Mile High Monday: Broncos Move to 6-0; Von Miller Set to Return

Oct 13, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos scored 35 points on Sunday, won by 16, pushed their record to 6-0, established an NFL record for points through 6 games of a season, and yet there was a sense of disappointment in Broncos Country.

Such is life when a fan base has been spoiled by a dominant 17-game regular season winning streak.

Long forgotten are the days of 2010. If anyone wants something to boo about, go watch some game tape from that season. Ten minutes of Kyle Orton and you’ll probably have to make an unscheduled stop at the nearest bathroom.

Yesterday Denver was favored by 28 over Jacksonville and had dealt with a week of hyperbole about the massive point spread. Expectations were through the roof. By the time kickoff rolled around the Broncos needed to win by 70 in order to satisfy the masses.

Really it was a no-win situation. Play a perfect game or something is seriously wrong with you, plus you risk injuries when victory is certain and the game will have zero impact on the important ones come January.

Regardless, the Denver Broncos remain undefeated after soundly beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-19.

Denver clearly wasn’t very sharp in moving to 6-0. Peyton Manning threw a pick 6 and fumbled two times on exchanges from the center (Manny Ramirez took full responsibility for those after the game). Those turnovers gave Jacksonville some life and allowed them to hang around.

You also have to give the Jaguars some credit. These guys are all professionals, and hearing all week about how horrible they are and how they were going to get slaughtered obviously gave them motivation.

This is how it will be for the Broncos from here on out. The Denver game is circled on every opponent’s schedule, and Jacksonville played their Super Bowl yesterday. They still lost, but I doubt they’ll play that inspired again the rest of this season.

In my mind the only real negative to come out of yesterday’s game was the knee injury to right tackle Orlando Franklin. No word yet on the severity, but it would be a big boost if it’s not of the serious variety.

Another big boost will come in the form of number 58. Superstar linebacker Von Miller finally returns from his 6-game suspension and it’s not a moment too soon. With Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts up next the defense needs get things tightened up quickly. The return of Miller, plus hopefully the quick recovery of injured DE Robert Ayers and LB Wesley Woodyard would go a long way in restoring the big play defense we’re used to seeing.

In the big picture the Broncos are right on track. They’ve gone 6-0 without possibly the best defensive player in the entire NFL, they have the inside track on a top playoff seed in the AFC, and they look like they still have significant room to improve.

Life is good in Broncos Country. Enjoy it!

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