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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.’’

DENVER -- Looking as relaxed as a guy can look when he’s the defensive coordinator of a team that has yet to have two of its best players in its lineup in four games this season, Jack Del Rio said he was aware Sunday about the speculation about his potential interest in the newly opened USC head coaching job.

But he just doesn't have much to offer right now.

“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.’’

With that, Del Rio was out a side door of the Denver Broncos' locker room after Sunday’s 52-20 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles at Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Del Rio’s name was linked almost immediately following Lane Kiffin’s firing at USC Sunday, given Del Rio’s head coaching experience and the fact he played at USC in college. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning that Del Rio will be a top candidate for the USC job. The school fired Kiffin shortly after the team returned from a 62-41 loss at Arizona State.

However, several team sources say USC officials will have to be willing to wait to give Del Rio the job. Del Rio’s contract, signed before the 2012 season, is up following the season, but Del Rio couldn’t leave for a new job until the Broncos are done playing, and that includes any postseason games.

So even if Del Rio were to accept a position with a college program, that program would have to wait until early February for him to arrive on campus if the Broncos advance to the Super Bowl. Some in the league who have known Del Rio for an extended period of time say the former Jacksonville Jaguars coach might want to see what NFL head coaching opportunities are there at the end of the season as well.

The first opportunity for NFL teams to interview head coaching candidates from Super Bowl teams is in the week following the conference championship games.

Asked following Sunday’s game about Del Rio’s potential interest in the USC position, Broncos coach John Fox said; “Jack’s committed to the Denver Broncos. I know all of his focus is on coordinating the defense and helping us win moving forward, so I can’t really speak to that, because I’m kind of a social moron this time of year.’’

Asked if he would allow Del Rio to interview with a college team that was interested during the season, Fox said; “Um, again I can’t speak in hypotheticals, we’ll just trot down the road as we go, one day at a time.’’

Del Rio is in his second season as the Broncos defensive coordinator after a nine-year run as the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach. Now in his second season in his job with the Broncos, he is a rare assistant in that position. When he was hired by Fox before the 2012 season, Del Rio became the team’s seventh defensive coordinator in seven seasons.

But the Broncos finished second in total defense last season to go with fourth in scoring defense. This season, with the Broncos’ historically high-scoring offense having helped the Broncos put together four routs, the defense is tied for 22^nd in scoring defense and 26^th in yards allowed. The Broncos have also played all four of their games without 12-time Pro Bowl selection Champ Bailey and linebacker Von Miller in the lineup. Bailey has been out with a left foot injury, and Miller is suspended for the season’s first six games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

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

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

Quarterback Peyton Manning added three more touchdowns to the growing pile in Monday night’s 37-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders, and as a result the Broncos held their spot in ESPN.com’s Power Rankings. Manning now has 12 touchdowns for the season, or four more than any other quarterback in the league. The Broncos are also the only team in the league with two players who have at least four touchdown receptions -- Julius Thomas and Wes Welker -- in the first three games.

And while they haven’t slammed the door on an opponent yet, the Broncos' defense has had moments when it's looked outright dominant in the first three games. All the more impressive when you consider that linebacker Von Miller and cornerback Champ Bailey have not played this season -- Miller because of a six-game suspension and Bailey because of a left foot injury.

“I feel like our offense should score every time they’ve got the football, they’re that great, they’re that type of offense," said Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard. “ ... On defense, we showed what we can do, we just have to show we can do it for 60 minutes, being good most of the time isn’t good enough."

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- In the pile of pages, quotes and assorted scribbles in what is a still-growing stack of notebooks regarding the life and times of Broncos linebacker Von Miller, there is Miller’s first public response to this summer’s news that he was facing a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

The more you look at it, with each passing week since, the more there is to see.

And with each additional warrant, arrest, traffic violation or bombshell like Sunday’s revelation from ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen that Miller tried to influence the collector in the drug test that resulted in his suspension, the more you have to wonder Miller’s mindset when he typed the words. With reports of his suspension having arrived as the Broncos were set to open training camp in July, Miller posted this on Twitter:

“Seeing reports abt 4 game susp. I know I did nothing wrong. I’m sure this’ll be resolved fairly. Disapp. Broncos have 2 open camp like this."

At best, it looks like a well-rehearsed denial in which he was trying to convince people he couldn't have possibly have done it. At worst, it now looks like misplaced ego, especially if those charged with managing his affairs gave him the go-ahead to push the button. According to many close to him and the Broncos, Miller hasn't said much since he was advised not to by the NFL Players Association and his agents at Athletes First.

He's been told to essentially hide in plain sight as he goes about his business in the Broncos’ Dove Valley complex. So in what will almost certainly serve as a tidy case study in how not to handle crisis management in the years ahead, Miller has offered no public comment to what was officially a six-game suspension, a suspension he did not challenge after so vigorously saying he didn't deserve it, or any of the growing list of incidents/issues/problems that have come to light since.

