Vikings vs. Broncos: Denver Grades, Notes and Quotes

The Denver Broncos were able to survive a furious rally to hold off the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, improving to 4-0 on the season.

The Vikings stole the momentum in the second half and second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater made nearly every play he had to make. But in the end, a huge play by T.J. Ward to knock the ball out of Bridgewater's hands led to a recovery by Von Miller.

Fans in Denver were able to exhale as the Broncos preserved a 23-20 victory.

The Broncos were able to come up with seven sacks as a team, helping to overcome the fact that they turned the ball over twice and watched the Vikings have the ball for eight minutes more in terms of time of possession.

Read on for more on this game, including grades for each positional unit.

Positional Grades for Denver

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Position                                                Grade

QB	C-
RB	A-
WR	B
TE	B
OL	B+
DL	B+
LB	A
DB	C
Special Teams	A-
Coaching	B

Quarterback: Peyton Manning has had better days. He was 17-of-27 on the day but threw two terrible interceptions. One pick was on a bad decision and the other came on a poor throw. Manning was able to do enough to keep his team in the game, but he didn't play great.

Running Back: Though most of Denver's success running the ball came on one play—a 72-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Hillman—it was nice to see the team get some room to run the ball. The offensive line was able to open some holes in this one. Gary Kubiak needs to strongly consider giving Hillman more work than C.J. Anderson going forward. 

Wide Receiver: Demaryius Thomas put together a solid game, catching nine passes for 93 yards. The rest of the receivers on the team combined for just four receptions. 

Tight End: Owen Daniels found the end zone for the second game in a row, catching a touchdown pass in the third quarter on fourth down from the Minnesota 1-yard line. 

Offensive Line: Despite Ryan Harris having to start at left tackle for the injured Ty Sambrailo and Michael Schofield making his first NFL start, the offensive line played a respectable game. They allowed just two sacks on Manning, despite the Vikings bringing pressure often. 

Defensive Line: Aside from giving up a 48-yard touchdown run on fourth down, Denver did a good job bottling up Adrian Peterson in this game. DeMarcus Ware, Sylvester Williams and Malik Jackson each had at least a share of a sack. 

Linebackers: The Denver linebacker corps continue to be a strength of the team. Brandon Marshall led the team with nine tackles and Miller was all over the place on defense. Shane Ray and Corey Nelson each chipped in with a sack, as well.

Secondary: Very few teams have been able to take advantage of the Denver secondary, but the Vikings were able to do that. Mike Wallace looked unstoppable and Chris Harris had a tough time against him. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen each had six catches.

Special Teams: It seems that nearly every team in the league has an issue at the kicker position. That hasn't been the case for Denver, as Brandon McManus continues to prove his worth. McManus kicked three field goals on the day. Punter Britton Colquitt had a good afternoon as well, averaging 47 yards on his three punts. 

Coaching: The only knock on the coaching staff would be for not getting Hillman into the game more. He just looks much better running in this scheme than Anderson. Wade Phillips called a perfect blitz on the play that decided the game, with Ward getting the strip of Bridgewater. 

Important Notes No. 1: Demaryius Thomas Leaves with Injury, Is Able to Return

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Despite a solid statistical outing on Sunday, Thomas left the game in the third quarter after a helmet-to-helmet collision with Minnesota safety Harrison Smith.

Though Pro Football Talk initially reported that Thomas would be questionable to return, he was able to get back into the game.

This was good news for the Broncos, particularly after sideline reporter Pam Oliver noted that Thomas was being checked for a neck injury. Aside from that, there probably should have been a penalty against Smith on the play.

Important Note No. 2: Broncos One of Just Five Remaining Unbeaten Teams

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The Broncos have officially finished the first quarter of their season, and they have done so with an unblemished win-loss record.

Though they haven't won all of their games in the fashion many fans likely expected, the Broncos are finding ways to win. All good teams find ways to win.

The 4-0 start strongly increases the team's chances of qualifying for the postseason, which is just one of the team's lofty goals this year.

Up next is the Oakland Raiders, who suffered a 22-20 defeat to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Still, the Broncos must travel to their place, and it will be the most important game between the two teams in many years.

Peyton Manning Gets Home Win No. 100

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With the victory over the Vikings on Sunday, Manning collected career home win No. 100. The mark combines his wins with the Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts, as noted by ESPN.

Many quarterbacks don't even play in 100 home games, let alone win that many. It's just another on an impressive list of career accolades for Manning.

The only quarterback with more home wins is Brett Favre, who racked up 113 home wins during his lengthy career.

Quote No. 1: Ronnie Hillman Talks About Running Game

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In a postgame interview posted on the team's official website, Hillman was asked about the efforts of the running game. Though Hillman had a 72-yard touchdown run in the game, he gave all of the credit to the offensive line.

Asked about his long touchdown run, Hillman said, "Oh man, the offensive line just did a great job of stretching them and I just found a lane and ran."

Hillman was then asked to talk about the running game in general, and if the team turned a corner on Sunday.

"I think we had a lot of lanes and you know, the offensive line did a great job creating those lanes for us and we was just running."

Hillman was being the ultimate teammate with those comments, but the running game does seem to receive a big boost when he carries the ball. It's certainly something for fans to keep an eye on.

Gary Kubiak on Team's Performance

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During his post-game press conference, via the Denver Post, Kubiak assessed his team's performance.

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"The thing I love about the football team is I think it has the belief that it's gonna find a way, you know, it's gonna find a way to make a play or win the football game. Obviously, they had a lot of momentum once they had made the big play, it looks like we're gonna go right back down the field, we turn the ball over. But yet we come right back, I think we had about a six minute drive there at the end of the game or a five minute drive to hopefully put the game away, had a chance to put the game away, so I think we're responding in the right situation. We need to respond consistently through the course of a football game, but that is the NFL. You're gonna play in a lot of close games and you better know how to win those."

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Kubiak touched on a few key points here. First, he understood that with the momentum swing favoring Minnesota, his team survived under tough circumstances. He also seems to understand how important it is that his team keeps winning games like this.

Good team find ways to win, and it could be the mark of a champion.

Peyton Manning Talks About the Team's Will to Win

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In addressing the press following the game, via the Denver Post, Manning also touched on the team's ability to find a way to pull out a victory.

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We played really good fourth quarter football and we talk about it on our goal sheet, about winning the fourth quarter and we've done that. That's been good and we've done things on both sides of the ball, you know defensively in the fourth quarter we've made big plays, big turnovers, big sacks and whatnot, but offensively we've put some drives together at the right time. We had a setback today with the turnover but we were able to overcome that.

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Like Kubiak, Manning recognizes that this team is good enough to pull out wins when its back is against the wall. With all the leadership around the team, this is a trait that everyone can feed off of, and once the team plays the games that really count, it will be battle-tested and ready for anything.