Broncos vs. Bills Preview: Defending Kyle Orton

The last time Buffalo Bills quarterback Kyle Orton was in Denver, he was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the last game of the regular season in the 2011 season, when Tim Tebow was the starting quarterback of the Broncos. Orton and the Chiefs managed to beat the Broncos on their home field, but the Broncos won the division anyway, and won the next week in an overtime thriller against the Steelers in the playoffs.

That was not only the last time Orton was in Denver, but it was also the last time the Chiefs beat the Broncos. Things are a little different now in Denver with Peyton Manning taking over the quarterback position, but things are a little different for Orton as well. After accepting his role as a backup NFL quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys, Orton ‘retired’ but immediately answered the call when the Bills wanted him, for whatever reason.

It has worked out well for both parties, as Orton is commanding the offense for a Buffalo team that is 7-5 and surprisingly in the thick of the AFC playoff race. After getting smacked around by the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football a few weeks back, Orton and the Bills have refocused, winning their last two games against the Jets and Browns by a combined score of 64-13.

The Bills’ defense is playing great, the offense is finding ways to move the ball consistently, and overall, Buffalo has found the touch and is playing good football all around. The key for them is going to be how do they move the ball against the Denver defense, which is coming off of one of their more dominant performances this season.

Orton isn’t a quarterback that’s going to take a ton of shots downfield. Broncos know that much about their former starter, though when he had Brandon Lloyd he was certainly willing to give it a shot. The Broncos are going to have to be ready for an efficient short-intermediate passing game and a lot of passes to the running backs.

Despite not having an offseason to spend with his new receivers, Orton has good timing with Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, and tight end Scott Chandler. They have a great fallback option in running back Fred Jackson, who despite being the oldest back in the league is still effective in every area of his game.

The Broncos run plenty of Cover 2 but in this game, it might not be a bad idea to try and dare Kyle Orton to beat them deep with some press coverage. Orton completed under 55 percent of his passes against the Cleveland Browns’ aggressive secondary last week, and were it not for some huge defensive plays by Jerry Hughes, the Bills might have gotten upstaged by Johnny Manziel.

Orton had his worst completion percentage and QB rating last week against the Browns, which have an aggressive pass rush and ball-hawking corners and safeties who play tight man-to-man coverage. The Broncos have the ability to take advantage of that film and force Orton into really tough throws. This Denver defense could have a field day on Sunday, but they need to be smart and they need the pass rush to be effective.