Broncos

DENVER (CBS4) ― After throwing for 357 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Denver Broncos to a 34-17 victory over the New York Jets, Jay Cutler needed a break. So once again he had Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall fill in for him on his CBS4 show Qwest Jay Cutler Live! The guest this week was cornerback Dre' Bly, who had an interception against Brett Favre.

Of course the main discussion on the show was the Broncos roller coaster season. They've lost to teams at the bottom of the league like the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. Yet they've won three games in a row on the road, including the latest victory against the first place Jets, who were coming off a win over the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans.

"This year has been a little up and down for us. We prove we can play good ball when we just put four quarters together and play consistent," Marshall said.

After the Raiders loss, Marshall described the team as immature. This week he had an explanation for his comment.

"Across the board we are fairly young. When I said that, sometimes we just don't know how to handle success," he said. "With experience, we'll get better at that … coming off a big win, hopefully we can take this momentum into this weekend."

Rain was a big factor in the Jets game and the Broncos handled it well. Cutler made some great throws and the receivers came down with some incredible catches, including Eddie Royal's 59-yard touchdown pass. Royal made an incredible catch, then had the presence of mind to stay inbounds and sprint for the score.

"We've got a quarterback that can spin (the football) in any environment. Jay Cutler has a strong arm and he throws a tight spiral, so whether it's rain, sleet or snow, our game plan is going to stay the same."

Marshall tackled the topic of being a better team on the road as of late.

"It just shows you the character we've got in our locker room. When our backs are against the wall and we're feeling a little adversity, we play hard and we play a little better."

Once again the Broncos seemed to win by spreading the ball around. Just like in Atlanta, the tight ends played a huge role in the win. Tony Scheffler led the team with seven receptions and Daniel Graham was right behind him with six.

Marshall says it's no coincidence.

"Tony and I talked about it during the week. We're always at our best when we spread the ball out. That's what some people don't understand, we can't be selfish. If I have seven catches, Eddie has seven catches, Tony has seven catches … it's a successful day for the Denver Broncos."

Twelve games into the season, the Broncos have seven rookies starting, the entire linebacking corps is out, they are down to their fifth-string running back, and yet they hold a three-game lead in the AFC West.

Two-time Pro Bowler Bly said he thinks it's crazy.

"If you let anybody else say it, they'd say we are playing with guys off the street," Bly said. "With Champ going down, D.J. (Williams), Nate (Jackson); we've had guys step up and play big and the coaches have done a great job making sure guys are prepared."

Bly said he tells the rookies to make sure they take advantage of their opportunity to fill in.

"They've made the most of their opportunity. That's the reason why we're where we are today, because of the way those guys have stepped up," Bly said.

Marshall praised Bly for being an important part in holding together the injury-rattled defense.

"That's what Dre' brings to our locker room … he's been to two Super Bowls, so where we are trying to go, he's been there," Marshall said. "With guys like him, Champ and Ekuban in the locker room, we can't go wrong."

Forced turnovers were key in the win over the Jets. Even though Bly said Vernon Fox's 23-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown the first quarter was "blind luck," he said the coaches have been preaching about winning the turnover battle.

"When we are even or winning the turnover battle, we are winning football games," Bly said. "The games that we lost, we haven't forced any on defense."

Bly was the cornerback burned by Brett Favre and wide receiver Greg Jennings when the Green Bay Packers beat the Broncos on a long bomb on the first play of overtime last year on Monday night. This year, Bly got his revenge on Favre with his second-quarter interception on a long pass.

"I came up and showed that I was going to be in bump-and-run and right before he snapped the ball I bailed out and I just read him. He saw that we had a middle safety and he picked my side, sort of like he did that Monday night last year. I was just on top of it. I was able to make a play."

Bly said that Monday night play was in the past, but he was reminded of it by a fan during training camp.

"Brett you know, he' a Hall of Famer, he's had his days. But I've also had a lot of good days against Brett myself."

Kansas City comes to Invesco Field at Mile High Sunday. Kickoff is at 2:05 p.m. The Chiefs are coming off a 30-13 win over the Raiders in Oakland. The Broncos would like a little payback after losing 33-19 to the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 4.

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