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ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is putting together one of the all-time great passing seasons through the first month of this year and even his opponents are impressed by it.

Among them is Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“It’s awesome. I’m happy for him. He’s a great player,” Stafford said. “One of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks of all time and a guy that growing up I watched and really tried to study his game as much as you can. The guy’s a great thinker, a great mind and obviously can put the ball wherever he wants.”

Manning has completed 75 percent of his passes this season (117-of-156) for a NFL-best 1,470 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The real eye-popping stat -- he’s thrown zero interceptions and has a passer rating of 138.

His numbers could be even better, too, as Manning’s pass-catchers have dropped 5.1 percent of his throws. Three of Manning’s receivers -- Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker -- all have 24 or more receptions through four games.

“He’s got some weapons there this year that he hasn’t had in a while,” Stafford said. “And he’s making teams pay for it.”

Manning leads the league in almost every passing category, but Stafford is actually doing better than him in a couple of areas.

Manning is second to Stafford in sacks per drop-back -- Stafford has been sacked 1.9 percent of the time to Manning’s 3.1 percent. Stafford also is getting rid of the ball faster than Manning, throwing the ball 2.75 seconds after the snap to Manning’s 2.82 seconds.

A weekly examination of the Broncos’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 3 | Last Week: 2 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

With their 59-20 demolition of the Philadelphia Eagles this past weekend, the Broncos moved up a spot and to the top of the ESPN.com Power Rankings as they emphatically launched themselves out of what coach John Fox calls the “first quarter of a four-quarter season." They have done it with an opportunistic defense still without two of its best players and an offense that has overwhelmed four consecutive opponents.

The Broncos are averaging 44.8 points per game, a pace that is eight points better than the highest-scoring offense in league history: the 2007 New England Patriots. Quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown 16 touchdown passes, or more touchdowns than every other team in the league has scored overall. They have beaten their four opponents by an average of 22 points.

Oh, and they have played defense without cornerback Champ Bailey or star pass-rusher Von Miller in the lineup. Bailey has missed four games with a left foot injury he suffered in preseason and Miller will miss two more games as part of his six-game suspension.

“But there’s plenty to work on,’’ Fox said. “We want ... to be playing our best football in February.’’

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- If it was Monday, it must have been time for Broncos coach John Fox to perform the football eclipse and just block out the sunshine.

And in working his way through a recap of Sunday’s 52-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles that pushed the Broncos to 4-0 and brought another round of historical benchmarks the team has surpassed on offense along the way, Fox delivered an off-handed missive that won’t be great news to the team’s upcoming opponents.

“We left points out on the field [Sunday]."

And with that Fox kept to his weekly ritual of trying to turn down the flame on the Broncos’ start in which the quarterback has thrown 16 touchdown passes without an interception, more touchdowns than every other team in the league has scored overall, and the Broncos lead the league in scoring by 52 points over No. 2 Chicago.

“We’ll just continue to get better," Fox said. “ … And I expect us to get better. People look at me funny when I say that. There’s still a lot of areas we need to improve at, we can improve at."

In reality, even with quarterback Peyton Manning on the current torrid pace, the Broncos will need, at some point, to run the ball with more authority, especially when in close-out mode. They rushed for just 37 yards on 12 carries in the fourth quarter Sunday. That’s 3.1 yards per carry against a defense that was both demoralized and visibly fatigued. While that looks like a BB off a battleship in a 32-point win, there will be a day when the Broncos need more to grind one out.

• It will be intriguing to watch how the Broncos attack the Cowboys defense, with longtime NFL assistant Monte Kiffin in his first season calling the shots on that side of the ball in Dallas. Especially since the Broncos will have the video of how their offensive coordinator from 2012 -- current Chargers coach Mike McCoy -- handled it this past Sunday in the Chargers’ 30-21 victory. Kiffin has long played a 4-3 look, with the defensive linemen playing the run as they move up the field toward the quarterback with two deep safeties. He forces quarterbacks to play with patience with a combination of coverages designed to keep plays in front of the defensive backs. Fox knows it well from his time in Carolina and Kiffin’s long run as the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator, while Manning certainly knows it from his time in Indianapolis when Tony Dungy used the defense with the Colts (Kiffin was Dungy's defensive coordinator in Tampa). But that doesn’t always help, or as Fox put it: “Everybody in this league has either played for or coached with Monte.’’ One of the biggest challenges for the Broncos will come up front where Kiffin’s four-man front is often stunting and moving into the middle of the field as well, working the gaps between the center and guards. That will surely mean a test for Manny Ramirez, as well as Zane Beadles and Louis Vasquez.

• Fox said he was sitting face-to-face with Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio Sunday night when the University of Houston tennis coach, Patrick Sullivan, posted on his Twitter account he had “spotted" Del Rio at Los Angeles International Airport. Fox and the Broncos coaches were at a local steakhouse at the time. “I was actually at Del Frisco’s when that came out," Fox said. Asked if he was checking his Twitter feed at the time, Fox said: “I don’t even know how to spell Twitter." Del Rio has already been linked to the vacant USC coaching job -- he played at USC -- but couldn't start a new job until the Broncos season is over, including any postseason games. Del Rio’s contract is up following the season. Following Sunday night’s game, Del Rio said: “There isn’t anything to say. It’s all speculation at this point, I’ve got a job to do here, my focus is right there." Monday, Fox said: “Like always there’s 8,000 candidates, when it gets serious potential, we’ll keep you posted."

• The Broncos equipment staff saved linebacker Steven Johnson the football from his first career touchdown in Sunday’s win. Johnson blocked a punt early in the fourth quarter, scooped up the ball and returned it 17 yards for the score. Johnson got the ball Monday afternoon. “After I blocked it, I was shocked and I was like, ‘Oh shoot,’ you know? I slowed down, took a deep breath and just picked it up and scored and then celebrated with my teammates."

• Following Sunday’s game, in which Trindon Holliday had his sixth return for a touchdown in his 16 games with the Broncos, Holliday said he believed he has become more reliable catching the ball. Fox hasn’t always allowed Holliday to catch punts deep in Denver territory and Holliday has had some nerve-wracking bobbles in his brief time with the Broncos. But Monday Fox agreed with Holliday’s assessment saying Holliday was “fielding the ball way more consistently.’’ It could mean Holliday gets a few more opportunities in games, particularly as a punt returner. On Holliday’s run with the team Fox said: “I joked with him that if he’d won the Baltimore game, he might have been the guy on Dancing with [the] Stars.’’ Holliday became the first player in league history to return a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in the same playoff game last January. But the Broncos didn’t hang on and lost to the Ravens. And Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones was chosen to appear on "Dancing with the Stars."

