In the first quarter, Royal put the Broncos up 7-3 by returning a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Royal gave his team a 17-10 lead after returning a punt 71 yards for a touchdown.

In the second half, the Chargers built a 23-17 lead with less than eight minutes to remain in the third quarter. But the Broncos then clamped down on defense and scored the final 17 points of the game to win by a final score of 34-23.

With the win, the surprising Broncos are 6-0. Few experts thought the Broncos would make the playoffs — much less be undefeated after six weeks.

For the Chargers, it was another disappointing loss. San Diego is only 2-3 and they seem to be headed to yet another disappointing season.

Eddie Royal - Denver Broncos

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Eddie Royal Runs Broncos Past Chargers

5. Denver Broncos
Even though the Broncos are 5-0, does anyone truly believe that this team is a Super Bowl contender? Many experts aren’t even believing that Denver will make the playoffs. I guess we’ll see.

4. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have won each of their five games. While nothing is too wrong with their squad, Brett Favre remains a question mark. Can he survive the entire 17 week NFL schedule?

3. New Orleans Saints
When it comes to an explosive offense, the Saints are at the top of the list. And though their defense is obviously improved, is it improved enough?

2. Indianapolis Colts
Peyton Manning has been fantastic. He has easily been the best player in the NFL this season. That said, he’ll need some help to win it all. His supporting cast isn’t somewhat questionable.

1. New York Giants
The Giants just look like a winner. They are tough on the road, they execute well and they are proven. As long as Eli Manning stays healthy, this team will be difficult to beat.

Eli Manning - New York Giants (Image: Zuma Press)

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NFL Week 6 Power Rankings

5. Denver Broncos
Although the Broncos are 4-0, it’s difficult to believe they are for real. Their offense appears to be a lot less potent than last year. Defensively, they have been very good — but will it last?

4. Minnesota Vikings
Brett Favre had an outing to remember on Monday Night Football. The Vikings look like legit Super Bowl contenders. However, whether Favre can last a complete season playing at a high level is unknown.

3. New Orleans Saints
The Saints have the most explosive offense in the NFL. Their defense isn’t great but it is much improved from the last few seasons. At their best, the Saints are very hard to beat.

2. Indianapolis Colts
Peyton Manning seems to have regained his spot as the best quarterback in the NFL. Last season, he dealt with a knee injury for much of the season. This year, Manning has turned back the clock.

1. New York Giants
With a hard hitting defense and an offense that always seems to make the big play, the Giants look like the best team in the NFL. If Eli Manning can stay healthy and Steve Smith can become a legit star receiver, another Super Bowl championship could be in the cards.

Eli Manning - New York Giants (Image: Zuma Press)

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NFL Power Rankings – Week 5

Said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: “He did more than we thought and he will have expectations, I would like to reserve that to after practice, but I bet he’s pretty aggressive out here in practice.”

Felix Jones, who started in Barber’s place in Week 3, will be out of action in Week 4. Jones injured his knee and will need to miss at least one game.

If Barber is back in action, he will likely regain his starting spot. Tashard Choice, who played well last week, will be Barber’s backup with Jones out.

In Week 4, the Cowboys take on the Denver Broncos. With both teams equipped with a strong defense and a struggling offense, you can expect a low scoring game this weekend.

Marion Barber Injury Update - Dallas Cowboys (Image: Zuma Press)

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Marion Barber Expected to Play in Week 4

Marshall’s unhappiness boiled over on Wednesday during practice. On a video available online, you can see Marshall walking when he should have been running, ignoring a ball thrown to him and punting away a football that came to him.

With the Broncos set to open their season September 13th against the Cincinnati Bengals, it appears as if Denver will give Marshall one final week to change his attitude. If he doesn’t, most team insiders believe that Marshall could be suspended again.

Overall, it’s looking less and less likely that Marshall will be a big part of the 2009 Denver Broncos. Even though he has 206 catches in the last two seasons and nearly 2,600 yards, the Broncos appear to be comfortable going in a different direction.

