Denver Broncos

MVPs and LVPs from Broncos vs. Lions

Published Sep. 29, 2015 10:17 a.m. ET

foxsports

By Clint Daly

The Denver Broncos won their third game in a row on Sunday night, beating yet another team that was in the playoffs last year and on the road no less. Denver pushed its record to 3-0 and they remain in solo possession of the number one spot in the AFC West.

The Broncos had to outlast a stubborn Lions team that had their backs firmly against the wall as they have fallen to 0-3 so far this year. Denver got great performances from a number of different players. So who were the most valuable players and the least valuable players from the victory on Sunday?

Most Valuable Players

Aqib Talib: Another week another MVP for Aqib Talib. Talib is playing out of his mind this season and Sunday was no exception. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips thinks so highly of Talib that he placed him in one-on-one situations with Lions All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson most of the night and Talib more than held his own. Johnson finished the game with eight catches for 77 yards but he had no touchdowns and never really stretched the Denver defense vertically as he is known to do.

Add to his defensive effort the fact that Talib blocked the extra point on Detroit’s first touchdown and kept them trailing for the entire game.

Sylvester Williams: The fourth-year nose tackle had a busy night and was a big reason that the Lions couldn’t run the football. Williams continued to collapse the inside of the offense line and totaled two tackles, a sack, and two quarterback hits. With seven tackles, one sack, and two tackles for losses Williams is quietly having an excellent season.

Peyton Manning: For the doubters that were saying Peyton Manning can no longer play at a high level, or throw the deep ball, Sunday night had to be particularly disappointing. Manning went 31/42 for 324 yards, his highest yardage total since last November. He completed passes of 45 and 34 yards to Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders and showed that when you give him time and space to throw the football he is still among the best in the NFL.

David Bruton Jr: Bruton has been giving the Broncos solid play all season. He has nine tackles and a sack and on Sunday night he made one of the plays of the game when he intercepted Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford late in the fourth quarter. The Broncos were clinging to a 17-12 lead when the Detroit offense had crossed into Denver territory and were facing a 3rd-and-12 at the Denver 48-yard line. Stafford looked to hit Calvin Johnson running a route up the seam but Bruton deflected the pass up into the air and then grabbed it with his right hand and made the interception. The Broncos would score a touchdown five plays later to extend their lead to 12.

Least Valuable Players

Louis Vasquez: The offensive line woes have been prevalent for the Broncos all season but Vasquez stood out from the pack on Sunday night. Lions’ defensive end Devin Taylor and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata were in the Broncos backfield for a good portion of the night. Taylor finished the game with two tackles, a sack, and two hits on Peyton Manning and Ngata had another two quarterback hits and deflected a pass that was intercepted. Vasquez and tackle Ryan Harris need to solidify the right side of the offensive line.

Jeff Triplette: The NFL officiating crew had a rough night at Ford Field. The game featured too many penalties, bad spots, and it seemed like we spent more time watching booth review than actual live football. There were 18 penalties accepted and there were flags thrown a few times that we couldn’t spot a foul. Four different times the officiating crew had their live calls reversed by instant replay. Triplette and company weren’t biased for either team, they had bad calls both way, but they definitely need to raise their game.

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