Fine. It’s a person’s inalienable right to manage his business in any way he sees fit within the rules for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but all involved with trying to help Miller regain his balance should realize what is already documented, in both county courthouses and in the public domain, is light-years down the road from “I know I did nothing wrong."

Many experts in the art of crisis management, whether it be on a personal or corporate level, say it’s important to "get ahead of the story" or “bleed, don’t hemorrhage." And what that means is put somebody’s posterior in a chair, somebody who had decision-making power over the events that have already transpired, and fess up.

Deal with it. Look people in the eye and face down your problems. The road to the good stuff -- to recovery, redemption, normalcy -- doesn't usually begin until you admit to the rest. And that's true whether you’re somebody’s sports drink pitchman or not.

Sure, it’s Miller's right not to do any of that and there is a sliver of understanding in that as well. Many people who know him say he feels under siege, that he doesn't quite understand how all of this got away from him and that he feels like people are “piling on." He's scared, naïve, immature, confused -- these are all words folks are using to describe the immensely talented Miller.

Even the Broncos have been swept into it at times. There was, at first, a pervasive attitude the suspension would be reduced or even tossed aside, that anything to the contrary was “erroneous," despite the evidence available to refute that. Then there was more than a little hackles-up attitude about repeated stories about Miller’s numerous traffic violations, including when he was cited earlier this month for speeding while driving with a suspended license, with his father in the car, as Miller returned from a meeting with the NFLPA to plan his post-suspension life.

Something on the order of, hey, they're just traffic tickets.

But right from the start, it’s always been "it’s just" something when it comes to Miller.

They're just traffic tickets. Or it’s just marijuana. Or it’s just growing up.

Well, now the pile is what it is. And at some point, whether Miller wants to or not, whether those around him who consider themselves to be helping him want to or not, Miller is going to have to answer for it.

Because those rules are the same for everybody.

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco 49ers defensive end Aldon Smith and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller are two of the NFL’s very best pass-rushers.

They were both taken in the top 10 in the 2011 draft. They text each other after big games and they even exchanged jerseys this summer at a preseason game. They are tight.

They are also both in a career crisis. Even as he has watched Miller go through an NFL suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, Smith has likely put himself in position to serve a suspension.

On Friday morning, Smith added to his growing list of troubles when he was arrested for driving under the influence and marijuana possession. San Jose police arrested Smith at 7 a.m. PT Friday after a single-car accident.

This is Smith’s second arrest on suspension of DUI. He was also arrested in January 2012 in Miami. The charge was reduced to reckless driving because he agreed to community service, DUI class and other preventive steps.

Smith is also being named in a lawsuit by a Northern California man who said he was shot during a party at Smith's house hosted by his roommate. Smith was stabbed at the party.

For a player who is five days from his 24th birthday, issues are piling up at a scary pace. Let’s put it this way: If these issues had accrued while he was at Missouri, they very likely would have affected Smith’s draft status.

The 49ers and the NFL cannot be pleased with the latest development. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is not a fan of repeat offenders. I would be shocked if Smith isn’t suspended after this latest transgression.

It is too early to tell when a suspension might occur. Often such things are put off by appeals. The 49ers host the Colts on Sunday. Smith has reportedly already been bailed out of jail. It is to be determined if he will play Sunday, but this situation is more long-term than immediate.

Like his friend Miller, Smith has to take control of his life or he will throw away a potentially fine career. Smith has 3.5 sacks in the first two games this season and 37.5 sacks in 34 NFL games. His immense talent is undeniable. But sadly, so are his off-field issues.

The 49ers have been planning for the future financially, and extending Smith had been part of that plan. But this arrest has to give the team pause as Smith continues to show that his poor decision-making could override his on-field ability.

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

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

They didn’t have a 100-yard rusher a receiver in this past weekend’s 41-23 victory over the Giants, and they ran exactly one offensive play that covered more than 25 yards in the game. Yet the Broncos still flexed more than enough of their all-around muscle to win by 18 points and move up a spot in the ESPN.com Power Rankings this week.

On the heels of becoming just the seventh team in the Super Bowl era to have scored at least 40 points in each of the first two games of the season, the Broncos moved from No. 3 to No. 2 this week, with only the Seattle Seahawks above them. The offense gets the kudos, but the Broncos also got a special-teams touchdown from Trindon Holliday against the Giants, and they intercepted Eli Manning four times without Champ Bailey or Von Miller anywhere in the defensive formation.

That's why when coach John Fox was asked about his level of happiness about the team’s start, he listed several things he wanted to improve (pass protection, run game, limiting penalties, etc.) before adding, “I’m not sure you can be better than 2-0 right now."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- There are certainly times, such as when the inevitable announcements that follow any Peyton Manning touchdown arrive because he has made history yet again, when it just seems like the next pass will bring the next benchmark.

When you’re in the 16th season of what will be a Hall of Fame career, perhaps it’s to be expected that, every time you move your right arm, people have to make some notations here and there to update the league’s record book.

