Denver Broncos Fall On The Road To The Tennessee Titans, 17-14

Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans should not be laid at the arm of Kyle Orton. Yes, he threw a critical interception on the final Broncos drive of the game, preventing a wide open Eric Decker from making a catch in the middle of the field. We've come to expect that from him. But this was a team effort at losing that really centered on John Fox's call to go for it on fourth down, which failed.

Still, Kyle Orton isn't winning games for the Broncos. Ask John Fox, though, and he's ready to stick with Kyle Orton. As Lindsay Jones tweets about Fox's press conference today:

Fox said he is confident in Kyle Orton as his starting quarterback. "Right now, in our opinion, Kyle gives us the best chance to win."

It's kind of hard to figure if that is true or not since Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn are still on the sidelines, looking around and watching Kyle Orton not win. If the Broncos fall to 1-3 against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday will Orton still provide the best chance for the Broncos to win? For Fox, probably.

For more, visit our Broncos blog Mile High Report

There was no Music City miracle comeback for Kyle Orton and the Denver Broncos. With 4:24 left on the clock, Kyle Orton took the Broncos from his own 30-yard line to the Tennessee Titans' 39-yard line. On 3rd-and-11, Orton's throw was tipped at the line and intercepted by Will Witherspoon. The Titans ran out the clock for the 17-14 victory.

The thing about that play, though, was that Eric Decker was wide open in the middle of the field. Unfortunately, Orton wound up throwing another inconvenient interception (not that there ever is convenient one). There was a lack of execution on the Broncos' part for this game. Not only the interception, but also the inability for Willis McGahee to get the ball in from the goal line early in the fourth quarter.

While going for it on the fourth down is a defensible play call, not putting it in is another matter. As Spencer Larsen told Alan Roach after the game, "That's the play that is going to haunt us all week." During the postgame radio show, John Fox said he'd keep going for that play on fourth down in the future.

The Broncos had just 231 total yards on offense to Tennessee's 333. Orton was 24-of-39 for 173 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Willis McGahee had just 52 yards on 22 carries, but neither game had a running game. Chris Johnson needed 13 carries to pick up 21 yards on the ground.

The Broncos are now 1-2 and will play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field next Sunday.

For more on this game, visit our Broncos blog Mile High Report and our Titans blog Music City Miracles.

With less than five minutes left in the game, Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton will attempt his hand at another comeback in Tennessee. After his team took a 14-10 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, the Tennessee Titans cut through the defense with about eight minutes left in the game for a touchdown.

The big play on the drive was a 58-yard reception by Craig Stevens on 1st-and-10 from his own 17-yard line. A couple of plays later, Matt Hasselbeck found Daniel Graham in the end zone for the touchdown and the 17-14 lead. The four-yard catch was the first pass Graham caught as a Titan.

Graham had been with the Broncos from 2007-10, but he was released in March when the team decided to save some money on his contract.

For more on this game, visit our Broncos blog Mile High Report and our Titans blog Music City Miracles.

The Denver Broncos chewed up more than half of the third quarter clock on a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive, taking a 14-10 lead. Kyle was 9-of-10 passing that drive, Orton wound up looking to Eric Decker and Daniel Fells early on the drive, as Brandon Lloyd was missing for a period of time in the third quarter.

Lloyd did return to the field, but Orton looked elsewhere to deposit the ball. Spencer Larsen had two key receptions to move the ball to the four-yard line. On 3rd-and-5, Orton threaded the needle and found Willis McGahee for the touchdown reception.

On the next drive, linebacker Von Miller rushed Matt Hasselbeck, had a strip sack and saw Derrick Harvey recover the ball for a Broncos possession. The Broncos failed to put the ball in the end zone on the first two plays, but back-to-back encroachment penalties by the Titans gave the Broncos a fresh set of downs. But the offense sputtered again as McGahee was stopped at the goal line on third and fourth downs.

For more on this game, visit our Broncos blog Mile High Report and our Titans blog Music City Miracles.

The Denver Broncos and the Tennessee Titans are locked in a 10-7 struggle at halftime at LP Field. Neither team has been able to put together a sustained series of drives in the first half as both defenses have held their own.

Newly-signed Quan Cosby sparked the Broncos' scoring drive when he started things with a 30-yard punt return to the 50-yard line. A roughing the passer penalty and an 11-yard reception by Brandon Lloyd helped matriculate the ball down the field. Kyle Orton found Matthew Willis in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown.

Tennessee countered with a nine-play, 85 yard touchdown drive over the first and second quarters. On 3rd-and-5, Matt Hasselbeck found Chris Johnson for a 34-yard gain, but not before Denver challenged and lost on the play. Several plays later, Hasselbeck found Nate Washington for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Rob Bironas added a 46-yard field goal late in the second quarter.

Both running games have struggled so far. Willis McGahee has just nine carries for 22 yards while Chris Johnson is stuck at seven carries for eight yards. Punter Brett Kern is the Titans' lead rusher with a 21 yards following a 35-yard run on a broken punt.

Kyle Orton has been unspectacular, going 10-of-19 for 78 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The pick came on a deep pass to Eric Decker that found its way into the hands of Jason McCourty

For more on this game, visit our Broncos blog Mile High Report and our Titans blog Music City Miracles.

