Tebow had played awful for 7½ quarters, getting sacked 13 times and throwing everywhere it seemed but to his receivers. So, the Broncos decided to quit trying to turn Tebow into a prototypical pro passer and instead modified their offense to fit Tebow’s unique skill set.

They all but dusted off the Dead Sea Scrolls in bringing back the option to the NFL, a style that made Tebow the best combination quarterback in NCAA history while at Florida.

In back-to-back wins at Oakland and Kansas City — something even Elway never accomplished — Tebow operated an offense that ran the ball 93 times and threw it 30. The Broncos gained 543 yards on the ground and 182 through the air.

Tebow completed just two passes against the Chiefs, but one was a 56-yard strike to Eric Decker for the winning score as the Broncos (4-5) climbed within a game of the Raiders in the AFC West.

Fox told NFL.com this week that if Tebow were running a conventional offense “he’d be screwed.”

Asked about that comment Wednesday, Fox backtracked: “I think at the time we were watching the second half of the Detroit game and the point was that him or any other quarterback in that situation, down 24-3, is not enviable and is not a good spot to be in. There’s a lot of different ways to put it.

“Or any game that you’re one-dimensional and you have to throw the ball 30 times in a half and the other team knows it, it’s not good.”

On the other hand, running the ball 30 times in a half would suit Fox just fine.

“This week is going to be about stopping the run,” said Rex Ryan, whose New York Jets (5-4) visit Denver for a Thursday night game just four days after an emotional loss to New England. “Obviously going against Denver, their priority is to run the football. You have to stop it or you don’t have to worry about playing pass defense or rushing the passer because they won’t throw it.”

Ryan’s extensive college coaching resume early in his career gives him lots of experience in defending the option, as does his time with Brad Smith operating the wildcat for the Jets. So he tapped into that know-how during the short work week.

Since Tebow supplanted Kyle Orton as the starting quarterback, the Broncos have rushed for an NFL-high 915 yards and moved up from 23rd in the league in rushing to second. Tebow has gained 283 of those yards.

The Broncos ran the ball 87 percent of the time at Kansas City last weekend even though their top two tailbacks, Willis McGahee (left hamstring) and Knowshon Moreno (right knee), got hurt in the first quarter.

“This past game was really interesting,” Ryan said. “They only put the ball up in the air eight times, but that’s all they needed to do. They were able to move the ball really effectively on the ground. The 55 rushing attempts, I think any true football fan appreciates that kind of style of play.

Knowshon Moreno had 52 yards on four carries Sunday at Kansas City when a knee injury ended his season early.
(Joe Amon, The Denver Post
)

The Broncos’ offense that likes to do little else but run, run, run and run will have to do it without one of its top runners. Former first-round draft pick Knowshon Moreno’s season is over after the tailback suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament Sunday at Kansas City, coach John Fox said Monday.

To fill Moreno’s roster spot, the Broncos signed running back Jeremiah Johnson off their practice squad.

In their ideal scenario, the Broncos will go into Thursday night’s home game against the New York Jets with starter Willis McGahee, backup Lance Ball and Johnson.

But McGahee’s status remains tenuous because of a hamstring injury he suffered early in the first quarter of the Broncos’ 17-10 victory over the Chiefs. McGahee, who is expected to practice today, was cleared to return to Sunday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium but was held out in hopes that rest would help ensure a full recovery in time for him to play against the Jets.

“He’s a guy we’d like to have healthy Thursday night,” Fox said of McGahee.

And no wonder. McGahee has been among the NFL’s best rushers, averaging more than 100 yards per start before he was injured Sunday. The Broncos fared just fine without McGahee and Mo-reno against Kansas City. Ball rushed 30 times for 96 yards — a big part of the team’s total of 244 yards.

The shuffled tailback rotation will do little to change the run-first mentality, at least until an opposing defense finds a way to force the Broncos to pass, something neither the Raiders nor Chiefs could do in the past two games. The Broncos have averaged 40.7 rushes and only 24 passing attempts in the four games Tim Tebow has been their starting QB.

“We were looking for balance. We might have gone a little over the other edge,” Fox said, laughing.

The knee injury is a major setback for Moreno, the No. 12 pick in the 2009 draft who has struggled to stay healthy. He didn’t play in two games in September because of

a hamstring injury and had been used primarily as a third-down back. He gained only 179 yards on 37 carries this season. But he was showing flashes Sunday of the potential he showed during his college days at Georgia, particularly when he hurdled Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers during a 24-yard run.

