Raiders vs. Broncos: Should Denver Have Traded QB Kyle Orton?

After a dismal Denver Broncos loss last night to the Oakland Raiders, 23-20, and a performance by quarterback Kyle Orton that had the fans in Denver chanting for Tim Tebow, it's hard not to think about this summer and how close Orton was to being traded away.

However, calls for Orton's head are coming way too soon.

Monday night's loss was not Orton's alone. While he completed just over 50 percent of his passes, going 24-of-46, he was able to pick up 304 yards and a touchdown, though this was augmented by an interception and a lost fumble.

But he was able to spread the ball around to nine different receivers, and while he played a very sloppy game, it wasn't just his mistakes that lost Denver the game.

That can be attributed to the non-existent running game. Running backs Willis McGahee and Knowshon Moreno combined for just 12 rushes for 25 yards, the bulk (if you can call it that) provided by Moreno; McGahee had just three yards on his four attempts.

It's not surprising, therefore, that the Broncos gained only two first downs via the ground game as compared to 17 in the air. That's not a great number, either, and Orton averaged just 5.3 yards per passing play, but his work contributed far more to the overall effort than McGahee and Moreno's did.

The Broncos defense isn't off the hook, either, managing only one sack on Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell despite Oakland having continued issues with offensive line protection.

Removing Orton from the offense will not improve it. Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow are backups for a reason, and that's because Orton clearly won the starting position with his performance in camp and in the preseason.

Not every quarterback can appear as a world-beater right out of the gate, no matter how much fans would like him to. A shaky opening outing is not a good enough reason to claim that the Broncos would have been better off last night if Orton were no longer there.