Tebow Finds Thomas For TDTim Tebow completed a 10-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas in the corner of the end zone to cut the Chicago lead to 10-7.
Tebow completed seven straight passes for 63 yards to move the ball down the field and find the end zone with 2:08 remaining in the game.
The Broncos then attempted an onside kick but it was recovered by the Bears.
Click here to listen to the audio highlight of the play from AM 850 KOA.
Thomas Tops the 100-Yard MarkDemaryius Thomas has set a career high with 144 receiving yards on four catches thus far. He’s been on the receiving end of two touchdown passes from Tim Tebow and put the Broncos on the doorstep with a 40-yard catch to the Vikings 28-yard line.
The 144 yards mark a career best for the second-year wideout. His previous high was a 97-yard game against the Seahawks in 2010. It is the first multiple touchdown game of Thomas’ career.
-Stuart Zaas
Broncos Strike BackJust one play after Minnesota retook and eight-point lead, the Broncos answered with a touchdown of their own as Minnesota now leads 22-21 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.
After Quan Cosby’s 63-yard kickoff return to Minnesota’s 41-yard line, quarterback Tim Tebow scrambled left, thought about running, then just as he was about to go out-of-bounds, he hit a wide open Demaryius Thomas. Thomas turned upfield, put on an ankle-breaking juke move and churned into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day.
Click here to listen to the audio highlight of the play from AM 850 KOA.
-Kenny Legan
Broncos Score to Open HalfThe Broncos marched down the field to start the second half, finishing the drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow to Demaryius Thomas to make the score 15-14 in favor of the Vikings.
Denver reeled off chunks of yards out of the gates, gaining 10+ yards on the first four plays of the possession. Tebow connected with Eric Decker for a 17-yard completion to start the drive. Willis McGahee followed with runs of 11, 14, then 9 yards to take the Broncos to the Vikings 36-yard line.
Lance Ball then picked up five yards on a third-and-1 carry. The Broncos scored on another third-down conversion when Tebow connected with Thomas in the back corner of the end zone. It is the ninth touchdown pass of the season for Tebow and the second touchdown catch of the year for Thomas.
Click here for the audio highlight of the play, courtesy of AM 850 KOA.
-Stuart Zaas
Thomas Learned from Former Teammate
Demaryius Thomas first caught a glimpse of Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson in high school.
Suffice it to say he was impressed.
When it came down to making his college choice, he followed Johnson to Georgia Tech.
“He was one of the reasons I went there because of the type of offense, the type of player he was — the big, fast receiver,” Thomas said.
The two receivers spent just one year together with the Yellow Jackets. When Johnson was a senior, Thomas redshirted as a freshman.
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Broncos on the BoardThe Broncos march down the field and cut Miami’s lead to a one possession game. Tebow threw a five-yard scoring strike to Demaryius Thomas as the receiver made a diving catch at the front pylon.
The play was reviewed and upheld.
The touchdown catch was Thomas’ first of the year and just his second catch of the season. He recorded his first catch earlier on the drive, a 15-yard completion near the sideline.
Tebow kept the drive alive with his legs as well as his arm. He threw a 42-yard completion to Matt Willis over the middle to get the Broncos to the Dolphins’ 12-yard line, and a few plays later, Tebow scrambled for a 13-yard gain to set up the touchdown pass.
Listen to the call from AM 850 KOA here.
Preparing for the Unknown
At the ripe age of 25, Eddie Royal has assumed the role of the veteran among the team’s wide receivers. Royal’s 47 games played and 39 starts lead a position group where no other player has made more than two career starts.
“I’m only 25 years old,” Royal laughed. “It says a lot that they have a lot of faith in those guys and us to be able to come out and prepare the right way and to come make plays.”
Aside from Royal’s 39 starts, the rest of the group combines for five starts, which doesn’t give opposing teams much film to watch as they prepare to face this young receiving corps.
Demaryius Thomas Back to Practice
Fresh off the bye week, the Broncos welcomed wide receiver Demaryius Thomas back to practice on Monday. Thomas, who had been out since the opening week of the season with a broken finger, will give the receiving corps a boost with his rare combination of size, speed and strength.
“(Demaryius has) size, speed, strength, all the things you look for,” Head Coach John Fox said after practice on Monday. “I think that’s probably why he was selected as high as he was. We’re looking forward to getting him back.”
The team’s top pick a year ago, Thomas caught 22 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns in 10 appearances as a rookie. He made a splash in his career debut, finishing with the second-highest reception total for a player’s NFL debut in Broncos history after posting eight catches for 97 yards against the Seahawks in a Week 2 victory last season.
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Mays, Gronkowski to IR
Two players who joined the Broncos in trades before the season are headed to the injured reserve.
After sustaining an ankle and knee injury, respectively, in Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Dan Gronkowski and Joe Mays are out for the remainder of the season.
Gronkowski, who had eight catches for 65 yards this season, suffered his injury in the second quarter but toughed it out to return to the game.
“He’s just a tough (player),” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. “He (injured) it and then he went back in and taped it again at halftime. I love his toughness and we have a great deal of respect for what he tried to do yesterday, because he did not want to come out of the game. As a coach, you appreciate that a lot.”
While Gronkowski did not reinjure the ankle, the initial injury was severe enough to end his season.
McDaniels also discussed the loss of Mays, who has stepped in as a starter at middle linebacker in five of the previous six games, accumulating 40 tackles and a pass defensed this season.
Healthy Update
While the week began with a blow, Friday brought some positive news on the injury front.
Demaryius Thomas returned to the practice field for the first time this week, having fully recovered from a concussion suffered last Sunday.
“He passed all of the tests, so that’s good for him and today will be another test, too — he’s got to go through a practice and feel comfortable with that,” Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. “He didn’t have any recurring symptoms yesterday and that’s a couple days in a row (without symptoms), so we feel like we’ve gone through all of the things we’ve needed to go through to put him back on the field.”
In addition to Thomas’ return, Knowshon Moreno practiced for the second consecutive day, something that McDaniels said has the team excited.
The Broncos’ injury report features 10 players, five of which were declared out of Sunday’s game earlier this week — Robert Ayers (foot), Brian Dawkins (knee), Andre’ Goodman (quadricep), Darcel McBath (ankle) and Wesley Woodyard (hamstring).
With those five players out, McDaniels said the team might have to get creative with its lineup — “We’re looking at a few different concoctions of alignments,” — but David Bruton said he’s confident that whoever is on the field will step up.
Fortunately for the Broncos, the remaining five players on the injury report all practiced at least once this week. Andre Brown (illness) and Mario Haggan (neck) are probable for the contest, while Spencer Larsen (ankle), Moreno (hamstring) and Thomas (concussion) are listed as questionable.
As for the Jets, cornerback Darrelle Revis is questionable for the contest. The five remaining players on the injury report — linebacker Calvin Pace (foot), safety Jim Leonhard (biceps), center Nick Mangold (shoulder), guard Brandon Moore (hamstring) and linebacker Jamaal Westerman (ankle) are probable to play on Sunday.