“He had that hamstring early in the season and battled back from that, and was getting back into the groove,” Fox said. “He was having a really, really good day (at Kansas City). It’s unfortunate. But he’s tough-minded and will battle back from this.”

Johnson is in his second year in the NFL but has yet to record a rushing attempt. He spent one week on the Broncos’ active roster in mid-September, playing on special teams against Cincinnati.

But in his role as the scout team tailback, he has impressed Denver teammates and earned the trust of the coaching staff.

“The upside with Jeremiah is he’s been with us,” Fox said. “He knows the nomenclature, he knows the teammates. He’s given our defense a real good look and been helpful in getting us better against the run.”

Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com

Tale of the tailbacks

A look at the Broncos’ running backs heading into Thursday night’s home game against the New York Jets:

• Knowshon Moreno: Suffered season-ending knee injury Sunday in 17-10 win at Kansas City.

• Willis McGahee: Broncos’ leading rusher suffered hamstring injury against the Chiefs and didn’t play after the first quarter. Coach John Fox hopeful he will be good to to go Thursday.

• Lance Ball: Career backup gained 96 yards Sunday. Gets his first NFL start if McGahee is out.

• Jeremiah Johnson: Signed off practice squad Monday to take Moreno’s spot on active roster.

More inaction for Moreno

Knowshon Moreno’s season-ending knee injury, suffered Sunday at Kansas City, is the latest disappointment in his Broncos career:

• 2009 — Moreno, a first-round draft pick from Georgia, missed the start of his first training camp because of a contract holdout. Then he suffered a sprained knee during the first quarter of his first preseason game. The tailback missed the remainder of the preseason.

• 2010 — Moreno suffered a significant hamstring injury to each leg. The first injury happened on the first day of training camp, forcing Moreno to again miss an entire preseason. The other injury kept him out of three games during the first half of the season.

• 2011 — Moreno suffered a strained hamstring in the season opener at Oakland and the injury kept him out of the Week 2 game against Cincinnati. He dressed, but didn’t play, the next week at Tennessee.

Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post

Read More: Wesley Woodyard (LB – DEN), Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos

Lindsay Jones of The Denver Post is reporting that Denver Broncos LB Wesley Woodyard is back in practice:

@PostBroncos: All players participating in practice today, including Wesley Woodyard.

Woodyard had missed two consecutive practices with a knee injury and appeared likely to miss Sunday’s contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 4th year linebacker presently leads the Broncos in tackles.

Having Woodyard healthy for Sunday’s game could be huge benefit to the Denver Broncos defense. Without Woodyard, the defense would be forced to rework their nickle alignment and likely slot an ill-fit linebacker into pass coverage.

The Broncos have yet to release the remainder of their injury report, but with the full squad practicing today, it seems likely they may avoid any major absences on Sunday.

For more on Sunday’s game, check out Mile High Report, SB Nation’s Denver Broncos blog, and Arrowhead Pride, SB Nation’s Kansas City Chiefs blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver, too, for the latest.

Read More: Wesley Woodyard (LB – DEN), Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, Nov 13, 2011 11:00 AM MST

The Denver Broncos have finally seen their injury report slim down to a minimum, as the Broncos held out only one player from practice today, according to The Denver Post.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, that one player was LB Wesley Woodyard, who plays a keystone role in the Broncos defense and leads the team in tackles this year. If Woodyard is unable to go this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos will likely need to reassess their defensive scheme:

Should Woodyard not be able to play Sunday, the Broncos will have some major shuffling to do with its nickel (five defensive backs) defense. Woodyard played in that package as the linebacker often assigned to cover the opposing tight end or extra wide receiver.

Woodyard injured his knee in last Sunday’s win against the Oakland Raiders. Today constitutes the second straight practice he has missed.

For more NFL news and notes, head over to SB Nation Pro Football, and stay tuned to SB Nation Denver for more Broncos updates and analysis.

Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson spent the last couple of days studying video of the Denver Broncos offense and initially had a difficult time remembering the last time he played against an opponent that ran so much option.

“It would be in college,” Johnson finally said. “That’s definitely a college game plan when you do so much option.”

Johnson and the Chiefs can expect to see a lot of the option on Sunday when the Broncos play at Arrowhead Stadium in the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Broncos changed much of what they do on offense since replacing former starting quarterback Kyle Orton with Tim Tebow three weeks ago.

“He may not have the traditional way (of) standing in the pocket and delivering certain (passes),” Johnson said. “But as long as you win, it doesn’t really matter.”