• Fox said Monday the Broncos suffered no major injuries in Sunday's game. Defensive tackle Mitch Unrein and linebacker Danny Trevathan each left the game, but returned.

A review of four hot issues after the Philadelphia Eagles' 52-20 loss to the Denver Broncos:

This game was never going to be a pleasant afternoon in the Rockies for these Eagles. After Philip Rivers dissected their patchwork secondary in Week 2, we immediately wondered how bad things would get when the Eagles faced the elite quarterbacks, with no one being more elite than Peyton Manning. Now we know.

“We ran into a buzzsaw,” Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said after the game. Davis had left the locker room, possibly after turning in his belt and shoelaces. He spoke to reporters via the iPhone of a member of the media relations staff.

The Eagles became a part of the history that Manning is making, the same way Michael Spinks was part of the history Mike Tyson made or the rest of the field was part of the history Usain Bolt made in the Olympics. They have no choice but to accept that and find a way to move on.

The next three weeks are huge for Chip Kelly. After losing three games to the AFC West, by larger margins every week, Kelly’s Eagles play the New York Giants (0-4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) and Dallas Cowboys (2-2).

The Eagles have an opportunity to win all three of those games, which would get them to 4-3, restore their respectability and give the second half of the season meaning. All three games are against NFC teams and two are within the division, where the Eagles are 1-0. Since 1990, teams that start 1-3 have just a 14 percent chance to go to the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Information. But somebody is going to win the NFC East. It says so right in the rulebook. Until they lose games and ground to Dallas, the Eagles have a chance to be that team.

The offensive line is becoming an issue. Kelly laid the blame for the offensive struggles squarely on the pressure quarterback Michael Vick is experiencing. “We’ve got times where he is at the top of his drop and he’s sticking his foot into the ground and there’s pressure on him,” Kelly said. “That’s not on Mike.”

A quick history lesson: Two years ago, Andy Reid brought in longtime Indianapolis Colts assistant Howard Mudd to coach the offensive line. Mudd has a unique approach suited to slimmer, more athletic linemen. The result was a purge of players who just didn't fit. Could it be that some of the linemen here just don't fit Kelly’s own unique approach? Could it simply be that the players returning from injuries -- Jason Peters, Todd Herremans, Jason Kelce -- aren't at full health? Is it just a natural transition period?

“Someone who’s been playing fantastic for 52 plays, on the 53rd play makes a mistake up front,” Kelly said. “Somebody you expected to be picked up is creating penetration.”

Time will provide the answers, but there is enough of a body of work to start asking the questions.

There are no playmakers on this defense. Davis has been trying to scheme around the personnel he has while shifting the team from a 4-3 to a 3-4 base. The results were not very good through three weeks, and they were disastrous Sunday against the Broncos. No matter the scheme, though, a great player will find ways to make an impact: a sack on a crucial third down, a ball stripped from a running back or receiver, something. The Eagles just aren't getting those plays.

“We only have one way to go,” Davis said. “We have to get better. Everything about the defense has to improve. We have enough talent.”

Davis may or may not believe those words. The rest of us have to believe our eyes.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- An examination for four hot issues from the Denver Broncos' 52-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Spread it thick: It is what some defensive coordinators envisioned when the Broncos reeled in Wes Welker in free agency: With a quarterback as accomplished -- and as patient at this point in his career -- as Peyton Manning is, defending the Broncos' three-wide look would be a chore. And it has been just that as Manning has targeted Demaryius Thomas, Welker and Eric Decker 38, 37 and 35 times, respectively, and the three have 29, 26 and 24 catches, respectively

Screen it in: When Sunday’s game was still somewhat in the balance, the Eagles did have some success in the screen game against the Broncos' aggressive front seven, including a short toss to running back Bryce Brown that turned into a 34-yard gain early, along with a 21-yarder to running back LeSean McCoy. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has used running back DeMarco Murray plenty in the passing game -- 21 catches, tied for second on the team -- so it will be something for the Broncos to consider this week.

Finish it: Whenever Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio is asked about some tweak in the scheme, he will often get the conversation back to “leverage and tackling" at some point. “It’s basic, as old as football," he said. And when things don’t go right for the Broncos' defense, it’s often because they did not fulfill that maxim. They have been steady in that department for much of the early going, but when the Eagles did move the ball Sunday, there was often a missed tackle to blame. That included a Robert Ayers miss on Michael Vick in the first quarter to go with missed tackles from linebackers Wesley Woodyard and Nate Irving later in the quarter on back-to-back plays, both on McCoy.

Go big: When kick returner Trindon Holliday scores a touchdown, it is almost always an enormous, momentum-swinging play, including his 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Eagles. In 16 games with the Broncos, last season's playoff loss included, Holliday now has six touchdown returns, with the shortest one being a 76-yard punt return last season. His three kickoff returns for scores have been for 105, 104 and 105 yards.

DENVER -- In the growing avalanche of numbers, career bests and team records pouring down the east side of the Continental Divide four games into this Denver Broncos season, there is one thing that is both staggering for even the most die-hard Broncos fans and gut-wrenching for even the most glass-half-full people still on the schedule.

Denver is averaging a league-leading 44.8 points per game, but no, that’s not the one.

Peyton Manning has thrown 16 touchdown passes without an interception, but that’s not it either. Manning has completed 75 percent of his passes, Wes Welker has six touchdown catches -- as many as he had all of last season -- and Trindon Holliday has two touchdown returns.

But, no, no and no.

The scary thing is that there just may be more in there, more to come. Consider that Manning didn’t throw a touchdown pass in the first quarter of the season opener, that he sat out the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 52-20 scorched-earth win over the Philadelphia Eagles and that there was a span of roughly 12 minutes in the first half Sunday when Manning was on the sideline as the Broncos' defense was on the field because of Holliday’s 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

So, that’s just under three quarters’ worth of football off the table, meaning that Manning has essentially thrown 16 touchdown passes in 13 quarters. Yes, 16 touchdowns in just over 13 quarters, and you don’t need a slide rule to know that’s in the area between ridiculous and historic.

And if linebacker Danny Trevathan had not tossed the ball aside too quickly on a touchdown that was negated in the season opener because of the ill-advised celebration after an interception return, the Broncos would be the highest-scoring team over the first four games in NFL history.

Asked if he ever had a stretch like Manning is having now, Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway, a pretty fair passer in his day, said, "No, because no one has."