Brandon Marshall Suspended - Denver Broncos (Image: Zuma Press)

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Brandon Marshall Suspended by the Broncos

After beginning the 2006 NFL season as the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Simms suffered a ruptured spleen in his third start. Since that time, he’s only thrown two NFL passes — both came last year with the Tennessee Titans.

Although Kyle Orton currently has the starting QB gig for the Broncos, there were many Broncos fans who believed that Simms was actually the man for the job. With this latest injury, it eliminates any chance of him beginning the year as the Broncos starting quarterback.

To add some depth to the quarterback position, the Broncos signed Ingle Martin. For now, Martin and rookie Tom Brandstater will be the backup quarterbacks in Denver.

Chris Simms - Denver Broncos (Image: Zuma Press)

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Broncos’ Chris Simms Injures Ankle

Henry’s cocaine ring helped transport cocaine between the state of Colorado and the state of Montana. In April, he decided to plead guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine. In addition to his three-year federal prison sentence, Henry will need to complete five years of probation. His judge, United States District Judge Richard Cebull, also recommended that Henry should complete 500 hours of treatment for drugs.

Harvey Steinberg, Henry’s attorney, says that if Henry completes the treatment and is rewarded for good behavior, the former running back could be a free man in less than a year and a half.

This isn’t Henry’s first time in the news due to legal troubles. According to reports, Henry has had trouble keeping up to date with his child report payments. Henry allegedly has at least eight children by eight different women.

In Henry’s NFL career, he played with the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos.

Travis Henry is headed to Prison (Image: Zuma Press)

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Travis Henry Sent to Prison for Three Years

Josh McDaniels names Kyle Orton his starter (Image: Zuma Press)

Up until this announcement, Orton had been competing with Chris Simms for the starting quarterback gig. However, McDaniels said he wanted to end the suspense now and provide more of an order heading into traing camp.

That said, McDaniels was also adamant that Simms still has a chance to win the starting role if he outperforms Orton in training camp and the exhibition season.

Orton, who was acquired in the trade that sent Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears, is coming off of a solid sason. In 15 games, he had 18 touchdown passes and 2972 passing yards.

Simms, on the other hand, has played only one game since 2006. He’s had bright spots in his NFL career but most experts agreed that he was the underdog from the beginning. Now, McDaniels made that official.

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Kyle Orton Named Broncos Starter at QB

Dre Bly, San Francisco 49ers (Image: Newscom)

Bly became a fit in San Francisco after Walt Harris tore his right ACL earlier in the week. Suddenly short at cornerback, Bly has a chance to step in and start right away for the Niners.

The 5-foot-10, 188-pound Bly played his college football at North Carolina. He played in first four seasons for the St. Louis Rams before moving on to the Detroit Lions for four years. His last two seasons were with the Broncos.

In his career, the speedy cornerback has never missed more than four games in a season due to injury. He has 40 interceptions and five touchdowns in 151 career games. Bly also has experience as a punt returner and returning kicks.

Specifics of Bly’s contract weren’t immediately available, however the deal is reportedly one-year in length.

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Dre Bly Signs with San Francisco

Jake Plummer High School Coach (Image: Newscom)

After growing up in Boise, Idaho, Plummer went on to play at Arizona State, where he earned the Jake the Snake nickname. In 1997, he began his career in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals. In 2003, he played his first of four seasons with the Denver Broncos.

The best season of his career came while with the Broncos. In 2004, Plummer had 4,089 passing yards to go along with 27 touchdown passes. In his NFL career, he had 29,253 yards, 161 passing touchdowns and 17 rushing touchdowns.

In March of 2007, Plummer was traded from the Broncos to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, he decided to retire from the NFL rather than play for Tampa Bay. Since retiring, Plummer has moved back to Idaho.

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Jake Plummer Hired as High School Coach