The Broncos are doing that with Tebow. After starting the season 1-4, the Broncos have won two of their last three games and are just a game behind the Chiefs, Raiders and Chargers in the AFC West race.

Tebow is having problems when he passes. He is completing just 46 percent of his attempts, which is well below the league average of 60 percent.

But the Broncos ran for almost 200 yards in two of their last three games and then nearly hit 300 in last week’s win over Oakland. Tebow had more than 100 rushing yards against the Raiders.

“They’re finding an identity and that identity is running the football for a lot of yards,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. “When you have a quarterback that can run the ball the way that Tim does, it creates major issues for defenses … essentially (the Broncos) gain an extra offensive player in the run game. When that player is your quarterback and can throw the football, it becomes different than just some of the wildcats and things we see.

“The difference is that generally, the guys running the wildcat aren’t the quarterback. (The Broncos) have the quarterback running the option, which then makes it a triple threat with the running back running, (Tebow) running or him throwing.”

The Chiefs this week in practice are having not only backup quarterback Tyler Palko, like Tebow a left-hander, plays as the Denver quarterback. They’re also using backup wide receiver Jerheme Urban, who isn’t as big as Tebow but a nifty open-field runner.

Urban was a sprinter for his college track team.

The Broncos aren’t exclusively an option team. They also do some conventional things on offense.

But to accommodate Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner at Florida and one of Denver’s first-round picks last year, the Broncos had to do some things in line with his abilities. The option is one.

“It’s something (Tebow) is more comfortable with, he has a lot of background in it, he’s got a lot of confidence in it,” said Denver coach John Fox, formerly with the Carolina Panthers. “We’re asking a lot, not just of Tim, but our entire offense, the coaching staff, everybody involved. We’ve kind of grown it as we’ve grown with Tim.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in the NFC South and we competed against the Atlanta Falcons when they had Michael Vick. Call it what you like, it was that quarterback having the ability to run that creates havoc on defenses because they don’t count that guy as a runner. It’s kind of been done but maybe not to the exact level where we’re kind of at right now.”

Fox would prefer to see the Broncos crank up their passing game. They have 125 passing yards or fewer in each of Tebow’s starts.

Read More: Brian Dawkins (S – DEN), Rahim Moore (S – DEN), Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for the Denver Broncos on Sunday, one thing is evidently clear. The Broncos definitely believe they can win.

Tim Tebow and his band of football crusaders will host the Chiefs and for the first time in a long while the entire team is virtually healthy. Take note that both starting safeties Brian Dawkins (head/neck) and Rahim Moore (concussion) were limited participants. Moore was hurt after attempting to break up a pass intended for Denarius Moore on the first play from the game versus Oakland. The Broncos safety collided with the receiver and landed hard on the ground.

Here is a full breakout of practice participants on Wednesday:

Read More: Brian Dawkins (S – DEN), Willis McGahee (RB – DEN), Spencer Larsen (FB – DEN), Wesley Woodyard (LB – DEN), Cassius Vaughn (CB – DEN), Rahim Moore (S – DEN), Virgil Green (TE – DEN), Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos face the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC West battle this weekend, and they should be healthy for the most part when that happens. The team released its Wednesday injury report recently, and only player didn’t participate at all during the day’s practices. The full list can be found here, but it’s shown below.

Did Not Participate

- LB Wesley Woodyard

Limited Participation

- S Brian Dawkins

- S Rahim Moore

- CB Cassius Vaughn

- TE Virgil Green

- FB Spencer Larsen

Full Participation

- RB Willis McGahee

For the most part, the Broncos should be at full strength by Sunday’s game. Running back Willis McGahee is essentially healthy after rehabbing a hand injury, giving the offense one of its key weapons again. The other two key guys here are the safeties, Brian Dawkins and Rahim Moore. Both participated on a limited basis on Wednesday.

For more on Sunday’s game, check out Mile High Report, SB Nation’s Denver Broncos blog, and Arrowhead Pride, SB Nation’s Kansas City Chiefs blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver, too, for the latest.

Jerheme Urban hasn’t been playing a whole lot of wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs lately. He has only one catch all season, and that was in the opener.

He might as well play quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

Or at least try to imitate it.

You see, Urban stands 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, and he has some experience at quarterback from his younger days, not to mention experience in track. He’s an unusual athlete, which makes him a natural fit to mimic the Broncos’ Tim Tebow, who runs a read-option offense that NFL teams just don’t see very often.