But when the Denver Broncos were done with a 41-23 victory against the New York Giants inside MetLife Stadium on Sunday, they were picking the usual nits about the running game (it was inconsistent), penalties (the Broncos looked undisciplined at times) and flow (the Broncos look choppy -- again -- during the first half). They were talking about getting back to work, fixing this, taking a look at the film to fix that.

That's probably a good thing for a team whose biggest challenge might be keeping itself on the tracks, but there are at least two things that are now abundantly clear about these Broncos:

• They have scored 90 points in two games. The next highest total in the league, after two games, is Green Bay with 66, and only two other AFC teams have even topped 50 -- Houston and San Diego.
• They are 2-0, have intercepted Joe Flacco and Eli Manning a combined six times, and sacked the two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks a combined five times. And they have done all that without cornerback Champ Bailey or top pass-rusher Von Miller on the field.

“I guess it’s scary," wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said. "I think everybody in here thinks we can be better across the board, though."

The Broncos didn’t have a 100-yard receiver Sunday, they didn’t have a 100-yard rusher and they piled up 13 penalties -- for 132 yards -- including eight on the team’s defensive backs alone. They even fumbled away a certain touchdown on their opening possession, usually momentum-crushing behavior on the road, when rookie Montee Ball fumbled into the end zone after the Broncos had put together a 12-play drive.

Those are all usually scary numbers for folks in the Sunday league. But the Broncos answer scary with scarier, or at least they have so far in September.

Because Sunday answered at least one question about whether they could run at their preferred breakneck pace when they weren’t in front of a home crowd sitting on its hands. The Broncos’ offense wasn’t troubled in the least in front of 81,275 people as they used silent counts, various hand signals, and Manning made the rounds in the formation before the snap at times just to keep everybody on the same page.

They ran a uber-brisk 25 plays in the first quarter, 40 in the opening half, and finished with 72 after they backed it down a bit when they got the big lead. Offensive coordinator Adam Gase has said they don’t want to be the pitcher who throws nothing but fastballs, but the Broncos showed definitively they can bring the heat on the road when they want.

And they did it without allowing a sack or committing a single false-start penalty.

“I feel at times we got to the quarterback, but we just didn’t get a handle on him," Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said. “I don’t feel like we put that kind of pressure on him [Sunday]."

Toss in the fact the Broncos are now just the seventh team in the Super Bowl era to put up at least 90 points in the first two games of the season, and the idea there are so many rough edges from time to time in their game is going to create a bigger problem for opponents if all cylinders ever get involved.

The Broncos gained 45 yards rushing on Knowshon Moreno’s two touchdown runs and averaged just 2.4 yards on their other 27 carries. Ronnie Hillman carried just one time, for 3 yards, and Ball averaged 1.3 yards per carry to go with his first-quarter fumble. There is a lot more there for the Broncos, and as much of a festival as it is for folks to watch Manning throw down after down, they’ll still need a little more from the other side of the offensive coin at some point.

“They battled us hard," is how Broncos coach John Fox described that.

Defensively, the Broncos have surrendered 81 yards rushing combined in two games as opponents have had to chuck conventional wisdom to chase the Broncos' second-half vapor trail. But Denver has still done that against two teams that have prided themselves on being able to power the ball at will. Giants coach Tom Coughlin called New York’s 23 yards rushing on 19 carries “very difficult to explain." And it probably doesn’t get any easier to wrap anyone’s head around it when the Broncos are doing it without Miller and without Bailey.

“We kind of are where we are right now," Fox said. “Our guys responded. … We’re happy to get the 'W' and worked very hard for it."

And where they are is 2-0, with the league’s highest scoring offense, having outscored their opponents by a league-best 40 points.

"You play, you try to get the win, you move on to the next one," Moreno said. “Any win feels special, any way you get it. Now you just back to work to get some more."

A weekly analysis of the New York Giants' quarterback play.

Rewind: Eli Manning had a microcosmic season's worth of ups and downs in the Giants' season-opening loss to the Cowboys on Sunday night. He completed 27-of-42 passes for 450 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Giants from behind and into a position where they could conceivably come back and win in the fourth quarter. But he also threw three interceptions, the third of which was returned for a touchdown to extend the Cowboys' lead from six points to 12 in the final two minutes. The Giants struggled off and on with their protection, and Manning rushed a couple of screen passes.

Fast-forward: The Denver Broncos come to town Sunday, which means Manning will have to try for the third time as an NFL quarterback to beat his older brother, Peyton Manning. Of course, Peyton won't be defending Eli's passes. And it's possible that Champ Bailey, Denver's top cornerback, won't either, as he missed Denver's Week 1 game with a foot injury. The Giants' big-bodied outside receivers, Hakeem Nicks and Rueben Randle, should match up well physically against the smaller Broncos defensive backs.