Even John Fox, a noted practitioner of the various ways to say "stay in your lane" or "one game at a time," is having a difficult time keeping a lid on how things are going at quarterback. Given yet another chance to drop the word "greatest" or "best" into a sentence about the Broncos’ 4-0 start, Fox said:

“We’re a quarter into it, I’m one of those guys who would probably be understated and overproduce. We’re not anywhere near done with our body of work, we’re only a quarter of the way into it. I’m pleased with where we are, truth be told you can’t be any better than 4-0 after four games, so we’ll try to continue to prepare and do the things necessary to get ready for each week, including Dallas this week."

Then asked if he could understate what Manning has done with the offense so far, Fox simply smiled.

"Again, I’ve said he’s a tremendous quarterback, I don’t think anyone would dispute that," Fox said. "I can state the obvious, but I think everybody here knows that."

And everybody knows the rest after four games. The Broncos have now defeated two read-option teams, the defending Super Bowl champ and a coach who once beat the highest-scoring offense in league history in the Super Bowl. The Broncos have gone fast and they've slowed it down. Their defense has had some lapses in blowout wins, but it grinds teams on third downs -- the Eagles had one three-and-out in three games coming in, but had two Sunday -- and gets to opposing quarterbacks stuck working in Manning’s vapor trail.

And special teams? In four games, the Broncos have scored touchdowns on a punt return, a kickoff return and a blocked punt. You give this team special-teams touchdowns and you’re begging for a spot on the highlight reel.

"We gave up a lot of points and couldn’t stop them," Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin said. "I know [Manning] gets hot and gets going, he got hot on us [Sunday], but like I said earlier in the week, you have to get stops and create turnovers. We didn’t do that."

Misery does love company, as the Raiders didn’t do it, the Giants didn’t do it and the Ravens didn’t do it either. At some point it bears pointing out that those four teams are currently a tidy 4-12. And some will say nobody has dug in yet against the Broncos and forced them to play a roll-up-your-sleeves game with punts flying back and forth and field position at a premium.

Some wonder, almost out of habit or at least with memories of the Broncos’ meltdown on a frigid day last January dancing in their heads, if the Broncos can muscle up to win one on defense and with the run game if needed.

So sure, some question marks remain, with plenty of time -- 12 regular-season games and whatever the postseason becomes -- for those questions to arrive.

"And we know we haven’t done anything yet but get a good start, but I said it before and I’ll say it again right now," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. "You do what this team has done, you score 37 points in one and over 40 in the other ones, you get to the quarterback, stop people on third down the way we’ve done so far, that’s pretty damn good."

That it is.

Sunday brought us massive comebacks in Houston and San Diego, an immense assault on the NFL record book in Denver, huge blowouts in Kansas City and Jacksonville and considerable embarrassment for the New York Jets. I guess it was just a massive, immense and considerably embarrassing kind of week, depending on your perspective.

As a reminder, I didn't catch every down of every game Sunday. What follows is a reflection of the best and worst of what I saw during my journey through Week 4.

STUDS

1. Matt Cassel, Minnesota Vikings quarterback: I could name a half-dozen Vikings who played better than Cassel in Sunday's victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in London. And it's only fair to point out he faced a defense that stacked at least eight men in the box on 57 percent of its snaps -- a favorable environment for passing. But Cassel played well enough to merit another start in place of Christian Ponder, regardless of whether Ponder's rib injury has healed when the team returns Oct. 13 from its bye. Cassel was decisive and accurate on his short passes, seemingly modest achievements that Ponder hasn't mastered. Cassel smartly targeted veteran receiver Greg Jennings in the end zone, completed his final 11 passes and didn't commit a turnover. That's enough for an offense built around tailback Adrian Peterson. If coach Leslie Frazier agrees and Cassel stays healthy, the Ponder era might have concluded in Minnesota.

2. Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals cornerback: There wasn't much to like from an aesthetic standpoint in the Cardinals' 13-10 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a game notable mostly for the Bucs' simmering controversy with former quarterback Josh Freeman. But Peterson made arguably the two biggest plays in the game, intercepting rookie quarterback Mike Glennon twice in the final 3:12. The first set up the Cardinals' struggling offense at the Bucs' 13-yard line for tying points. The second, near midfield with 48 seconds remaining, sealed the victory. There aren't many opportunities for a cornerback to take over a game, but Peterson did just that in front of the few who were still watching it.

3. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos quarterback: I've run out of unique ways to view Manning's start to the season. I mean, the guy is on pace to throw for almost 6,000 yards and 64 touchdowns. We're all waiting for someone to slow down the Broncos' offense, but with each passing week, Manning settles deeper into his groove. Sunday, he threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns -- IN THREE QUARTERS -- before backup Brock Osweiler replaced him. According to ESPN Stats & Information, only two of Manning's 34 attempts were either under- or overthrown. The rest were catchable, and Broncos receivers snagged 27 of them. My advice to Broncos fans and everyone else: Sit back and enjoy watching a legend at the absolute top of his game.

4. Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs punt returner: The Chiefs were clinging to a three-point lead over the New York Giants when McCluster fielded a third-quarter punt at his 11-yard line. By my count, the Giants had six chances to tackle him en route to an 89-yard touchdown return. The score pushed the Chiefs' advantage to 10 points in an eventual 31-7 victory. And in an indication of how far the Giants have fallen, McCluster mocked receiver Victor Cruz's salsa dance when he reached the end zone. The Chiefs are 4-0 with different heroes every week. Sunday, McCluster provided the biggest play of the game.

5. NFL front office: I am 100 percent in favor of the schedule change under consideration by the league, reported Sunday morning by ESPN's Chris Mortensen. In case you missed it: The preseason would be reduced from four to three games for most teams, and the league would make up for the lost revenue by adding two teams to the playoff field (from 12 to 14). So let's get this straight: We would lose one completely meaningless set of games and get more playoffs in return? Yes, please. Spare me any whining about the sanctity of the regular season or the exclusivity of the playoffs. The implied excitement of the regular season is to get to the postseason, and if anything, a larger playoff field will help ensure that all teams capable of winning the Super Bowl have a chance to get there. If some complicated bureaucratic waters can be navigated, this would be a home run for those who hate the preseason (everyone) and love the playoffs (all of us). Don't be a party pooper.

DUDS

1. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans quarterback: Nothing can excuse Schaub's weak, ill-advised third-down pass to tight end Owen Daniels in the flat with 2:40 remaining against the Seattle Seahawks. Daniels was never open and Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was hardly hiding. Sherman's interception and 58-yard return for a TD capped a comeback from a 20-3 halftime deficit and completely sapped the Texans, who lost 23-20 in overtime. I'm not interested in criticism of coach Gary Kubiak for a risky play call. Schaub is a veteran starter and the Texans think they can win the Super Bowl with him. He should be trusted to make an important third-down conversion against a good opponent at home. Schaub needed to throw it away or take a sack. He didn't, and I wonder if Texans fans will forgive him.

