The Broncos are halfway there. An ugly at Indianapolis was hardly the way coach Gary Kubiak hoped to close out the first eight games of the season, but a 7-1 record puts them firmly atop the AFC West, with a three-game lead.
As Kansas City awaits, I picked out the best and worst moments of the Broncos’ first half. Obviously, this was a very scientific selection process that included my opinion and my opinion only.
Got a favorite in each category? Vote below. You won’t win anything, but you’ll feel like a good sport. And, really, what else matters?
(Note: I considered including “honorable mentions,” but there were too many big plays for the “highs” section. We don’t have all day here.)
HIGHS
Aqib Talib’s season-opening pick-six. The clues were dropped early. In coach Gary Kubiak’s head-coaching debut with the Broncos, against his former team no less, Talib intercepted a Joe Flacco pass intended for Steve Smith and returned 51 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The TD would be the Broncos’ only of the night against Baltimore; Brandon McManus made up the other 12 points in field goals, including a pair of 50-yarders, as the offense failed to find the end zone. It was the start of a trend, both good and bad, for the Broncos.
Bradley Roby’s scoop-and-score. The young cornerback who gave himself a C-minus in his rookie season proved he had evolved, turning in the game-winning score to complete a 31-24 Broncos’ come-from-behind victory on Thursday Night Football at Kansas City. With the game tied at 24-all and only 35 seconds remaining on the clock, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith handed the ball off to Jamaal Charles at Kansas City’s own 20-yard line. Broncos inside inside linebacker Brandon Marshall punched the ball out of Charles’ hands, and Roby sprinted up from behind to snatch it off the ground and sprint .
Ronnie Hillman’s 72-yard TD run. Early in the second quarter against Minnesota, Hillman took the pitch from Peyton Manning and sprinted toward the left sideline, breaking through Vikings linemen and bolting upfield for . The TD was the fourth-longest scoring run in team history and revived (for a little bit, anyway) a Broncos run game that had been on life support.
The 10-play, 80-yard drive. The Manning of old appeared after a sloppy first three halves to his 2015 season. In a two-minute drill, with the Broncos trailing the Chiefs by seven in the fourth quarter at Kansas City, Manning engineered a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard TD pass to Emmanuel Sanders. The score tied it up at 24-all with 36 seconds left — plenty of time for a Roby scoop-and-score.
LOWS
The eye-poke. What are we calling this — PokeGate? GaugeGate? Regardless, Aqib Talib, who leads the team with three picks and 123 return yards, lost his temper in a crucial series at Indianapolis. The Colts led by three and were about to regroup for a third down on the Broncos’ 13-yard line with 2:35 remaining. A dustup between Dwayne Allen and Von Miller ensued, and Talib joined the fray, poking his fingers in the eyes of Allen and drawing an unnecessary roughness call. Seconds earlier, the Broncos still had a shot to regain possession to try to score, and Manning still had a shot to pick up three passing yards for the all-time record. But Talib’s penalty cost 15 yards, a first down, the game — and now .
Four fouls. For the two “bests” the Kansas City game offered, it also foreshadowed an ongoing problem the Broncos are still dealing with in Week 9. Four different defenders — DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller, Darius Kilgo, Malik Jackson — racked up a personal foul apiece in the first 20 minutes of play for a loss of 49 yards. The Broncos’ defense leads the league with 16 personal fouls, at a cost of 207 yards.
Woodson’s picks. At least the guy worked long and hard for his interceptions. Raiders safety Charles Woodson picked off Manning, his 1998 draft classmate, but twice in their Week 5 meeting. Woodson had gone the previous 17 seasons without intercepting one of Manning’s passes. “It offsets the two TDs we threw on him last year,” Manning said afterward. “I think we’ll call it a wash, right?”
Demaryius’ drops. I could have chosen the preceding interception by Manning in this game at Cleveland. But I think we covered the picks above. So we’re turning our focus to Thomas, the Broncos’ now highly paid receiver, who, after dropping a crucial pass at Oakland, dropped a perfect pass when wide open and the game tied at 23 at Paul Brown Stadium. A catch would have put the Broncos’ in field-goal position with 1:20 remaining. The drop helped ensure it would go into overtime, when Brandon McManus would win it with a 34-yard field goal. Thomas, to his credit, .
CHEW ON THIS
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• will never end. Ever.
WATCH THIS
The Seattle Seahawks have way too much time on their hands. .
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Kendrick Perkins is 31 today, which is just an excuse .
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or @NickiJhabvala