Big guy is back: Mentioned protection earlier, and the team took a step forward with that with the signing Tuesday of old friend Brandon Jacobs, who should help with blitz pickup from the running back position if the Giants deploy him in passing downs. Eli Manning knows Jacobs, of course, from the seven years Jacobs spent with the Giants prior to last season, and it should help Manning's comfort level to have a back in the huddle that knows the protection schemes as well as Jacobs does.

Prediction: I think Manning has another big statistical game, picking apart a depleted Broncos secondary and a pass rush that's missing the suspended Von Miller. Not 450 yards again, but not three interceptions, either.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Fresh off the feel-good season opener the Denver Broncos' secondary will get an entirely different kind of test Sunday against the New York Giants.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had limited options on the outside -- once Jacoby Jones left with a knee injury on a second-quarter punt return. Brandon Stokley is 37 years old and was signed after training camp opened; Dallas Clark is 34, has struggled with injuries in recent seasons and was signed after training camp open; Marlon Brown is a rookie; and Ed Dickson struggled mightily in a receiving role last Thursday night. So, despite not having either Champ Bailey (left foot injury) or Von Miller (suspension) in the lineup, the Broncos did not surrender a pass play longer than 34 yards in the game.

The Giants, however, present a different set of troubles. In their turnover-marred loss in Dallas, New York still had three wide receivers finish with at least 100 yards in the game -- Victor Cruz with 118 yards on five catches, Hakeem Nicks with 115 yards on five catches and Rueben Randle with 101 yards on, yes, five catches. Cruz finished with three touchdowns in the game.

“Their receivers are dynamic,'' said Broncos safety Rahim Moore. “ … They have so many targets.''

“Honestly, Cruz is getting the bulk of the attention, but they have weapons all over the place,'' said safety Duke Ihenacho.

The challenge will be how the Broncos matchup with the size the Giants have on the outside, especially if Bailey isn't ready to return to the lineup this week. Randle is 6-foot-2, Nicks is 6-foot-1 and Cruz comes in at 6-0. The Broncos can counter with 6-2 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and the 6-0 Bailey, if the 12-time Pro Bowl selection is ready to return to the lineup.

Cornerback Chris Harris, an aggressive player who consistently fends off the challenges, is 5-foot-10 and cornerback Tony Carter, who has routinely come in when the Broncos go to the nickel in games Bailey doesn't play and the dime when Bailey is in the lineup, is 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds. When Carter plays in the nickel, he lines up in one of the outside positions and Harris goes inside to the slot.

Flacco sought Carter out in coverage on several occasions in last January's playoff win as well as last Thursday night. This is especially true if Carter allows the receiver to get a free release off the line of scrimmage, and Eli Manning would likely do the same.

The Broncos will also use rookie cornerback Kayvon Webster at times in some of their specialty looks and if they get into some of the longer down-and-distance situations, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio will use a seven defensive back package. The Broncos used it for two snaps against the Ravens, but figure to use it more against the Giants' attack.

• Giants coach Tom Coughlin's peers in the league have long considered him one of the more aggressive coaches in the NFL, whether it be during his tenure in Jacksonville or now with the Giants. He signs players who once worked for an upcoming opponent in the days before his team plays that opponent. And if things go well for former Broncos running back Willis McGahee Tuesday, he could join the list. Per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, McGahee will be one of three backs -- Brandon Jacobs and Joe McKnight are the others, who will work out for the Giants Tuesday. The Broncos released McGahee in June after McGahee had skipped the majority of the team's offseason workouts. The running back cited “family reasons.'' McGahee will turn 32 next month and hasn't played in a game since tearing an MCL on Nov. 18 against the Chargers on a hit from now-Broncos cornerback Quentin Jammer. McGahee had two years left on his deal when the Broncos let him go with a scheduled $2.5 million base salary this season and $2 million base salary in 2014. But with the Broncos having used a third-round pick on Ronnie Hillman in the 2012 draft to go with the second-round pick they used on Montee Ball in April's draft, the combination of McGahee's injury and contract pushed the Broncos toward the young guys at the position. So much so, the Broncos were willing to take a $1 million dead money hit against the salary cap to release McGahee. The Broncos had some concern about McGahee's ability to stay healthy over the long term and after he took part in the team's mandatory minicamp in mid-June, they released him. The Giants benched running back David Wilson Sunday after two fumbles and some bobbles in pass protection.
• Wide receiver/kick return Trindon Holliday (left lower leg), cornerback Omar Bolden (left shoulder) and linebacker Wesley Woodyard (right ankle) were not on the field for the Broncos' workout Monday. The practice was essentially an extra opportunity for some on-field work for the Broncos -- what coach John Fox calls “a Broncos on Broncos practice.'' Wide receiver Eric Decker, who suffered a right shoulder injury in last Thursday's game, did participate in the practice. Bailey (left foot) did not take part. Tight end Joel Dreessen, who had two arthroscopic surgeries on his left knee since May, is closing in on returning to practice on at least a limited basis. Dreessen worked with strength and conditioning coach Luke Richesson. Rookie running back C.J. Anderson also did drills alongside Dreessen, work that included some short sprints.
• The final Manning tally for the season's opening week: 912 passing yards -- both finished 27-of-42 passing in their respective games -- and 11 touchdowns. Peyton Manning was 27-of-42 for 462 yards with seven touchdowns without an interception in the Broncos' 49-27 victory over the Ravens on Thursday night. Eli Manning was 27-of-42 for 450 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions in the Giants' loss to Dallas Sunday. The two brothers will face each other Sunday at MetLife Stadium -- it's the third time they have played each other in the NFL.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Broncos' executive vice president of all things football, John Elway, has often talked about the two sides of life in the NFL.