2. Baltimore Ravens game plan: I think we're all still trying to figure out the Ravens' upside-down offensive approach in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens hardly gave their running game a chance, having quarterback Joe Flacco drop back on 54 of 63 plays despite a relatively manageable score throughout. The imbalance became even more pronounced as Flacco progressed through a five-interception game; the Ravens called just two running plays after falling behind 20-7 at halftime. If Ray Rice (hip) wasn't healthy enough to carry a fuller workload, then the Ravens should have deactivated him for the game. It's not as if the Ravens needed to be in hurry-up mode with two quarters remaining to make up a 13-point deficit. It simply wasn't a winning formula. According to ESPN Stats & Information, teams that run on less than 20 percent of their plays are 1-56 since the start of the 2008 season.

3. Geno Smith, New York Jets quarterback: You'll probably see a few replays and Internet GIFs of Smith's attempt to switch the ball from his right hand to his left -- behind his back, no less -- as he was being sacked by the Tennessee Titans. Smith failed, naturally, and the ensuing fumble was one of four turnovers in a 38-13 loss. Smith has shown us some encouraging signs this season, but the behind-the-back fumble cemented the sense that he is starting only because the Jets have no one else they want to play at the moment. It was a decision made only by a quarterback who is completely overwhelmed by his environment. Time on the sideline might do Smith some good, but unfortunately for everyone, the Jets don't have many options.

4. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears quarterback: Hold off on all of those "Jay Cutler has turned a corner" angles. Cutler played terribly in the Bears' 40-32 loss to the Detroit Lions, throwing three interceptions, losing a fumble and resurrecting his tendency to force balls downfield when he gets out of sorts. Cutler's average pass Sunday traveled 12.3 yards downfield, and according to ESPN Stats & Information, that's more than 5 yards higher than his season average. All three of his interceptions came on throws that traveled more than 10 yards downfield. Coach Marc Trestman had coaxed three weeks of relatively conservative throws with a minimum of unforced errors, but not even Trestman could hold off "Bad Jay" forever. I thought former Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer put it well via Twitter: "Wow, no QB in the league with wider variance between his ceiling and floor. Makes today hard to watch. #Bears"

5. Late-game ball distribution, Dallas Cowboys: I saw only the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' 30-21 loss to the San Diego Chargers. But I know that receiver Dez Bryant caught two touchdowns in the second quarter and then seemed an afterthought as the Cowboys tried to close a late deficit. I also know that the Chargers' pass defense has been pretty suspect in the games I've seen this season. But the Cowboys targeted Bryant only three times in the fourth quarter, and none of those instances were near the end zone. In fact, the Cowboys' final chance was dashed when rookie receiver Terrance Williams fumbled while trying to stretch the ball over the goal line with 2:42 remaining. Look, the Chargers deserve some credit for the victory. Quarterback Philip Rivers made some beautiful, perfectly-placed scoring throws to running back Danny Woodhead and tight end Antonio Gates. But the outcome was still in doubt when the Cowboys were ignoring their best weapon.

DENVER -- A few thoughts on the Denver Broncos' 52-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles:

What it means: The Broncos have moved to 4-0 by defeating a passing offense that uses power formations (Baltimore), two read-option teams (Oakland and Philadelphia) and a team that hopes to sport a more traditional look (Giants). They have worked fast on offense, slowed things down and topped 40 points in three of four games.

Stock watch: Even Google stock, with a corporate timeline of good days, has really, really good days. And even quarterback Peyton Manning can have an uptick in a Hall of Fame career. With four touchdown passes Sunday, he set an NFL record with his 24th four-touchdown game and now has 16 touchdown passes this season without throwing an interception. Defensive coaches who have faced Manning through the years say his accuracy is better than ever right now.

On containment: The Broncos' defensive ends had a smattering of issues in keeping Eagles quarterback Michael Vick pinned inside the pocket. Robert Ayers, Shaun Phillips and Derek Wolfe each had moments when they got folded too far down inside in the rush and Vick was able to escape. As a result, the Eagles had 101 yards rushing by halftime. But the Broncos broke the game open after halftime and were more disciplined in the defensive front, largely muting the Eagles run game.

Special-ness: With an offense ringing up numbers suitable to a game controller, the Broncos’ special teams units added their second and third touchdowns of the season -- a 105-yard kickoff return and a blocked punt returned for a score. The Broncos would also have a defensive touchdown on their résumé already this season had linebacker Danny Trevathan not tossed the ball aside too quickly on an interception return in the season opener. It’s tough enough to defend the Broncos' offense, but when they get points from the other units they are nearly impossible to handle right now.

What’s next: The Broncos get another look at an NFC East team when they travel to Dallas next weekend. The Cowboys will face Monte Kiffin’s Cover 2 look with plenty of A-gap blitzes in the middle of the field. It's a defense that requires plenty of patience to solve. But if Manning has shown anything this season, besides other-worldly accuracy, it’s patience in the passing game.

DENVER – A few thoughts in the wake of the Denver Broncos' 52-20 dismantling of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday:

What it means: Sometimes, on any given Sunday, the far superior team with the incredibly hot quarterback blows out the lesser team. This one played out exactly as it looked on paper, with Peyton Manning shredding the Eagles' subpar defense. Michael Vick and the offense were not able to compete with Manning. Mix in two special teams touchdowns and you get an embarrassing 32-point loss. It is a good thing the Eagles (1-3) aren't in the AFC West. They went 0-3 against San Diego, Kansas City and now Denver in three weeks.

Stock Watch: Falling: Chip Kelly. His predecessor, Andy Reid, is 4-0 in Kansas City. Cleveland, the team he turned down, has won its last two games under Rob Chudzinski. Kelly has lost three games in 14 days, as many as he lost in his final two years at Oregon. Indeed, Kelly must have felt a lot like many of his college opponents as the Broncos ran up the score on his Eagles.

Empty yardage: As hard as it is to believe from the final score, the Eagles were competitive in the first half. They were within one score, 21-13, at the half. But the Eagles had just 13 points to show for 271 yards of total offense in the half. Mistakes –- a dropped first-down pass by Brent Celek, a holding penalty on Evan Mathis –- derailed productive drives. Against Kansas City the week before, turnovers and penalties kept the Eagles to 16 points despite 431 yards of offense.

What's next: The Eagles go from perhaps the hottest team in the NFL to one of the coldest, and from the unbeatable Manning to the one that's scuffling. Next Sunday's road game with the New York Giants gives Kelly and his team a chance to regroup and get their season turned in the right direction. Of course, the 0-4 Giants are overdue for a victory, aren't they?

