day, but as expected it was credited to Von Miller. He also had 6 tackles, 1 quarterback hit and an interception return for a touchdown. Miller has shown he is a jack of all trades and should be the frontrunner for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
• Manning finished with 3 touchdowns, a quarterback rating of 103.2, and set the franchise mark for passing touchdowns in a season with 29. He is going to shatter all the single season franchise records for a quarterback this year. Pretty impressive considering he didn’t play a snap in 2011.
• Matt Prater went 1 for 2 on field goals and his miss enabled the Buccaneers to stay in the game late. For whatever reason he really struggles on kicks from 40-49 yards. Prater has now missed 5 field goals over the last 4 games and has become a liability.
• Next up is a quick road trip to play the Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football. The AFC West Champions will be on Display in Oakland and they will be wearing orange and blue! Go Broncos!

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Mitch Unrein (96) prepares to spike the football after a one yard touchdown catch in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

The Denver Broncos took a walk out onto the plank, stared into the blue waters, and shook their heads at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It wouldn’t be in week 13 that the Broncos would dive into the loss column. They beat the Bucs 31-23 and clinched the AFC West division title with their seventh consecutive win.

We could immediately talk Peyton Manning’s prolific performance, or Trindon Holliday’s faster-than-the-speed-of-sound legs in the return game, or even the defense’s effort to hold 4th ranked running back Doug Martin to 56 yards on 18 carries.

I don’t want to hit on those points yet. Let’s talk defensive tackle Mitch Unrein. Who? Huh? Yep, the 3-year veteran from Eaton, Colorado and the former Wyoming Cowboy.

After Knowshon Moreno ran for 12 yards to put the Broncos at the 1-yard line in the first quarter, Unrein lined up as an eligible receiver. Surely his 291 pounds would be needed to block, right? Wrong. Manning stepped back and found Unrein in the end zone for the first touchdown of his career. Just like that the Broncos were up on the board first.

Unrein’s day wasn’t done, however. He had work to do on the other side of the ball. After all, defensive tackles will make fun of the show-boating wide receivers who often get into the end zone and dance and spike the ball. A defensive tackle does work in the trenches. The bruising often goes unnoticed, and the rewards are as pronounced as a pat on the rear after a good play.

Then, with about four minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Unrein unleashed from the pack and hit Josh Freeman as he threw the ball. Von Miller grabbed the slow moving pass and ran it back 26 yards to put the Broncos up 28-10. Without Unrein’s pressure and performance, the pressure very well could have been on the Broncos.

Manning set yet another record, this time a franchise record for touchdown passes in a single season with 28. His first touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas got him into the great big orange and blue book, but he didn’t stop there. He found Thomas again five minutes later for his 29th touchdown pass of the season. Manning finished the day 27-for-38 for 242 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He can tell the crowd to quiet down as much as he wants. Thomas had 8 receptions for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the team.

On the defensive side of the ball, the play of the game came on Miller’s pick-6, but one of the ongoing highlights was the team’s ability to make the Bucs’ high-scoring offense look rather flat. Putting up 365.4 total yards per game, the Bucs ended the day with 306 yards. They also went 3-for-12 on third down. Freeman went 18-for-39 for 242 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 pick, and Martin was held to nearly 40 yards below his 95.5 yard per game average.

Much like last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos’ offense took it’s time revving its engine. The Broncos took just 7 points into the locker room at halftime and went 1-for-4 on third down. In the end, they finished with over 30 points for the 8th time this year which had only been done three times in franchise history.

Speaking of history, John Fox is now just the 10th NFL coach to win division titles in his first two years with a team since the 1970 merger.

Throughout the season, the Broncos have answered all of the questions with single game quests. They’re on the ultimate quest, however, and that’s to be playing in February. Let the sleeves roll up, and the wins pile up as we continue to witness some of the best moments in Broncos’ football history.

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Denver Broncos cheerleaders perform during the first quarter of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Chargers 30-23. The Broncos are home once again in Week 13 to face the Tampay Bay Buccaneers. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

Not only will the Denver Broncos attempt to win their seventh consecutive game, they will also attempt to win their second consecutive divisional title when the 6-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit Denver.

For those fans attending the game, continue reading for information you may find useful on gameday.

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