There’s the football part: The week-in, week-out work of on-field strategy, the games to go with the annual construction of a depth chart built to get a team through all of that with some wins in tow. Then there’s the business side: The contracts, the money and the legal gymnastics conducted across the negotiating table.

And as hard as most teams try to keep the two sides from meeting in the locker room, they can at times, especially if ego gets tied to money and any of the business gets a little messy -- see: Dumervil, Elvis and fax machine.

It’s all going to be at work with Von Miller and the Broncos in the coming weeks. Miller is currently serving a six-game suspension for a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy, and in a decision that has been simmering for weeks, the Broncos are going to attempt to reclaim $1.25 million of Miller’s original $13.77 million signing bonus because of that career misstep from the Pro Bowl linebacker. From the Broncos' perspective, this is the business of business.

They operate in a multibillion dollar, multi-city operation in which their peers want things to function this way. Signing bonuses are guaranteed, up-front money that’s already been paid to the player and teams want the ability to re-coup some of that money if the player does something that prevents him from performing his vocational duties for the team beyond a game-related injury.

From Miller’s perspective -- and he met with NFLPA officials Friday in Washington, D.C., to discuss this and other matters, according to several sources -- his support team, including his attorneys, doesn't believe the current collective bargaining agreement includes anything about a team’s ability to reclaim signing-bonus money in the event of a suspension like Miller’s.

The Broncos have traveled this path before. Not under the exact circumstances, but during Mike Shanahan’s tenure with the team, the Broncos tried to re-claim part of wide receiver Ashley Lelie’s option bonus after Lelie had held out of training camp in 2006. After a long battle that included a lawsuit, Lelie eventually won the dispute after an arbitrator’s ruling was held up in a federal appeals court.

But Lelie was eventually traded by the Broncos -- to the Falcons -- and things were never the same between him and the team.

By league rules, Miller will not be paid during his suspension -- most players are paid their base salaries over the 17-week cycle of the regular season unless their contracts specify otherwise -- but the Broncos plan on withholding the signing-bonus money once Miller starts the pay cycle in Week 7. Miller’s base salary is $1.478 million this season, so $86,941 per week over 17 weeks. His lost wages for six games amounts to $521,647, so when the Broncos withhold the signing-bonus money, as well, Miller’s total loss would approach $2 million.

But it’s part of a big picture that will bear watching between Miller and the Broncos in the weeks and months to come. He is one of their marquee players, certainly the marquee player under 30 years old, and many personnel evaluators in the league would say he is their most talented, most physically gifted player overall.

He’s also a player who didn’t have any red flags as far as drug testing before the 2011 NFL draft -- maturity issues, yes, but teams say they had no report of failed drug tests -- though he has now tested positive on multiple occasions as an NFL player. So, the Broncos believe his suspension, as well as an ill-timed arrest for an outstanding warrant when Miller attempted to purchase a firearm in the days before his suspension was formally handed down by the league, are essentially a product of his behavior since arriving in Denver.

So, there are some trust issues from the Broncos' executives and even some of Miller’s teammates at the moment, things Miller will try to address as he works through the suspension, which includes how he handles his off-the-field life. Miller was a visible, popular player who maintained his innocence -- “I know I’ve done nothing wrong" was his first response to the news of the potential suspension -- as the story unfolded, an approach followed publicly by Broncos officials and Miller's teammates, with talk of how Miller's suspension would be reduced, or even pushed aside, almost right up until the point the penalty was handed down.

The Broncos face an enormous decision about his future with the team in 2014, the final year of his original contract -- his base salary moves to $3.24 million next season. The Broncos will have to decide how far they want to go on a new deal and what kind of behavior provisions they want to put in while Miller would have to decide what kind of restrictions he would be willing to accept.

Miller is in Stage 3 of the league substance-abuse program now. And according to the policy, he will always be in Stage 3, which means random testing up to 10 times a month for the remainder of his NFL career and the next suspension is, at minimum, for a calendar year.