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Speed first, mistakes second.That's the order of things for the NFL offenses that want to go faster, run more plays, and push the pace against the defenses facing them.

“That’s what those offenses want to do," said Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard. “They want you to mess up. They want you not to get lined up, not to get your calls, not to be where you’re supposed to be, then they hit you with a big play."

So, as the Broncos and Eagles -- two of the fastest offenses in the league -- gather Sunday in Sports Authority Field at Mile High, here are some things to consider:

• Get moving: The Broncos can’t waste time on defense. That whole "stroll to the line of the scrimmage" thing isn’t going to work. Neither will being slow with the calls or sluggish in their alignments. When the play finishes the Broncos defenders simply have to get over the ball and be ready to go. The Chiefs were able to limit the Eagles last week, at least in part, by consistently getting themselves over the ball and ready to go, even as the umpire is placing the ball. Because if you snooze, you lose. And lose big.
• [+] Enlarge

  AP Photo/Paul SpinelliMichael Vick has been exposed to a lot of punishment already this season, including six sacks against the Chiefs.
  Mind the gap: Like most of the pick-up-the-pace attacks, Eagles coach Chip Kelly is looking to spread out the defense’s resources and then run though the gaps. The Eagles currently lead the league in rushing, at 209 yards per game. With their offensive alingments, Kelly often creates situations where the defense only has six players in the box and then quarterback Michael Vick or running back LeSean McCoy only have to make one defender miss before they are at the second level with big plays on their minds. One of the more effective formations the Eagles have run is a “double stack" look where Kelly takes four receivers and lines two out wide on each side of the formation with one receiver right behind the other on each side. That pulls four defensive backs outside the numbers and six defenders in the tackle box. It makes tackling a premium and a single missed tackle can turn into a 50-yard run. Vick had a 61-yard run out of the formation against the Chiefs. Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio knows the deal: “It’s all about leveraging and tackling ... always has been, always will be."
• Air mail: The Eagles, in Kelly’s first season, have taken a page out of the Seahawks’ playbook. They opened the checkbook in free agency to get bigger at cornerback, signing the 6-foot, 200-pound Bradley Fletcher (Rams) and the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Cary Williams (Ravens) in the offseason. Essentially the Eagles were hoping Fletcher, who started more than four games in just one of his four seasons in St. Louis, could make the transition to front-line starter. But they’ve been spotty at times -- their three opponents have found enough room to attempt 49, 47 and 35 passes over the first three weeks of the season -- and all three opposing quarterbacks have completed at least 61 percent of their passes. Philip Rivers connected on 77 percent in a Week 2 Chargers win. Defensive coaches in the league say they believe Peyton Manning is as dialed in as he’s ever been. And Manning will get a secondary that is starting a backup safety. Earl Wolff is expected to start for the injured Patrick Chung and the other safety, Nate Allen, has struggled mightily at times this season. In the three-wide look, the Eagles will have a difficult choice over who they will put in the slot on Wes Welker. The Eagles have struggled to tackle well much of the time, so the catch-and-run opportunities have been there for opposing receivers.
• Could be a special day: In the Eagles’ loss to the Chiefs, the game was just a few minutes old and the Eagles had already surrendered a 57-yard kickoff return and fumbled a punt. Philadelphia, like any roster in the transition that comes with a new coaching staff, has shown some bobbles in special teams. The Broncos’ Trindon Holliday will have some opportunities to make a play in this one. Also, from the Eagles’ perspective, Kelly will try some things on special teams to shake things up. He attempted a fake extra point out of a swinging gate look with the kicker and holder lined up. The attempt failed, but the Broncos will need to be aware.
• Get heat on: Vick has been sacked 11 times this season -- he was tied for second-most in the league after three games -- including six by the Chiefs last week. It means, given the Eagles’ read-option look on offense, the 33-year-old has taken his share of punishment already. The Broncos will have to be disciplined in their rush lanes as they move up the field. And they’ll have to live by the basic rule of rushing a mobile passer -- don’t get deeper into the backfield than the quarterback so you don’t leave an escape route. The Eagles may move to more two-tight-end looks at times to give a little help up front. But the Broncos should be able to get some pressure and keep Vick hemmed in.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Play cornerback for 14 seasons before this one, as the Denver Broncos' Champ Bailey has, and you've seen some of the game’s greatest quarterbacks do all kinds of damage to all kinds of defensive game plans.

Bailey says no quarterback he has faced, or watched, over that timeline has started a season like Peyton Manning has started this one.

“I haven’t seen any quarterback be as sharp as him through the first three weeks of the season," Bailey said. “Usually you have some bumps the first three games, but he's smooth sailing right now."

Manning has thrown 12 touchdown passes -- a record over a season’s first three games -- without an interception -- a total that is more than 29 teams had scored so far this season after three games. The Broncos have scored 127 points, tied for the second-highest total over a season’s first three games in league history. Even long-time opponents, especially those who saw Manning's performance against the Raiders on Monday night, say Manning has flashed some of the best accuracy of his career over this current stretch.

An assessment Bailey agrees with.

“He’s going to put the ball where it needs to be, and that’s so frustrating (for defensive backs) because you can have good coverage," Bailey said. “You saw that the other night, people were in tight coverage, but he puts that ball in there and he’s the best at it."

Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase has no shortage of accountability. Gase, in his first season as the Broncos’ play-caller on offense, sets a high bar when evaluating his players. He keeps it there for himself as well. Gase was not fond of a pass play he dialed up in the third quarter of the Broncos’ 37-21 victory against the Raiders. The Broncos were leading, 30-7, at the time and on a first-and-10 from the Raiders' 13-yard line, had Manning in the shotgun. Former Broncos defensive end Jason Hunter beat Broncos’ left tackle Chris Clark around the corner, then swatted the ball out of Manning’s right hand. Hunter then recovered the fumble and the Raiders scored six plays later. Gase simply felt at that point in the game, with the Broncos holding a 27-point lead, the play called for Manning to hold the ball longer than necessary. “The sack-fumble is the one that bothers me because that was a bad play call, I put Chris in a bad position there," Gase said. “That was a ball-holder, we didn’t need it, that would be one I would want to take back … That one bothers me, and I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again." Gase was then asked Thursday, if he put the play’s result on his shoulders, and he said; “Absolutely, that play call was terrible."

• Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has had plenty of rehearsals for the Eagles’ ultra up-tempo offense, like every series of every offseason practice after the Broncos decided to pick up the pace as well. He’s hoping all of that work against Manning & Co. will enable the Broncos to keep the assignment mistakes to a minimum Sunday. “We’re comfortable going fast, that doesn’t mean everything will be beautiful on Sunday," Del Rio said. “But we work at that tempo a lot, it’s part of what we do daily, so we should be more comfortable.’’ Del Rio added that if the Broncos handled their communication business properly, they will have the opportunity to audible defensively if the Eagles change their play at the line of scrimmage. Even if Philadelphia is doing it all at warp speed. “(If) they check we can check,’’ Del Rio said. “ … I think with the way Peyton operates out here, we find ourselves needing to do that at times. That’s part of the cat and mouse.’’

• Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard on playing at altitude; “There is no hype about the altitude. The altitude is a different beast, they’re going to get a test of it."

• Bailey, who hasn’t played in a game since injuring his left foot in an Aug. 17 preseason loss in Seattle, has practiced the past two weeks, but has yet to be listed officially as a full participant. He was listed as limited every day last week and both Wednesday and Thursday this week. The 12-time Pro Bowl selection tested the foot in the pregame hours Monday night, but both he and the Broncos decided he wasn’t quite ready. He said after Thursday’s practice he’s still not quite where he wants to be, and can't quite do everything he needs to do to play. "Not everything I want to do," Bailey said. “I don’t want to be out there half-stepping, this is the NFL, you can’t be out there half-stepping, you have to get the job done … I can’t do everything I want to do yet, I’m very close, I feel like I am anyway." The Broncos have used rookie Kayvon Webster far more on defense in some of the specialty packages in Bailey’s absence. They do have other injury concerns in the secondary as well. Safety Duke Ihenacho has been held out the past two days because of an ankle injury suffered against the Giants and re-injured against the Raiders, and cornerback Tony Carter was limited Thursday after being held out of practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury. However, the Broncos kept 11 defensive backs on the roster, so they have been able to cover for Bailey on the depth chart even with veteran cornerback Quentin Jammer having been a game-day inactive for all three games.

• Former Broncos wide receiver and Ring of Fame member Rod Smith worked with the team’s wideouts during some of Thursday’s practice.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Talk to offensive playcallers in the NFL about the endless pursuit of points in the now pass-happy world and the number 500 will eventually come up.

Or at least it will come up after a short lecture about how statistics do not really tell the whole story after they have waded through a mountain of data to make a call sheet.

But 500 points in a season has routinely been the Holy Grail for those who draw up plays. Former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shananan often spoke wistfully of his only 500-point team in Denver -- in 1998 -- which is still the only 500-point team in the franchise’s history.

Which brings us to the current Broncos, who are on the staggering, albeit unrealistic, pace to be the league’s first 600-point team. The Broncos, at 42.3 points per game, are averaging 10.3 more points per game than any other team in the league.

While it's only been three games and it is a small sample size, they are the only team that has already crossed the 100-point barrier. Quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown more touchdown passes (12) than 29 teams have scored overall.

As tight end Julius Thomas put it earlier this season, "That's Madden right there.''

Yet history shows the highest of the offensive high rollers have rarely found Super Bowl gold at the end of the rainbow.

It is a question I’ve put to more than a few offensive coordinators through the years: Why is the 500-point barrier considered to be the benchmark for an offense that isn’t just good, but special, yet those offenses rarely power a champion?

The late Mike Heimerdinger, who was part of a 500-point offense in Denver as a wide receivers coach in 1998, one that did win the Super Bowl, simply put it “because at some point, no matter how good you are at throwing it, how good your [quarterback] is at spinning it, you’re going to have to run the ball on somebody late in the year and if you lean too far one way, it’s not going to be there when you need it.’’

And there just might be something to that.

Of the 16 teams that have scored at least 500 points in a season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, only four went on to win the Super Bowl -- the 1999 Rams (526 points), the 2009 Saints (510 points), the 1994 49ers (505 points) and those ’98 Broncos (501 points). Included in those impressive, sling-it-around teams that didn’t get it done are the 16-0 Patriots of 2007 (589 points) and the 15-1 Vikings (556 points) in 1998.

But the ’99 Rams scored 32.9 points per game as the Greatest Show on Turf, and they were fifth in the league in rushing (128.7 yards per game). The ’09 Saints were sixth in the league in rushing (131.6 yards per game). The 1994 49ers were sixth in the league in rushing (118.6 yards per game). And the 1998 Broncos, with Hall of Famer John Elway at quarterback, were second in the league in rushing at 154.3 yards per game.

There are also two members of the 500-point club who went to a Super Bowl, but lost in the title game to a top five rushing attack. The ’83 Redskins (541 points) were third in the league in rushing and the 2001 Rams (503 points) were fifth in the league in rushing.

The ’07 Patriots were 13th in rushing; the ’98 Vikings were 11th.

The only member of the 500-point club with a top-six rushing attack that didn’t at least play in the Super Bowl were the 2011 Saints -- 510 points, sixth in the league in rushing and lost in the NFC divisional round. The 1999-2001 Rams teams, with Mike Martz calling plays, are worth a look, especially since Martz was a coaching mentor for current Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase; some of Martz's influence can be seen in the current Broncos' attack.

The 2000 Rams scored more they did in 1999 (540 points compared to 526), but were 17th in rushing and lost in the wild-card round. The '01 Rams crossed the 500-point barrier and got the rushing attack back in the top five, and that team played in the Super Bowl.

Now, the argument that there is still a place for running the ball smacks a little of remember-when grumpiness, even for the most elite of offenses.

If memory serves, last season’s Super Bowl between the two teams that ran the ball the most in the postseason was decided on a goal-line stand because one of those teams elected not to pound the ball a distance of roughly six feet to go get the trophy. So, run to set up the pass, pass to set up the run. Whichever you choose, the run component is going to have to be there.

What does it mean? It means the Broncos will need a little more from the three-man rotation at running back than they’re getting. Not much more -- they’re 14th in rushing at the moment -- especially when things get squeaky tight down the stretch.

For his part, Manning has played in one 500-point offense previously in his career. The 2004 Colts, with three 1,000-yard receivers, rolled up 522 points on the way to a 12-4 finish. And with the league's 15th-ranked rushing attack, they lost in the divisional round a week after throttling the Broncos in the AFC wild-card game.

So, points are great, points are exciting and throwing the ball to do it all is what most people say they want. But even the most elite of offenses have had to get their hands dirty from time to time, at least if they want to wrap them around the trophy.

And so will the Broncos before 2013 is said and done.

