DENVER -- Where The Wild Things Are may be about to appear in theaters, but it's already been at NFL stadiums for five weeks, courtesy of the Denver Broncos.
A last-second miracle deflection for a winning TD in Cincinnati.
A goal-line stand against Dallas as time ticked off the clock.
And on Sunday, a 98-yard march to tie that would make John Elway proud followed by an overtime game-winning kick by Matt Prater in the Broncos' 20-17 win against the Patriots -- Denver coach Josh McDaniels' former employer.
Yes, Kyle Orton -- the same quarterback met with derision, or worse, indifference in his new city through no fault of his own --- out Brady'ed Tom Brady at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Denver's 5-and-oh-my-God-can-you-believe-this right about now.
How good are things in Broncoland?
Receiver Jabar Gaffney caught a first-down pass on third-and-14 Sunday off not one, but two Patriots defensive backs.
Denver kept a fourth-quarter drive alive with not one, but two special-teams penalties, ended up getting the ball on its 2 and still scored.
Even more remarkable, it was McDaniels fist-pumping in front of the north stands after the game sending the crowd into a frenzy, wearing, yes, a hoodie.
"I see guys that believe," said Broncos defensive end Vonnie Holliday, a 33-year-old late addition to Denver's roster who sacked Brady and forced a fumble as the three-time Super Bowl champions tried to engineer a winning march in the fourth quarter. "Nobody outside this locker room believes week in and week out that we're going to win. Everybody thinks, 'This is the week that it ends. The schedule's too tough. They caught Tony Romo and Dallas off guard and they didn't bring their 'A' game ...' All those excuses. I get tired of hearing it and I think the guys in the locker room have circled the wagons, rely on each other, believe, and go out to prove everybody wrong."
Nobody can dispute Denver's merit now -- not after McDaniels, the protégé, beat Bill Belichick, the mentor, and the Broncos defense again lived up to their No. 1 ranking despite falling behind 10-0 for a second straight week.
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"There will be 20-some new excuses," Holliday insisted. "It'll be something like, 'Kyle Orton took the glove off or Tom Brady didn't eat the right breakfast...'"
Orton ditched the right-hand accoutrement for the first time since surgery to repair his index finger and passed for 330 yards and two TDs without it. He inspired as much with his play as his words.
Backed up at his 2 with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Orton -- the Man Who Isn't Jay Cutler -- completed 5 of 8 passes for 65 yards to help move Denver to the 11. He then turned to his teammates in the huddle and delivered a deadpan line Brandon Marshall calls "a joke or something stupid to relax us."
"I told them, 'We've already gone 95 yards. We might as well do 98.'" Orton said.
Not exactly Elway saying that he had the Browns right where he wanted them before 'The Drive,' but Marshall immediately followed with the game-tying TD, so it was effective.
The next bounce to go Denver's way was the OT coin flip and the Broncos were on their way behind rookie Knowshon Moreno.
"A lot of people don't give us credit but we go out and play 60 minutes -- even if it's 65 minutes," said tight end Daniel Graham, who once stood on the Patriots side of the field. "We never give up."
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| Josh McDaniels is enjoying the ride as Denver's head coach, and you better believe the players are, too. (US Presswire) |
You might as well revive We Are Family now for a franchise whose line for wins this season was set at 6½ in Las Vegas because of such turmoil -- and a perceived talent gap.
"I honestly didn't know what to expect," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey admitted Sunday. "I knew we had good players but it was all about, 'Could the coach get the most out of this team?' And what was it going to take to get there?"
McDaniels deserves huge credit on that front.
The lessons learned from Belichick about situational football, preparation, game-planning and identifying talent have served the protégé well.
McDaniels' fist-pumping, however, did not come from Not-So-Wild Bill.
"You get caught up in the moment sometimes," former Patriot Gaffney said with a smile.
"I'm happy for him," Broncos safety Brian Dawkins added. "All the crap he had to take going into the season, all the way up to this game. I'm very happy where he has us as a team and the ball we're playing because of it."
That ball includes a 59-7 scoring edge and 1,158-501 yard advantage in second halves this year. Opponents have converted just 2 of 30 third downs after halftime.
Up next is division rival San Diego on Monday Night Football.
Let's hope the Chargers eat their Wheaties.
Magnificent7 