Those are tough choices on both sides, potentially tough topics to work through without hard feelings on all sides, and the impending dispute over some signing-bonus money will be just the start of what won't always be a smooth ride.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- No Von Miller, no Champ Bailey and seven touchdown passes from their own quarterback, but after a long look at Thursday's win against the Ravens, here are some thoughts on the Denver Broncos' defense and special teams:

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  Paul Spinelli/AP PhotoBroncos defensive end Robert Ayers sacks Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco for a loss of 9 yards in the second quarter of their Week 1 game.
  Much like last season, when the Broncos' nickel (five defensive backs) package was essentially the team's base formation on defense -- they were in it just over 60 percent of the time in 2012 -- the Broncos spent most of their time in the nickel Thursday night. And the totals will go higher against offenses that don’t play as much in two-back or two-tight end as the Ravens do. The Broncos spent 57 percent of their defensive snaps in the nickel against Baltimore, including a smattering of snaps in a three-linemen, three-linebacker nickel package, and were in the base defense for 22 snaps. The Broncos also showed a seven-defensive back look, for two snaps, during the game as well.
• Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio used a variety pack of things in the pass rush, including some zone blitz looks that put the likes of defensive ends Robert Ayers and Shaun Phillips in pass coverage. At one point, in shadowing Dallas Clark, Ayers went for a diving interception and instead surrendered a 31-yard completion. Later in the game, however, Phillips showed some veteran savvy by dropping away from the line of scrimmage to shadow a late arriving player in the pass pattern. Overall, though, the Broncos spent the majority of the night rushing four at Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco -- 77 percent of the time -- but they were exceedingly disruptive when they rushed five. On eight snaps when they rushed five all the way upfield, they had two sacks while also surrendering one of Flacco’s two touchdown passes. The Broncos’ other two sacks came out of four-man efforts.
• Cornerback Chris Harris, who has the last two interceptions against Flacco, including one last December in Baltimore, got his pick Thursday night when the Broncos were in the dime (six defensive backs). The Broncos also had one of their four sacks in the game out of the dime -- by Phillips.
• The Broncos kept 11 defensive backs on the roster when they made the cut to 53, in large part because they use those players plenty on special teams. It is a move league-wide to now use smaller, faster defensive backs for some special teams duties that used to go to linebackers or running backs. And of the nine players who were used at least 20 snaps on special teams against the Ravens, five were defensive backs. Safety David Bruton led the way with 34 special teams snaps, a total that included a game-changing blocked punt. Linebacker Steven Johnson also had 34 special teams snaps.
• Punter Britton Colquitt had a 40.9 net average on his seven punts, but he showed his value on the only effort of the night that didn’t go at least 42 yards. He had a 29-yard punt in the first quarter, but pinned the Ravens at their own 10-yard line with it, forcing Lardarius Webb to fair catch.

An examination of four hot issues from the Denver Broncos' 49-27 win over the Baltimore Ravens:

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  AP Photo/Jack DempseyPeyton Manning's historic performance Thursday night should end speculation on whether he can still deliver.
  This just in: Peyton Manning's arm is just fine. Manning is in his 16th season and he often talks about how he’s a different player after his neck surgeries than he was before them. It was no small thing for him to come back from a missed 2011 season. But since his return to the field last season, questions about his arm strength have taken on a life of their own. That was especially true after he seemed to struggle with his grip in the frigid playoff loss to the Ravens last January. Even Thursday night as the Broncos were knocking off the rust in the first half, there were plenty of missives about what it looked like Manning couldn’t do. Bottom line: At 37 years old, the guy just tied an NFL single-game record with seven touchdown passes -- something nobody else has done since 1969, even in these pass-happy times. In short, he can throw it however he needs to throw it. Does he throw with the raw velocity he had as a 24-year-old? Probably not, but it doesn’t matter. You don’t need a hammer if you’re a surgeon.
• The Broncos will need more than 2.8 yards per carry in the run game -- you know it, they know it and the American people now know it after Thursday night’s nationally televised affair. The best way to protect Manning from opposing pass-rushers will always be the Broncos' ability to use play-action and to pound the ball when they want to close things out. And if you can't run the ball, nobody is going to spend much time being fooled by play-action, and, really, there's no reason Manning should still be taking drop-backs up 22 points with a few minutes to play, but he had to because the Broncos couldn't get a first down if he didn't.
• It’s never too early to crank up the hysteria in Denver. The Broncos, amid a three-decade sellout streak, have always been this region’s sports gemstone. But they're a team that hasn’t always handled success very well in recent years, and now they'll have plenty of verbal rose petals tossed at them. After an offseason filled with bad decisions and statement after statement from team officials that included “the Broncos are aware of the incident," their organizational composure will be tested in the coming weeks.
• It remains to be seen if this defense can dig in and slug it out deep into a close game, especially without Von Miller in the lineup until Oct. 20. They had their defensive difficulties deep into the second quarter Thursday night. It's easy to forget that the Ravens led 17-14 at the half and Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco’s jersey looked like it still had creases in it. Until Miller’s return, they have to generate something more from the front seven in the pass rush, especially if teams go big and the Broncos have to rush out of their base 4-3 package.