The winless Jacksonville Jaguars return to EverBank Field after spending more than a week on the West Coast -- they played at Oakland on Sept. 15 and remained in California to prepare for this past Sunday's game at Seattle -- for Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts had a much better trip out West than the Jaguars. They routed host San Francisco 27-7 on Sunday by shutting down 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Jaguars, meanwhile, fell to 0-3 after the Seahawks routed them 45-17. Sunday presents another tough task for the Jaguars. Colts reporter Mike Wells and Jaguars reporter Michael DiRocco take a look at this week's matchup.

Michael DiRocco: Mike, Peyton Manning was such an iconic figure in Indianapolis. With all the success he's had in his first 20 games, has Andrew Luck come close to that level yet?

Mike Wells: Manning may be on his way to his fifth MVP trophy out there in Denver, but the Colts could be set at quarterback for the next decade with Luck. It’s only natural to compare the quarterbacks because they both carry themselves in the same manner. They’re humble, perfectionists and, best of all, damn good quarterbacks. Luck isn’t at the same level as Manning, but the goal in Indianapolis is for him to reach that status or beyond. Speaking of quarterbacks -- or maybe it’s not a good idea -- what’s going on down there in Jacksonville with that situation? When do the Jaguars officially throw in the towel and say Blaine Gabbert is not the answer for them?

DiRocco: That is the general belief around Jacksonville, but that's not yet the case for new general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley. They have given Gabbert a clean slate and will evaluate him based on what they see from the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder this season. They have to find out whether Gabbert is the player around whom they can build the franchise, so this season is essentially a pressure-packed tryout for him. He has not performed well since being taken with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft. This year he's dealing with a pretty porous offensive line, and two of his top three weapons -- tight end Marcedes Lewis (calf) and Justin Blackmon (suspension) -- have yet to play this season. By the end of the season Caldwell and Bradley will know whether Gabbert is the answer. The Colts obviously have one piece of their foundation in Luck, but they recently traded for Trent Richardson to fulfill the role Edgerrin James had for years. My question is this: Who's the next Marvin Harrison?

Wells: They don’t have that receiver yet. Reggie Wayne is obviously a future Hall of Famer, and he’s still playing at a very high level. But he’s also 34 years old. The Colts are hoping that Darrius Heyward-Bey could be that receiver. He was the No. 7 overall pick in 2009, so he has the potential to complement Luck and Richardson. But Heyward-Bey has to get over his case of the drops. Playing well in spurts isn’t good enough. In fact, T.Y. Hilton, the Colts’ third receiver, outplayed Heyward-Bey in the preseason. I hate to do this to you -- and probably a lot of NFL fans -- but is there any possibility that the Jaguars would even think about bringing in Tim Tebow? There are fans down there rallying for him. And if anything, it’ll help in the attendance department.

DiRocco: Not going to happen, no matter how much noise Tebow’s supporters make. The Jaguars are moving forward with Gabbert, and if it turns out he’s not the player around whom they can build the franchise, they’ll look to the 2014 draft to find a quarterback. I covered Tebow at Florida, and he was fantastic, one of the best collegiate players of all time, but he’s just not able to make the leap. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It doesn’t diminish what he did at Florida in any way. As for attendance, the Jaguars actually ranked 20th in that stat last season, drawing an average of 64,984. That’s ahead of teams such as Chicago (62,329), Minnesota (60,725) and Miami (57,379). That was for a 2-14 team that didn’t have Tebow. Sometimes young, talented teams that make the playoffs take a step backward the following season before really taking off a year later. Do you see that being the case with the Colts in 2013?

Wells: The Colts are a better team this season, but they will take a step back with their record by a game. Good fortune was on their side in more ways than one last season. They caught some breaks and Luck led them to seven fourth-quarter comebacks. They're still a playoff team, and if Houston slips up, the Colts will take advantage of it and win the division. The Jags are ranked last in this week's Power Rankings. Will they stay there all season?

DiRocco: I think they'll battle the Browns and -- I can't believe I'm writing this -- the Steelers for the last spot all year. Right now no team is playing worse than the Jaguars, especially on offense. But I do think things will get a little better with the return of Lewis and Blackmon. The offensive line has to play much better, though. Cleveland's victory last week was surprising, but I see that as more of a byproduct of emotion and anger after the Richardson trade than anything else. The Steelers have looked horrible, and the loss of Maurkice Pouncey has them reeling. Plus, we all know it's a matter of time before Ben Roethlisberger gets hurt.

The Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles will collide in high-speed fashion Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

The 3-0 Broncos feature the league's highest-scoring offense -- their 127 points are 31 more than any other team this season after three weeks -- and quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown for more touchdowns (12) than 29 teams have scored overall.

The Eagles, at 1-2, lead the league in rushing and yards per play (7.0), so this one could have the look of a drag race, think Mile-High Nationals, a summer staple for race fans on the Front Range.

Eagles team reporter Phil Sheridan and Broncos team reporter Jeff Legwold break down the game.

Legwold: Phil, you have been around the Eagles for a long time and have seen the organization go through many changes. Coach Chip Kelly's offense was certainly the talk of the offseason around the league, as most teams discussed wanting to join the fun, to go faster, to get more snaps, to stress defenses with speed. But given what the Broncos have done on offense this season, how fast does Kelly really want to go in Denver? Is there a risk of exposing his defense if he gives the Broncos too many possessions?

Sheridan: There is enormous risk, Jeff, but my sense of Kelly is that he'll want to put the pedal to the metal anyway. He's trying to build a culture, with an aggressive approach to every aspect of the sport. I don't see him easing up for one game, no matter the specific challenges. Besides, I think the Eagles' only chance is to try to match the Broncos score for score and take their chances with a close, high-scoring game. As the Eagles learned the hard way the past two weeks, their defense is not good enough to shut down an opponent at crunch time.

That leads me to this question: Doesn't Denver's up-tempo offense put stress on the Broncos defense? Oakland seemed to move the ball as the game wore on. Doesn't that suggest the Broncos will be vulnerable to Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and the rest of the Eagles offense?

Legwold: I think that is the risk overall with the move toward up-tempo offenses around the league. It's all well and good to be fast on offense, snapping the ball at light speed, but those 45-second possessions that end in a three-and-out are just about the worst thing for any defense that just got to the sideline. That's one of the most interesting items about the Eagles so far: They have had just one three-and-out that ended in a punt in 38 possessions.

The Broncos were aggressive against the Raiders defensively last week, and linebackers Wesley Woodyard and Danny Trevathan did a quality job keeping Terrelle Pryor hemmed in. The Broncos are a speed defense overall, up and down the depth chart, so the teams that try to run out of open formations, like the three wide, tend not to do as consistently well as the teams that keep them in the base defense and pound away a bit. But McCoy and Vick will easily be their toughest challenge in the run game of the young season. In terms of defense, how would you expect the Eagles to approach the Broncos -- come after Manning a bit or drop into coverage and hope they can fill the gaps?