It’s been Urban who has been battered by the Kansas City defense in practice this week as it tries to figure out the best way shut down Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy winner they will face in an AFC West showdown Sunday.

“I can only judge Tim as an opposing coach getting ready to defend him,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said Wednesday. “The guy’s a winner and has won everywhere he’s been, and he’s shown that now in the NFL. I think he’s a heck of a player.”

He certainly creates some unique challenges.

There are plenty of running quarterbacks in the league, guys like Michael Vick who are a threat to take off from the pocket at any moment. But few teams script option-style plays more likely to be seen in college for a quarterback who often resembles a battering ram.

Running an offense similar to what he excelled in at Florida, Tebow generally has three options after taking the snap: throw it down field, pitch it to Willis McGahee or one of the other running backs, or simply keep the ball himself and scamper down field.

It didn’t work very well two weeks ago in a 45-10 loss to Detroit, when the Broncos were still trying to figure out what they were doing. But it worked much better last week.

Befuddling a stingy Raiders defense, Tebow managed to pass for 124 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 118 yards. The attention that Oakland paid him created holes for McGahee, who ran for loose for 163 yards and two scores in the 38-24 victory.

Haley said the Broncos’ offense is similar to the wildcat formation in vogue around the league, with one significant difference: Tebow can throw the ball, too, despite what his critics say.

“You got a quarterback running the option,” Haley said, “and that makes it a triple threat.”

Veteran linebacker Derrick Johnson said he hasn’t faced an option-style offense since his college days at Texas.

“That’s definitely a college game plan when you do so much option,” he said. “However you can get a win. It may not be the traditional way, standing in the pocket, delivering, you know, certain routes and all that stuff. As long as you win it doesn’t really matter.”

It’s clear the Chiefs understand what Tebow brings to the field.

Figuring out how to stop it is another matter entirely.

“You got to get to him,” defensive end Wallace Gilberry said. “He’s a real tough guy, a powerful runner. You see guys hit him at the knees almost getting knocked out.”

Gilberry said it’s not just the yards and points that Tebow is responsible for that dictates how valuable he’s been. It’s the fact that the Broncos, after a slow start to the season, have rallied around him. They’ve won two of the three games he’s started.

“The whole team is feeding off him,” Gilberry said. “They’re riding behind him.”

That makes the job that the guys in practice are doing imitating Tebow that much more important. It’s hard enough defending a style of offense that you only see from one team, but it’s even more difficult if you’re not able to replicate it throughout the week.

That responsibility isn’t falling only on Urban, either.

Backup quarterback Tyler Palko is a left-hander, like Tebow, and an athletic guy in his own right. So Haley has called on him to line up opposite the Chiefs’ defense. But unlike Urban, Haley refuses to let the Chiefs put a hit on their No. 2 quarterback in practice.

“It’s good we’ve got a lefty quarterback in Tyler who’s extremely athletic, but at the same time — though he doesn’t want this — I don’t want our backup quarterback have something happen there,” Haley said. “Tyler’s not happy about that — he thought I was questioning his toughness. I had to let him know that I had to look out for the team, and he’s the No. 2 quarterback.”

Trying his best to play the part of Tebow, the Broncos’ clear No. 1.

“He’s a heck of a player,” Haley said of the former first-round draft pick. “They tried to kill him last week. Physically, Oakland sent bodies at him from everywhere, and it’s pretty clear this guy won’t back down in the face of pressure, and that’s always good to have.”

The Denver Broncos come to Arrowhead Stadium Nov. 13 for a key AFC West matchup. Not only is the game a rivalry spectacle but the winner will keep pace for the top spot in the division.

Here are the top five Chiefs versus Broncos games in history, a rivalry that dates back to 1960.

First Game

The first game of the storied rivalry was played Oct. 30, 1960, when the Chiefs were still the Dallas Texans in the old AFL. Jack Spikes ran for a touchdown and then kicked an 11-yard field goal in the third quarter to help the Chiefs to a 17-14 victory. Spikes had 50 yards rushing which helped make up for the dismal passing day of Cotton Davidson. It was the first of eight victories in a row over Denver to start the rivalry.

Move to KC

The first game of the rivalry played in Kansas City was Dec. 8, 1963. Kansas City gave the home fans something to cheer about as they throttled Denver 52-21. Future hall of fame quarterback Len Dawson had three touchdown passes on just 11 completions. Curtis McClinton ran for 81 yards. Even the special teams unit got in on the touchdowns as Duane Wood returned a blocked punt 18 yards for a score in the first quarter.