DENVER -- It was all hypothetical before Thursday night, some kind of on-paper exercise, a good theory, logical and all.

You know, all of those dispatches that flood through in the annual waves of optimism that wash over NFL training camp in every summer. The ones about what Wes Welker would mean in the Denver Broncos’ playbook, how strong Peyton Manning’s arm looked, how fast the Broncos could go on offense if they wanted to and just how tough it would be on an opposing defense inside a stadium that sits almost exactly 5,280 feet above sea level.

Well, hello, world. That sound you heard in the waning minutes of the first seven-touchdown game for any NFL quarterback in the last 44 years was 12 defensive coordinators knocking over the bottle of antacids because Manning is still on their docket.

“Seven touchdowns?” tight end Julius Thomas said as he scanned the room around him. “That’s 'Madden.' That’s 'Madden' football.”

“I mean, he throws seven touchdown passes and he’s almost nonchalant about it,” Welker said. “... And there are going to be a lot of things we can do better, we know that. But seven touchdowns is something special.”

In the end, the 49-27 victory over the Ravens meant Manning was the first since Joe Kapp in 1969 to throw seven scoring passes in a game. The wreckage left behind? The Ravens’ defense surrendered the most points in franchise history. Continue to peel away some of the layers and you’ll find the stuff worry beads are made of for those who follow the Ravens into Denver in the coming weeks and months.

The Broncos ran just 29 plays in the first half Thursday night and didn’t look all that good doing it. By contrast they had run 30 plays in a quarter in a preseason game against St. Louis.

The Broncos got the total to 68 plays by game’s end, and at several points after halftime when the Ravens' defense looked winded -- players with hands on hips, heads tilted back, with no place to go as the Broncos’ no-huddle look left it no way to substitute for fatigued players. And the Broncos still have another gear they didn’t even hit Thursday night.

“It does put a little more pressure on a defense as far as getting lined up and getting things communicated,” Broncos coach John Fox said. “... But then again it’s like a pitcher, you don’t go the same speeds all the time, you don’t get all fastballs.”

Offensive coordinator Adam Gase was the Broncos' full-time playcaller in a regular-season game for the first time against the Ravens. Not bad: team rolls up 49 points on seven touchdown passes and finishes with 510 yards of offense. And Manning or no Manning at quarterback, an offense can only go as fast as the guy with the headset getting the plays in.

And Gase, who said this past week that his biggest adjustment was adapting to the tempo of working warp speed, got the plays in at whatever gear the Broncos happened to be playing in at the time.

“We wanted to play an up-tempo game,” Manning said. “ ... Once we got into a rhythm we weren’t even getting into third down, it was first down, second down, first down. That is tough on a defense when you can keep moving into a good clip.”

Manning’s historic night will provide plenty of camouflage for a running game that is still a work in progress -- 65 yards on just 2.8 yards a carry -- and a defense that was slightly wobbly early on without Von Miller and Champ Bailey in the lineup. But that’s the way the opening week looks at times. A little disjointed here, a little choppy there. New players, new schemes, and given everybody holds the good stuff back in the preseason, it can often take a slice of September to get things rolling in the right direction.

“It’s not like we went out and won the Super Bowl,” cornerback Chris Harris said. “It’s one game, just one game, everybody knows that. A great night, a great way to start off, but just one game.”

It’s why, after his seventh touchdown pass of the night, Manning was standing next to Fox, pictures of the previous series in hand, making a point about something in the image to be found by a trained eye, why a somewhat agitated Manning then called a timeout with 1:16 to play with what turned out to be just two snaps left in the evening.

It was all there Thursday night, for all of football America to see. The Broncos can play in some rarified air and, if they handle their business, defenses just aren’t going to like it all that much.

It’s been months of waiting and hand-wringing for many in the Rocky Mountain empire, but Thursday night the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens will open the NFL’s regular season.

And the Broncos will take the first step toward trying to regain all they let slip away last January when the Ravens shredded the Broncos' postseason plans and scattered them across Sports Authority Field at Mile High as if they were confetti. So, when things get down to football business this evening, here are some things to consider:

• A certain right arm. Broncos receivers, right from Peyton Manning’s workouts at Duke University early in the offseason, have said Manning’s arm strength is noticeably better, and Manning has flashed the improvement throughout training camp and the preseason. But this will be the first under-the-bright-lights exam. There were personnel executives in the league last season who felt Denver's passing game was limited at times because Manning wasn't pushing the ball downfield. Teams usually decide coverage is the way to defend Manning -- to drop seven players and take their chances in the passing lanes -- because blitzing him is often a waste of time and a potential touchdown waiting to happen. But given the Broncos didn't always consistently protect Manning in the preseason, there is the chance the Ravens take a few risks in the pass rush, and the opportunities for Manning to put the ball up the sideline would be there. Also, the Broncos will finally show what the real plans are for Wes Welker, who will have a greater variety of routes in the Broncos' offense than he did with New England.

