Broncos back in the win column with 26-6 victory over Giants

At least for one game, the Broncos that we had grown to know and love through 6 weeks, but had mysteriously disappeared since, were back.

The defense led the effort by forcing turnovers, pressuring Eli Manning, and entirely keeping the G-men out of the end-zone. The offense returned to life and put up 26 points - led by a great performance from Brandon Marshall, who made big catches all night including a 28 yard one handed grab which set up a 1 yard touchdown run by his arch nemesis - Knowshon Moreno.

The Broncos won the turnover battle 3-1. This was a huge factor in getting the defense off the field so it remained fresh in the second half. As a result, the fourth quarter belonged to Denver 10-0. The Giants only got 59 plays (versus 69 for Denver), keeping them under the 60 play mark in which many NFL experts believe to be the point which a defense is worn out. Washington ran 70 plays two weeks ago and San Diego ran 65 on Sunday and could have had lots more.

This was a good win for Denver. You can't complain about any win that breaks a four game winning streak. But, I don't think this shows us what kind of team Denver has. This was a matchup against two teams that were hot out of the gate but then tripped up badly. New York has now lost 5 out of 6 and it is historically difficult for the road team to win on Thanksgiving day games (unless visiting the Lions). I think New York was flat for this game and they really didn't put up much of a fight. They had a great chance to get back in the game in the second half after intercepting Kyle ORton but were never able to capitalize on the potential momentum swing. D. The Broncos took advantage of the hand they were dealt and won the game very convincingly, so they do get credit for that.

Denver is now 7-4 and still very much in the wild card picture. San Diego has Kansas City on Sunday and Cleveland next week so it seems likely they will be 9-3 and I don't think the division is realistically within Denver's grasp anymore.

Next up is a visit to Kansas City, a historically tough place for Denver to play. With Indianapolis looming the following week, Kansas City is a must win game.