Packers Romp over Broncos 49-23

By Nate Winkler
Cold, Hard Football Facts Broncos beat (down) man

The Denver Broncos ran into a buzz saw on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field, losing a laugher to the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers by a final score of 49-23.  Aaron Rodgers became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 400 yards & 4 TD's while adding two rushing touchdowns, and the Pack probably could have scored 60 if they stayed focused all game.  There was a Tim Tebow sighting, for one QB dive play in the first quarter, but that will hardly be enough to keep the wolves at bay in Denver. With San Diego coming to town in Week 5, the fate of the Broncos season is twisting in the wind.

Here are 5 Things We Learned:

1. The Green Bay Packers & Aaron Rodgers are really, really good.  They delivered a strong message to the rest of the league on Sunday, and made it clear early that they had no respect for the Denver defense.  On their first possesion, the Packers opted to go for it on 4th & 1 at the 13 yard line instead of taking the easy 3 points. Denver made the stop, but the Packers were saying "We know we'll be back here shortly, so a field goal is a waste of time."  To add insult to injury, after a defensive touchdown made the score 14-3, the Pack caught the Broncos with their pants down, successfully converting an onside kick and never looking back.  Green Bay entered week 4 in the 4th position of our Quality Stats Power Rankings, and solidified thier position as one of the NFL's elite in every phase of the game against the hapless Broncos.  Their sportsmanship takes a hit, however, as they were still letting Rodgers throw the ball well into the 4th quarter.

2. The finger can still be pointed at Josh McDaniels for Denver's dearth of talent. In a little less than two years, McDaniels made more bad decisions than a 20 year old frat boy.  Trading Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall & Petyon Hills; drafting Know-show Moreno, Demaryius "Paper Mache" Thomas, & of course Tim Tebow were all vomit-inducing on varying levels.  Looking across the field on Sunday, the Broncos saw a franchise that has built through the draft, and the Packers ran circles around the visiting team like it was a scrimmage against Cheesehead Community College.  EFX (Elway, Fox, Xanders)  had better have been taking notes because Green Bay has the blueprint for success in the NFL right now.

3. Kyle Orton's TAINT pass in the 1st quarter knocked the wind out of the Broncos, and by the time they got their breath back the game was over.  Kyle Orton turned in another mediocre performance against the Green Bay defense, despite the best effort of the season by his offensive line.  His 87.1 rating with 3 TD's & 3 INT's will do nothing to help his 25th place Overall Quarterback Rating.  The TAINT (Touchdown after INT) he threw to 2009 Defensive MVP Charles Woodson put the Donkeys behind the 8-ball for good.  The ensuing Packers touchdown following an onside kick delivered the knockout punch and the next 2 1/2 quarters were merely a formality.  Denver's offense fought back on two scoring drives in the 2nd quarter, making it a competitive 21-17 deficit, before Green Bay slammed the door for good with two more touchdowns sandwiched around halftime.  By the time the Broncos offense came back on the field in the second half,  they trailed 35-17 and hope was lost.

4. Denver's defense can't afford another game without Champ Bailey.  Aaron Rodgers carved up the Broncos secondary like a Thanksgiving turkey.  It's doubtful it would have made an impact on the result of the game, but Champ is still an elite talent at the cornerback position and his experience and leadership have been sorely missed the last three games. Denver's secondary has been relegated to relying on unheralded Cassius Vaughn & Jonathan Wilhite to fill the void at corner, and exposing the long -in-the-tooth "Wolverine" Brian Dawkins in deep coverage at safety.  The Broncos entered the game with the league's 3rd worst Passer Rating Differential, and despite their much improved pass rush, (rookie senastion Von Miller added 2 more sacks Sunday) the Orange Crush appears to still be far from ripe.

5. There's no reason to panic in the Mile High City, because you were kidding yourself if you thought this team was going anywhere this season.  Denver has began to reload it's roster, and John Elway will be quick to tell you that they're not "rebuilding", because that nullifies the present.  Truth is, as Green Bay showed us on Sunday, the Broncos appear to still be in demolition mode. They are, however, headed in the right direction, beginning with the three Day 1 starters tthey plucked from last April's draft (LB Von Miller, S Rahim Moore, RT Orlando Franklin), and free-agent acquisition Willis McGahee solidified the starting RB role with another 100 yard performance. Outside of those few bright spots, there are question marks and lack of talent at every position group on the field.  It will take more than one off-season to inject enough playmakers to stack up against the teams in the top half of the league.

Kyle Orton isn't the problem, but he's not the solution, either. The Broncos are 7-23, or .233, since their be-hooded 6-0 start in 2009.  If they fall to 1-4  next week, look for them to fish for a trade partner for Kyle Orton (deadline is week 6), and see what they have in Tim Tebow. The bottom line is, first rounders always play, (Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, etc.)and even though they inherited him, EFX will be doing the franchise a disservice if they don't see what Tebow can actually do. The apathy is reaching epidemic level in Denver, and the fans have already begun voicing their opinions with their wallets, neither of which can be allowed to continue.

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Read more: Aaron Rodgers, Champ Bailey, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, John Elway, John Fox, Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton, NFL, Von Miller