Jan Stenerud’s Kick

Jan Stenerud’s 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter was his third of the game as the Chiefs beat the Broncos 16-14 at home Oct. 7, 1973. Kansas City’s defense gave up to huge touchdown plays to make the game interesting, but in the end the good guys won.

Pete Stoyanovich Buried It

Pete Stoyanovich buried the Broncos Nov. 16, 1997, in a cold day at Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos had just gone ahead on Jason Elam’s(notes) 34-yard field goal with a minute left. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported receiver Andre Rison caught two passes for 22 yards in the final drive. Stoyanovich kicked the game-winning field goal from 54 yards out as the ball barely made it over the cross bar. The Chiefs won 24-22 as time expired.

Only Playoff Game

The Broncos got their revenge a few weeks later when they beat the Chiefs 14-10 Jan. 4, 1999, in the only playoff game the rivals have played against each other. Terrell Davis scored both touchdowns for Denver as the team went on to win the Super Bowl later that month. John Elway only had 170 yards passing, but an anemic running game by the Chiefs saw Marcus Allen only gain 37 yards on the ground.

The most obnoxious thing about the Chiefs-Broncos rivalry was how lopsided it was to start. From 1960 to 1973, the Chiefs held a 25-3 record over Denver. Now they have a 55-46 record against the Broncos.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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Read More: Willis McGahee (RB – DEN), Eddie Royal (WR – DEN), Tim Tebow (QB – DEN), Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow bounced back from a poor performance against the Detroit Lions by putting together an all-around effort to help guide the Broncos to a 38-24 victory over the Oakland Raiders. Tebow benefited from a big Willis McGahee run and a huge Eddie Royal punt return for a touchdown, but he made some significant contributions of his own through the air and on the ground.

Tebow finished the day 10 of 21 for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He added in 117 rushing yards on twelve carries. As has become expected in these kind of games, Tebow’s rushing totals drastically helped a questionable passing day. In an average league, Tebow would have netted approximately 24 points. A few rushing yards can do wonders for a quarterback’s fantasy performance.

The question for Tebow fantasy owners is how to utilize the young quarterback. Even in his struggles against Detroit, he still finished with a decent fantasy line of 172 passing yards, 63 rushing yards, a passing touchdown, an interception and a lost fumble. Not fantastic, but the 63 rushing yards make up for the turnovers and get him up over double digits. he faces the Kansas City Chiefs this coming Sunday and then hosts the New York Jets at home on Thursday Night Football. He is actually a solid start against the Chiefs, but a questionable start at best against the Jets pass defense.

For more on the Broncos, check out Mile High Report. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams. Follow @sbnationfantasy on Twitter.

Read More: Dave Rayner (K – OAK), Sebastian Janikowski (K – OAK), Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos

It appears that the bye week following the 28-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs has been beneficial for Sebastian Janikowski, as Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network reports that the Raiders expect to have him back on the field when they host the Denver Broncos on Sunday:

@JasonLaCanfora: Seabass Janikowski will kick for Raiders Sun. Free agent K Dave Rayner, who had been on stand by, has headed hone

Janikowski has been an excellent weapon for the Raiders this season, converting 12/13 field goal attempts, including five from 50+ yards. Janikowski was especially impressive in the season-opening victory over the Broncos, hitting all three attempts. The Raiders kicker even joined the NFL record book, as he nailed a record-tying 63-yard field goal in the 23-20 victory at Denver.

Be sure to visit Mile High Report for all the latest Denver Broncos information. SB Nation NFL has all the news and notes from around the league.

There are only six days left until the Denver Broncos come out to battle the Oakland Raiders in O.co Coliseum. The Silver and Black are back from their bye-week and at practice, getting into the rhythm of playing football after their time off.

Oakland Raiders Sebastian Janikowski
Broken Sphere/Wikimedia Commons

Head coach Hue Jackson says they are all glad to be there again, working hard and getting on the road to excellence that they’d started, as well as putting the dismal game against the Kansas City Chiefs behind them. Though it’s still too early for any information on injured players, we should know more as it gets closer to the end of this week.

McFadden is a concern, but I still believe he’ll return in time to face the Broncos. The bigger issue is the quarterback situation. Did we get a glimpse of the real Tim Tebow(notes) in Denver’s loss to the Detroit Lions on October 30? He wasn’t able to do much of anything in that game, and as you probably know, the Broncos lost 45-10 after all the hype about Tebow being their latest savior.