• No Champ, no Elvis, no Von. For one reason or another the Broncos' defense will be missing 29.5 sacks from last season and 17 career Pro Bowl appearances. That’s a lot of star power somewhere besides in the Broncos' defensive huddle. Champ Bailey is out with a foot injury, Von Miller is suspended for six games and Elvis Dumervil will be working for the Ravens this evening. That puts players such as Derek Wolfe, Robert Ayers and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie under the magnifying glass. Wolfe is essential to the defensive front because of his versatility, even when Miller’s in the lineup. He is all the more important now. Look for the Broncos to move him all along the line of scrimmage to find him some room to work. Ayers has consistently said he could do far more in the rush than his 6.5 career sacks in four seasons. He’s never going to have a better chance to prove it than in these next six games, and he's in a contract year. The Broncos signed Rodgers-Cromartie because they believe he still possesses the skills to play like a No. 1 corner if he would commit to it and take care of the details. He will often line up in Bailey’s left cornerback spot in this game, and his athleticism makes him the best matchup against Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith.

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Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY SportsThe Broncos' defense will be without the departed Elvis Dumervil (left), the suspended Von Miller (right) and the injured Champ Bailey.
• Play big. The Broncos’ starting defense struggled at times in the preseason when its base formation matched up with a heavier look on offense. But the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks plowed through the Broncos’ regulars with extended scoring drives. The 49ers put together a 13-play scoring drive in the preseason opener against the Broncos starters, with nine of those plays against the Broncos’ base defense. The Seahawks put together a 10-play touchdown drive against the starters, with nine of the plays against the Broncos’ base defense. Granted those two figure to be among the NFC elite this season, but the Ravens can -- and have -- played out of those heavy two-tight end, two-back looks with plenty of success in the past. The Broncos are going to have to muscle up a bit at times in this one. Wesley Woodyard certainly has the skills, the savvy and the physical edge to play at middle linebacker in the Broncos' defense. But he is 233 pounds, and the Ravens figure to test him early in this one.

• Mix and match. Broncos coach John Fox has said the team intends to use all hands on deck at running back, and this will be the first regular-season glimpse at the plan. They all bring a little something different to the mix: Montee Ball is a more traditional early-down back, Ronnie Hillman has speed and big-play potential and Knowshon Moreno is still more comfortable than the other two as a receiver out of the backfield and as a blocker in pass protection. But no matter who has the ball, the Broncos want more impact in the ground game and hope to stress defenses outside the numbers more than they did last season.

• Rahim Moore. The safety had a far better season in 2012 than the only play anyone wants to talk about would indicate, and some of his teammates owe him plenty for taking the heat after the playoff loss when mistakes were made all over the formation that night, including Tony Carter giving Jacoby Jones a free release off the line of scrimmage on the fateful play. But some offensive coordinators believe Moore is a little too overzealous in his pursuit of the ball at times and can be reeled in with play-action. The Ravens will test him, and Moore, who had a quality preseason, will have to play with discipline.

• Trindon Holliday. Say you had perhaps the greatest playoff performance of any kick returner in league history and nobody -- as in nobody -- really talks much about it. That’s Holliday after he became the only player in NFL postseason annals to take a kickoff and a punt back for touchdowns in the same game last January. If the Broncos get one more first down on offense in the final minutes of regulation or make one more tackle on defense, Holliday's efforts are the stuff of remember-when discussions for decades. Instead, those efforts were forgotten in the wake of the double-overtime loss. The Ravens have had some bobbles on special teams in the preseason -- a 74-yard punt return by Ted Ginn being the biggest -- and have plenty of new faces in the units after their post-Super Bowl makeover.

INDIANAPOLIS – Bill Polian spent 15 years in the Indianapolis Colts' front office. But despite being with the franchise all that time, Polian didn’t cut them any slack when it came to revealing his list of playoff contenders.

Polian, now an analyst at ESPN, listed five legitimate contenders, five teams with question marks and five teams that missed the playoffs last season but have a chance to make it this season.

Here’s his list:

Legitimate contenders
San Francisco
Seattle
Atlanta
New England
Cincinnati

Teams with question marks
Denver
Baltimore
Green Bay
Washington
Houston

Teams on the rise
Kansas City
Detroit
Carolina
New Orleans
Chicago

I was a little surprised to see Denver listed under “question marks” and Cincinnati as a contender over Peyton Manning and crew. But as Polian notes, the Broncos lack a pass rush with Von Miller suspended. He adds, “If the Broncos can solve that, they have a heck of chance to win the Super Bowl.”

The Redskins are also on the list of “question marks.” They’ll probably stay there until Robert Griffin III removes all doubt about his knee.

The Colts obviously aren't listed as one of the rising teams because they made the playoffs last season. And you can't fault Polian for not listing them as a contender or even a team with question marks.