AFC West: Broncos in a world of hurt, literally

Sports Network | November 17, 2009

(Sports Network) - A chicken's body supposedly goes berserk when its head is detached from the body. In ancient Greek Mythology, as told in the classic movie "Clash of the Titans", the goddess Medusa can only be slain by decapitation.

The reeling Denver Broncos seem to have lost their heads now that surprisingly-efficient quarterback Kyle Orton is hampered with an ankle injury suffered in last Sunday's 27-17 loss at Washington. Orton sustained a left ankle injury after he was hit on a scramble just before halftime. He then watched from the sideline in the second half as oft-injured backup Chris Simms got a taste of action.

Orton completed 11-of-18 passes for 193 yards and two long touchdown passes to Brandon Marshall before departing with the Broncos ahead by a 17-14 score. Orton made the effort by taking a few practice throws before the third quarter commenced, but eventually told head coach Josh McDaniels his return would have to wait. McDaniels said in his weekly conference that Orton is questionable for this week's game with San Diego.

"It's a tough sport and it happens," Orton said on the team's site. "You've just got to try to play through it. I was hoping to come back out and I just wasn't able to. Hopefully I'll be ready to go next week."

Next week is perhaps the biggest game of the year for the Broncos, who will host the AFC West-rival Chargers with division bragging rights on the line. Denver is tied with San Diego atop the West standings, but has the tiebreaker edge thanks to a 34-23 victory in San Diego on October 19. San Diego has been on fire and posted its fourth consecutive winning decision with Sunday's 31-23 triumph over Philadelphia. Even though two of those four straight wins were against Kansas City and Oakland, the Chargers were able to stop two NFC East powers in the New York Giants and Eagles in back-to-back weeks.

Without Orton, who was intercepted three times in Denver's loss to Pittsburgh two weeks ago after turning the ball over just once in the previous seven games, the Broncos will have trouble trying to end a three-game slide since a red-hot and overwhelming 6-0 start. The Chargers have been in this position before, when Denver collapsed late last season to hand AFC West supremacy to the Chargers, who have won the division three straight years.

Simms will not be the savior for McDaniels, because the former Texas Longhorns star has had many chances to prove that he is NFL material but has come up lame every time. Now Simms is with his third team and will hold the reigns until Orton is healthy. In his defense, the Redskins have one of the best stop units in the league, one which Simms managed to throw for only 13 yards on 3- of-13 passing with a interception against on Sunday.

"I missed a few things and maybe my rhythm and timing was a little off," Simms said on the Broncos' site. "It's been awhile since I've thrown to guys like Jabar (Gaffney) and Brandon Marshall. But we'll see what happens with Orton. If I get a full week of reps in practice under my belt, I'll be ready to go next Sunday."

Much like Simms, the Broncos were disoriented in the second half of Sunday's loss, managing just three first downs and 36 yards of offense over the last 30 minutes. The first 30 minutes were good, as the Broncos recorded 11 first downs, 269 yards of offense and 17 points.

The idea of starting fast and finishing strong has exited the Mile High city in the last month or so, and so did the Broncos' once-dominant run defense. Redskins backup running back LaDell Betts took over for an injured Clinton Portis and ran for 114 yards and a score on 26 carries. The Broncos also looked clueless on a fake field goal attempt, as Redskins punter Hunter Smith took the snap and fired a 35-yard touchdown pass to reserve running back Mike Sellers.

McDaniels needs to get his young and still inexperienced mind back to the drawing board, because what he's rolling out right now wouldn't suffice at the high school level. There are 60 minutes to every football game, and Denver hasn't had the stamina to play out every one lately. If that trend continues this week, the Broncos will be chasing down the Chargers again.

Denver's schedule doesn't get any easier the rest of the way either, with the Giants, Colts and Eagles on the upcoming slate.

CHARGERS: "I'm a father. I did it. My boys can swim." - George Costanza.

The famous Seinfeld character blurted out those phrases when finding out his fix-up girlfriend's menstrual cycle was late. San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson can somewhat relate thanks to a subtle gift his wife, LaTorsha, left for him in his locker before he ran all over the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's 31-23 victory at Qualcomm Stadium. Inside a purple bag, which Tomlinson originally thought was a necklace, was a positive pregnancy test.

While the couple has been trying to establish a family over the past few years, Tomlinson had been hoping to give new life to his ground game, and delivered his best output since the 2008 campaign with a season-best 96 yards and a pair of touchdown runs on 24 carries. The Chargers' on and off-field leader sliced and diced his way through an Eagles defense that was probably expecting the NFL's worst rushing offense to lay down. Tomlinson, though, proved otherwise on his big day of news.