The Denver Broncos are back in Tennessee to face the Titans just one year after they picked up one of their four victories in 2010. This was the game that caused Kyle Orton to call the Titans "cheap" for the way they played the game. Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan had supposedly punched Chris Kuper. One year later, both Orton and Finnegan are still with their respective teams and will face each other on the gridiron. Who will get the better of the other this time around?

The Broncos will need to overcome injuries once again. Brandon Lloyd looks ready to go, but Champ Bailey, Knowshon Moreno and D.J. Williams are questionable and most likely not ready to play. The Titans, though, have running back Chris Johnson ready to go for his breakout game. It could happen with a thin defensive front by the Broncos.

Broncos head coach John Fox got his first win out of the way last week, and now is the time to start that win streak.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, Sept. 25, 11:00 a.m. MT

Location: LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.

TV Schedule
National: CBS

Announcers: Bill Macatee, Steve Tasker

TV Distribution Map: The506.com

Radio Schedule
Broncos: AM 850 KOA/KJMA 95.1 FM/KMXA 1090
Titans: 104.5 WGFX-FM

For more on this game, visit our Broncos blog Mile High Report and our Titans blog Music City Miracles.

With the exception of Elvis Dumervil, the other three Denver Broncos who were injured in Week 1's game against the Oakland Raiders are listed as questionable or better for Week 3's game against the Tennessee Titans. But the only one likely to play is wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, the only player listed as probable.

Champ Bailey's hamstring, Knowshon Moreno's hamstring and D.J. Williams' elbow are likely to keep them out of this game. However, for fantasy purposes Moreno and Lloyd are the only ones that impact individual offensive positions on fantasy football teams.

Let's break down the positions once again:

QB: Kyle Orton is not a top-tier starter and if he is starting for a team it better be for a really deep league. He's not a bad option, but he's better as a backup.

RB: Even if Knowshon Moreno manages to get a few carries Willis McGahee should be a START after last week's 100-plus yard performance. He might not get as many carries this week, but Lance Ball isn't going to take away his opportunities in the end zone.

WR: Brandon Lloyd is probable for this game and he is Kyle Orton's favorite target. However, Eric Decker emerged last week as a solid option following his five-reception, 113-yard, two touchdown performance. START Decker and Lloyd, but look for Decker to be involved in the return game as well.

TE: Daniel Fells remains the starter and with rookie tight end Julius Thomas out he stands to gain a few more looks. However, that doesn't make him a great option. Could be a START at a flex position if needed.

K: Matt Prater is still going strong here.

DEF: Chris Johnson could run wild against this defensive line. Kenny Britt could take advantage of a secondary without Champ Bailey. SIT

For more on this game, visit Mile High Report. For more fantasy football help, check out SB Nation Fantasy.

The Denver Broncos will be without star defensive end Elvis Dumervil for another game as he was declared out for this Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans, reports the Denver Post's Lindsay Jones. Dumervil hurt his shoulder during practice before the first game of the season against the Oakland Raiders. He attempted to play through it, but the pain was too much. He played sparingly on third downs and obvious passing plays.

Then he missed last week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, along with Champ Bailey, Brandon Lloyd and Knowshon Moreno. Those three players, along with D.J. Williams are traveling with the team to Tennessee, but are listed as questionable. Williams dislocated his elbow during the preseason while the other three picked up injuries against the Raiders.

UPDATE: Lloyd, it turned out, was listed as probable on the official injury report.

Receiver Eddie Royal, defensive tackle Marcus Thomas (groin), tight end Julius Thomas (high ankle sprain) and receiver Demaryius Thomas (Achilles, pinky) have also been declared out for the game.

For more on this game, visit our Broncos blog Mile High Report and our Titans blog Music City Miracles.

The Denver Broncos received some encouraging news on Wednesday when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd completed practice as a full participant. However, as Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post tweets, Elvis Dumervil, D.J. Williams and Knowshon Moreno were limited participants in practice on Thursday.

Lloyd was inactive for last week's game against the Bengals, as his hamstring just didn't feel right during warmups. Eric Decker drew the start as a result and turned out a breakout performance with five receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Lloyd will take his normal spot in the starting lineup while Eric Decker stays out there as well for the time being. Eddie Royal's groin injury will keep him out for at least two weeks.

For the Tennessee Titans, running back Chris Johnson is dealing with rib soreness, but he was a full participant in Thursday's practice. Wide receiver Kenny Britt also had a full practice.

For more on this game, visit our Broncos blog Mile High Report and our Titans blog Music City Miracles.

The Denver Broncos might have their hands full when they face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Actually, that might be the wrong term to use. Their hands might be empty when they try to get to Titans running back Chris Johnson. He appeared on the team's Wednesday report with a rib injury, reports Jim Wyatt. However, both head coach Mike Munchak and Johnson believe he will be able to practice on Thursday.

Johnson, one of the more explosive runners in the game today, held out during the preseason before signing a $50-plus million extension. He has gotten off to a slow start, picking up 77 yards on 33 carries in two games so far. While the Broncos held the Bengals' Cedric Benson to just 59 yards last week, the Raiders' Darren McFadden rushed for 150 yards in the season opener.

This could be the breakout game of the season for Johnson. But if the Broncos can keep hitting him, it might not be that bad.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Visit Music City Miracles for more on the Titans