Sheridan: The Eagles' best bet might be to close their eyes and just pray Manning fumbles the snap. Don't think that's in the game plan, though. Seriously, they know their only hope is to generate some pressure from unexpected sources, be incredibly disciplined in their gap and coverage assignments and be exponentially better at tackling than they have been. They're not going to outsmart Manning, but if they can make him a little uncomfortable and get a break or two -- a fumble, a tipped pass that gets picked off -- they can keep the Broncos from running away with the game. Denver thrives on yards after the catch, which is what killed the Eagles in their two losses.

I was interested in your comments about getting the Broncos into their base defense, because the Eagles have used a lot of three wide receiver sets to get defenses into nickel personnel. So much depends on the corners, so let me ask A) If Champ Bailey is playing, and B) Why Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is so much better than he was in Philadelphia for two lost seasons?

Legwold: Bailey has not played since injuring his left foot in a preseason loss to the Seahawks in mid-August. He certainly wants to play, keeps saying he's "close" and even upped to it "very close" last week. The Broncos would like him out there, especially in this one, but he's going to have to move around better than he did a couple of hours before kickoff Monday night when it was pretty clear he was going to miss his third consecutive game. But if he shows a little better movement this week, especially Thursday and Friday, I think he'll be in uniform.

On DRC, the Broncos gambled a bit on tough love. They essentially, and Rodgers-Cromartie has said this as well, told him what was wrong with him on his visit. They told him why he wasn't playing as well as he should and that they could fix it if he was willing to be coached hard. He said he was and has been. A gifted athlete, Rodgers-Cromartie has been the saving grace with Bailey's injury and has played like a No. 1 guy. I won't be surprised if the Broncos try to work out a little longer deal at some point in the coming months.

I know we've spent plenty of time on offense, but I am wondering if Kelly sees Vick as the long-term future at quarterback -- or as long term as a 33-year-old can be -- or does Kelly have bigger plans at the position?

Sheridan: I would love to know the answer to that one too. The Vick situation is fascinating. If he has a great year and somehow gets the Eagles into the playoffs (not as far-fetched as it sounds in an NFC East where half the teams are 0-3), it would be awfully hard to let him walk. But can you re-sign a guy at his age, with his injury history, and expect him to be the guy when you're really ready to contend in one or two or three years? My hunch is that Kelly would love to get one of the quarterbacks in next year's draft, that this year is about getting as much of the rest of the program in place as possible. But that would make much more sense if he had gone with Nick Foles or even rookie Matt Barkley than with Vick, who is just good enough to keep you from drafting high enough for a franchise quarterback.

Since it's a subject of discussion, let me ask you about the altitude. Do the Broncos believe it gives them a physical advantage, or do they see it more as a psychological thing? Is their home-field advantage about thin air or having good teams with loud, passionate fans rocking the stadium?

Legwold: The Broncos believe it gives both a physical and mental advantage. Objectively, for an elite athlete to work for three or so hours in Denver likely has minimal impact on performance. But who's to say even a sliver of impact isn't enough to tip the scales at times. The Broncos' record at home over the decades is well over .600 since 1960, and in September games, they are over a .700 winning percentage at home. The Olympic Training Center is in Colorado and many of the world-class cyclists on the planet train in the area, so it means there's some athletic benefit for the Broncos to work in the altitude. The Broncos particularly feel it's an advantage when they go fast on offense. Watch the Ravens defense in the second half of the opener and it was pretty clear that group didn't enjoy Manning at 5,280 feet.

Phil, great stuff and that should cover it. It could be a long night for both defenses with these two high-powered offenses going at it.

There are plenty of advantages to covering an NFL game on site. Among the most underrated: Having an instant "All-22" view of the field from far-slung modern press boxes.

So it was pretty wild Monday night to watch from that vantage point as the Denver Broncos' offense carved up the Oakland Raiders in a 37-21 victory. The Raiders understandably spent a good portion of the game with two safeties deep, an extra defensive back off the ball and usually six or fewer men on the line of scrimmage.

That approach protects against big downfield plays, but leaves two vulnerabilities: Short passes and the running game. Predictably, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning exploited both. The circumstances, however, did leave one (relatively minor) question in my mind: What will happen when the Broncos face a better tackling defense that plays the two-deep look better than the Raiders did?

More specifically: Can the Broncos run the ball when they want to, not just when the defense invites it? They couldn't on Monday night, and we'll get back to that in a moment. First, however, let's look closer at what Manning and the Broncos did against the Raiders' scheme.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Raiders had six or less men on the line of scrimmage on a little more than two-thirds of the Broncos' offensive plays. That type of look invites a running play, and the Broncos obliged 21 times and gained 124 yards.

Manning also kept things notably short in the passing game, taking advantage of the underneath space the Raiders were giving him. His average pass traveled 6.6 yards past the line of scrimmage, tied for his lowest in a game since 2010. Of his 374 passing yards, 172 came after the catch.

In other words, Manning and the Broncos did exactly what smart offenses do: They took what the defense gave them. They finished with 536 yards of offense even though only four of their plays gained 20 or more yards. The longest, a 63-yard pass to receiver Eric Decker, traveled 15 yards in the air.

"The line made it easy to get into a groove this week," said running back Ronnie Hillman, who combined with Montee Ball and Knowshon Moreno to rush for 166 yards on 32 carries. "They had gashing holes. We were just going downhill. We didn't have to read nothing. They were just playing so soft that it just kind of helped us as a running back crew to get into a rhythm."

Hillman's sentiments make perfect sense when you realize he was running against a scheme that in essence is sacrificing run yardage to guard against big plays in the passing game. But when the Raiders lined up in an "honest" front -- seven or more men on the line of scrimmage -- the Broncos didn't have nearly as much success. In those instances, when their scheme didn't have the inherent advantage, they gained 40 yards on 14 carries.

The Raiders' approach represented a more concentrated version of what the Broncos have seen all season. The Broncos rank No. 5 in the NFL with 45 rushing attempts against six-man boxes, totaling 222 yards. Their 35 attempts against seven-man boxes (or more), and their 121 rushing yards rank No. 25 and No. 26, respectively.

Meanwhile, Manning is now averaging 8.0 air yards per throw, a figure that would be his lowest since 2006 if it continues through the season, and the Broncos have racked up 551 yards after the catch, second in the NFL.

The Broncos are in pretty good shape if their biggest concern is how effective their running game can be against run-based fronts. It's an issue that might not arise until the playoffs, but as we discussed Monday night, that's pretty much what this season is all about for the Broncos.