"Years ago we lost a child (to miscarriage) so we've been trying again," Tomlinson said on the team's site. "God works in mysterious ways and it's a blessing that we're pregnant again."

"L.T." gave Philadelphia a glimpse of his reborn style and even moved past Thurman Thomas and Franco Harris for 12th on the NFL's all-time rushing list (12,145 yards) with Sunday's performance. The future Hall of Famer's two touchdown runs also put him behind only Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith for the most all-time.

Recently criticized for injuries, advancing age and lack of production, Tomlinson proved that he's still effective and can find ways to help San Diego's pass-oriented offense win. The Chargers had totally abandoned the run for the right arm of quarterback Philip Rivers, and may have to adjust their style with Tomlinson running wild again. A sprained right ankle that hampered him early in the season is in the past, and Tomlinson can only hope Sunday's special day will lead to a better second half of the season and a possible deep playoff run for his team.

Tomlinson most likely has contemplated retirement this season, but has more to run for now that he'll be a father in about nine months or so and the Chargers are on the verge of a fourth consecutive AFC West title. The speedy back lifted San Diego to its fourth straight win after a 2-3 start and into a first-place tie with the struggling Denver Broncos in the standings. The Broncos have the upper hand after they beat San Diego back on October 19, but are caught in a three-game avalanche since a 6-0 start.

Head coach Norv Turner's fluid and unpredictable game plan on Sunday was a breath of fresh air for the Chargers. After unloading most of the work on Rivers over the first eight games of this season, the side-armed signal-caller felt relief from the backfield for the first time in almost a year on Sunday. Rivers threw for 231 yards and a pair of touchdown passes on Sunday, but may not get a chance to pick apart Denver's secondary this week now that Tomlinson has pumped life back into the ground game. There is no better time than now to slap the Broncos with a rushing attack, something Denver has been having trouble containing the past few weeks.

Lost in all of the Tomlinson hype was a dominating performance by the San Diego defense on Sunday. On several occasions, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was able to march his club into the red zone, only to come up with a field goal.

With Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton nursing an ankle problem, the Chargers shouldn't be too worried about lefty Chris Simms. What San Diego can worry about is how it allowed McNabb to throw for 450 yards and a pair of scores last week. It doesn't matter that the Chargers forced the Eagles to play from behind, because allowing a quarterback and an opposing offense to record almost 500 yards in a game won't often lead to victories.

"We let them put drives together, but the focus was to try not to let them score that 50, 60-yard touchdown," Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo told the team's official site. "They didn't and we won."

Philadelphia rushed for only 29 yards and settled for three field goals on five trips to the red zone. That's what happens to a team when the opposition puts up points early and dictates the remainder of the contest.

San Diego hopes that will occur in consecutive weeks, resulting in a first- place distinction in the AFC West.

CHIEFS: Home hasn't been so sweet for the Kansas City Chiefs, and it doesn't appear to get any nectarous for the stumbling franchise the next few weeks.

The organization has been nothing more than drab the last few years, and this season is no different. Kansas City has made some alterations for the future by bringing in general manager Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley, but the team hasn't been able to win at Arrowhead Stadium since September 28 of last season, when the AFC West-rival Denver Broncos were handed a 33-19 loss. Haley has compiled an 0-4 mark at home in his first head coaching job for the Chiefs, who have lost 10 in a row in one of the largest and most-storied venues in all of sports.

When opposing teams would enter Arrowhead Stadium in the past, they would know and feel immediately that they were far from home. The rowdy Kansas City faithful, however, hasn't been so rambunctious for quite a while now. At least the team's supporters get to see decent football from the visitors, and will do so over the next few weeks with four of the next five games scheduled at home.

This coming Sunday kicks off a series of tough bouts for the Chiefs, with the Pittsburgh Steelers first coming to town, followed by a trip to San Diego and three straight home tilts versus the Broncos, Bills and Browns. Unfortunately for Haley, he gets to prepare for consecutive tough defenses in the Steelers, Chargers and Broncos.

At least the Chiefs are coming off a winning note and improved to 2-7 on the season with last Sunday's 16-10 road victory over the rival and just-as-bad Oakland Raiders. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast saw his unit keep the Raiders off the scoreboard for three straight quarters after Oakland posted 10 points in the opening stanza. Rookie kicker Ryan Succop, who earned the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" after being selected by the Chiefs with the final pick of the 2009 draft, nailed a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to put Kansas City ahead for good. The South Carolina product was the offense for the Chiefs on Sunday, making three field goals in a game for only the second time in his young career. Succop has made 14-of-18 field goals and all 12 of his PAT kicks.

