Denver Broncos Week 13 Stock Report

The Denver Broncos were home underdogs against the New England Patriots in Week 12, but they came out on top 30-24 in overtime. It was an impressive win for the Broncos, as the Patriots were undefeated coming into the game and could easily be considered the best in the conference.

The offense ran the ball effectively with running back C.J. Anderson rushing for more than 100 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Quarterback Brock Osweiler did a good job of making tough throws downfield, and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders looked more like his old self with a six-catch, 113-yard performance.

The defense was able to get after Patriots quarterback Tom Brady early and often. The Broncos only sacked him three times Sunday night, but they registered a whopping 13 quarterback hits.

At this time, the Patriots are still the top seed in the conference. However, this win gives the Broncos an advantage in any sort of tiebreaker situation.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak is not concentrating on winning the first seed in the playoffs at this time, however: "My belief hasn't changed. I say this all the time. I think every team is different and it's always changing. Our team is going to change the next week because we've got some other issues going on."

Kubiak explained, "You'd like to feel like at the end of the year that we're as good as we can be. Are we playing as good as we can play? We're not there yet. We're doing some good stuff. Being down 14 [points] twice to the world champs last night and still battling and finding a way to get it done is a big step in the right direction."

The veteran coach concluded, “We're really trying to stay focused just on our football. There is so much we can learn from [Sunday] night. We won't go any further than that, I promise you."

As with every week, there are players who are on the rise. There are also players who are now struggling for various reasons.

Here is the stock report for the Broncos as they head into Week 13.

Stock Up: QB Brock Osweiler

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The Broncos have seemed to rally around Osweiler as their quarterback. With two starts and two victories so far, he has been playing within the Kubiak system—and having success in doing so.

Against a tough Patriots defense, Osweiler went 23-of-42 for 270 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. The pick was off a deflected pass, and other than that minor blemish the fourth-year quarterback had a good day.

Kubiak appreciates the way Osweiler has handled this transition from backup to starter: “I think the No. 1 thing that's impressed me is I think he understands exactly what he needs to do for the team to be successful. What I mean by that—sometimes guys will get put in situations and they'll try to do too much. I think he understands he's on a good football team. If he'll just do his job, handle the ball well, handle the team well, then our football team will have a chance to be successful.”

Kubiak emphasized, “I'm really impressed with how he's approached that. He's very comfortable in his preparation, his work and obviously he's confident in his abilities. I really think just understanding the situation he's in and handling it might by the No. 1 thing.”

Osweiler knows that if he runs the system and doesn’t make too many mistakes, he’ll put his team in the best position to win.

Stock Down: WR Demaryius Thomas

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There’s no other way to frame it; wide receiver Demaryius Thomas had a bad night against the Patriots. He led the team in targets as Osweiler sent 13 passes his way. Thomas was credited with three drops on the night and could only collect one pass. He finished the game with one catch for 36 yards.

Kubiak obviously supports Thomas even though he struggled for most of the Patriots game: “He made a big play, and he gets a big penalty for us on the sack, which would have probably been really tough to overcome. That's what becoming a team is all about. I can sit here right now as you're asking me that question about D.T. having a rough night tonight and us having a big win—when we beat Green Bay, Emmanuel didn't catch many balls.”

Kubiak continued, “That's what being a team is all about. You never know who is going to be called upon to make the plays, but everybody does their part. Everybody stays the course, and that's what I'm excited about right now.”

Broncos fans should give Thomas a pass. Yes, he had a bad night—the worst game of his pro career—but this isn’t a sign of disaster on the horizon. Thomas is his toughest critic, and he should work even harder to establish chemistry with Osweiler and do a better job of making plays for his team.

Stock Up: RB C.J. Anderson

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With snow consistently falling from the heavens Sunday night, the Broncos rushing attack needed to find a way to keep their traction while pushing for yards against the Patriots. The answer was utilizing backup running back C.J. Anderson as their "snowplow."

Ronnie Hillman started again for the Broncos and had a good game. However, he was not effective in pass-protection and fumbled for the first time since Week 6 of the 2014 season. To help protect Osweiler better against a fierce Patriots pass rush, Denver inserted Anderson, who played 44 snaps compared to 27 snaps for Hillman.

Kubiak appreciates what Anderson has shown in recent weeks: “He just looks like he's getting more confident. I think he's always played hard. He's just getting a little bit more confident in what we're doing. He's running plays over and over again and seeing the scheme over and over again.”

Kubiak continued, “I just think he feels good about what's going on right now. Hopefully that confidence continues to carry on. He's getting some good-quality carries, too. We're doing a better job for him.”

I interviewed Anderson Tuesday on my ESPN Radio show on ESPN Denver. He did not express the need to be the starter. Instead, he knows that he will have a role whether he's starting or coming off the sideline.

As the weather turns cold, we could see Anderson emerge as the most productive back for the team. While Hillman is faster, Anderson has incredible balance and can change direction quickly on a slick field. He’s built low to the ground, and this helps him stay elusive when conditions aren’t ideal.

Stock Down: Sylvester Williams

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The Broncos didn’t make it through the Patriots game unscathed. On the same play, both nose tackle Sylvester Williams and strong safety T.J. Ward suffered ankle injuries. Dealing with injuries is part of the sport, but the Broncos have easily had their fair share of injuries this season. Just like before, the team moved on with reserve players taking over for the injured starters.

Kubiak likes what Vance Walker did after Williams went down in the Patriots game: “He's been consistent. He played with a little shoulder last night too, so he was playing banged up. [Darius] Kilgo came in and played I think 10, 15 plays, something like that.”

The Broncos coach praised Williams for his 2015 season so far: “Sly [Williams] has been very consistent for us. He was a captain in the game last night. I know it was very disappointing for him to have to go out, but he and T.J. [Ward], they'll battle back. They're in there lying side-by-side right now, so they're doing what they have to do to try to get healthy.”

It seems like both Ward and Williams may miss this game coming up against the San Diego Chargers. Their status for the game is up in the air, but it seems unlikely that they’ll play. After that, their status is unknown.

High-ankle sprains linger if they don't get enough time to heal. Expect the Broncos to be careful with both starters as they recover.

Stock Up: DE Derek Wolfe

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Despite battling a cold and cough, defensive end Derek Wolfe came through with a monster performance against the Patriots. With Brady looking to pass early and often, the Broncos pass-rushers had to respond. Wolfe did that and more. He was constantly in the backfield and put Brady under duress most of the night.

After the game, I chatted with Wolfe briefly—mainly because he was coughing quite a bit and confirmed with me that he was under the weather. On a cold night, he was fighting an illness, yet he was still able to perform at a high level.

Linebacker Von Miller described the team’s mindset for this game: “We just wanted to play solid defense, we knew we were going against a great quarterback, we knew he was going to make plays but we knew if we just played our type of defense we’d be able to get the job done.”

Wolfe recorded a sack for the second consecutive game after not recording a sack in his first five contests this year. He also led the Broncos with four tackles (three solo) through two quarters. Wolfe ended up leading the team in tackles with eight total takedowns. In addition to his lone sack, Wolfe he two tackles for a loss.

He’ll be getting healthier as his cold is unlikely to stick around much longer. A healthier Wolfe can play better and continue to be a key defender for the Broncos.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.