The Broncos head coach, John Fox, said he still plans to start Tebow in Oakland. Maybe a piece of good news for the Raiders. The big comeback game that Denver fans got so excited about was a last minute win against the Miami Dolphins, one of two teams who haven’t managed to win a game so far this season.

Either way, I believe we’d still come out with a win, but this one is especially important in order to get that confidence back as well as to take over the lead in the AFC West. After the San Diego Chargers loss to Kansas City on Monday night, the Raiders, Chiefs and Chargers are all 4-3, with Denver sitting at the bottom with a record of 2-5.

I don’t believe we saw the real Carson Palmer(notes) in that second half against Kansas City either. The rumor is that Palmer was only familiar with 15 plays, having been in Oakland for just a few days and he hadn’t expected to be on the field at all. Their newest quarterback had almost no time to get to know the players, let alone get in sync with them.

It’s certainly nice to see another team put in the spotlight after a horrible performance (Broncos/Lions), to get the focus off Oakland’s loss, and now it’s time to move on from the game in week seven. Get ready for the Raiders to come back and shine.

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett .

More from this contributor:

Oakland Raiders Fan: Silver and Black Coming Back Together

Oakland Raiders Fan: A Look Back at the Last Three and the Next Three Scheduled Games

Oakland Raiders Fan: Terrell Owens Doesn’t Belong on the Silver and Black

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The October 23 game against the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins had Tim Tebow(notes) making his debut as starting quarterback. Unfortunately, Tebow had many Broncos fans fearing the worst throughout most of the game as the Broncos trailed 15-0.

However, true to Bronco form, the final minutes of the game provided for the winning magic with two touchdowns, a 2-point conversion and the final field goal for the win in overtime. This game has to go into my books as a top comeback win. But, if you look back into Broncos history, this game was not the only one leaving fans on the edge of their seats hoping for a miracle win.

October 4, 1992 against the Kansas City Chiefs

Similar to the end of the game rally by Tebow on October 23, QB John Elway came alive in the final two minutes of this game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos were down 19-6 at the two minute warning, but Elway rallied and threw two touchdowns within those final two minutes to secure the win.

December 11, 1983 against the Baltimore Colts

This game against the Baltimore Colts found the Broncos down 19-0 in the second half. This was Elway’s rookie season and it had been full of ups and downs, but this game became one of the highlights. The second half of this game was all about the Broncos and Elway threw three amazing touchdown passes to secure a Broncos win at 21-19.

September 9, 2007 against the Buffalo Bills

The spotlight in this this game went to kicking team in the final seconds of the game. The Broncos were down 14-12 when Jay Cutler(notes) managed to convert two forth downs and move the Broncos down the field to within field goal range. With only seconds on the clock and no timeouts, the kicking team and Jason Elam(notes) ran out onto the field with only 10 seconds remaining and proceeded to kick the winning field goal. Unfortunately this game was also marked with a career ending injury for Bills TE Kevin Everett(notes) who sustained a severe neck and spinal cord injury and many at the time believed he would be paralyzed.

January 4, 1992 – 1991 AFC Divisional Playoff Game Against the Houston Oilers

While most of this game saw the Broncos behind thanks to Warren Moon, Elway managed to fight back late to get the Broncos behind by only one at 24-23. With no timeouts and a field goal needed for the win. Elway manages to move it down the field with a struggle and a final pass to Vance Johnson which gets them into field goal range. Gary Kubiak gets the snap, though struggles with control of the ball, and David Treadwell kicks it through for the win.

Deborah Braconnier is a former athlete and has followed the Broncos since she was a child. Growing up in the days of the Orange Crush, she had a wall lamp made out of Orange Crush cans supporting her team. Working now as a freelance writer, she brings her love for sports to her writing.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Read More: San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs both have identical records through four games: 1-3. One week ago, the Kansas City Chiefs were the last team in ESPN’s NFL power rankings after they lost to the San Diego Chargers and were 0-3. A win over the now 0-4 Minnesota Vikings has things looking slightly better for the Chiefs. They are now No. 28 in ESPN’s power rankings.

That isn’t good news for the Broncos, who drop one spot from No. 26 to No. 27. Their 49-23 loss to the undefeated Green Bay Packers certainly showed that the team is a far way off from being among the league’s best.

However, as ESPN’s write up suggests, hosting the Chargers this coming Sunday should be a better indicator of how things are coming along. Similarly, the Chiefs did defeat the Vikings, but Minnesota is among the league’s worst teams. They face the 0-4 Indianapolis Colts this Sunday, hardly a strong test.

For more on the Broncos, check out Mile High Report.