Another youngster on display Sunday was running back Jamaal Charles. The second-year speedster enjoyed his best day as a pro and helped further distance the memories of recently-released running back Larry Johnson by posting 103 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Charles hasn't solidified the starting job with Kolby Smith and Dantrell Savage breathing down his back, but left a promising impression with Haley after scoring the first rushing touchdown of the season for the Chiefs.

"Jamaal is one of those guys who has done everything asked of him and has continued to improve," Haley said after Charles posted the Chiefs' first 100- yard rushing game of the season. "Now he has been put in a spot where he's a bigger part of what we're doing. Though not perfect, I think you're seeing strides in Jamaal."

Charles will have to make some big strides, with the Steelers heading to Arrowhead Stadium this weekend with hopes of bouncing back from a tough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. It would seem that Pittsburgh has the advantage here, and Charles will likely find tough sledding against an outstanding run defense anchored by linebackers James Harrison, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons. Heck, it would be an arduous task for any offensive player trying to break through the Steelers' 3-4 scheme led by the masterful mind of coordinator Dick LeBeau.

The Chiefs' offensive line put together its best performance of the season against a mistake-prone Raiders defense. Now it will face a true test from the reigning Super Bowl champions without leading receiver Dwayne Bowe, who has been suspended four games for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing substances. The team released the following statement Tuesday:

"The Kansas City Chiefs today confirmed that the National Football League has suspended WR Dwayne Bowe for four games for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances. Bowe's suspension will begin immediately.

"As a result of the league suspension, the team will have no further comment."

Bowe leads the Chiefs in catches (33) and yards (466) and has four touchdown receptions. His numbers have slipped in his third year as a pro, but a lot of that has to do with a new system and a new quarterback. Bobby Wade, Chris Chambers, Lance Long and Mark Bradley are solid fill-ins for Bowe.

RAIDERS: It's too bad the Oakland Raiders don't have 11 Kirk Morrisons to suit up on defense every game.

The third-round pick out of San Diego State in 2005 leads the Raiders with 80 combined tackles, 66 of which have been solo, and is second in the entire NFL in that category. Morrison has posted double-digits in stops four times this season, including a 10-tackle effort in Sunday's loss to Kansas City. He has been in the starting lineup since his rookie campaign, and it's unfortunate Oakland has such a decrepit defense, because there is so much potential.

Morrison, who started all 16 games at middle linebacker for a third straight year in 2008, looks to add a few more stats to his resume in 2009. The 240- pounder -- and first two-time All-American at San Diego State since Marshall Faulk from 1991-93 -- sits just one solo tackle behind Falcons middle linebacker Curtis Lofton for the NFL lead. It's always a sight to see when linebackers have the speed of a gazelle and can chase down running backs from behind with ease. Morrison was able to do just that against Kansas City's Jamaal Charles, who eventually stung the Oakland defense for more than 100 yards rushing.

Morrison and the defense may catch a break in this week's game with Cincinnati, since Bengals running back Cedric Benson is questionable with a hip injury. A healthy Benson could make life miserable for the Raiders, since he has been wreaking havoc on the league this season and is a candidate for MVP.

Morrison, along with fellow linebacker and tackling machine Thomas Howard, will still be ready for any running back the Bengals throw at them on Sunday. The Bengals, however, added former disgruntled Kansas City running back Larry Johnson to the mix this week. Oakland knows what Johnson's capable of, having faced him twice a year since 2003, and probably won't get caught off guard if the bruising back plays Sunday. Morrison, the leader of head coach Tom Cable's defense, isn't likely to disregard the talent that Johnson has.

Cable has a tough stretch of games to prepare for, with the AFC North-leading Bengals, the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys and the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on the horizon.

Cable tried to get his offense in gear by benching ineffective starting quarterback JaMarcus Russell in favor of backup Bruce Gradkowski for the second time in three weeks on Sunday. Russell, who started the first nine games, was replaced in the third quarter of Sunday's setback by Gradkowski, who went 4-for-8 for 46 yards and two interceptions. Gradkowski suffered a hamstring injury during the game, so Cable remains mum on who's going to start against a Bengals team fresh off a big win in Pittsburgh. Third-stringer Charlie Frye may even get the nod if Gradkowski can't shake the problem.

"The thing about Charlie is he's a gym rat," Cable said in his weekly press conference. "He's always around, he's always studying. Certainly he deserves to be part of this discussion."

To be quite frank, the Raiders will have trouble winning games no matter who is under center. Maybe Morrison can even get a shot at throwing to the corners or gambling on the go route.