Five things to watch for in tonight's game

Last week the Broncos first stringers played well, but the Broncos couldn't find a way to come away with a win. This week, the team is staying home as the Detroit Lions come to town. The game starts at 7pm (ET), here are five things I'll be watching, and suggest you do as well:

1. The game. You can watch the Broncos game on NFL Network re-airing on Monday!
   
   
2. The quarterbacks. Last week Kyle Orton was more than fantastic, Brady Quinn was worse than Chris Simms, and Tebow showed brilliant flashes and some rookie stupidity. This week Orton looks to again have a good game, as do the starting receivers. Quinn looks to recover from last week and get things rolling against the Lions second team defense. It is not yet known if Tebow will play, but I suspect he won't. He banged up his rips last week, and is still recovering.


3. The pass rush, and defense as a whole. Against the Bengals, the Broncos didn't have a very good pass rush, giving Palmer time to find receivers. Meanwhile, the linebackers didn't play all to well either. It was apparent the defense had holes with Brian Dawkins and D.J. Williams not playing. This week, the defense needs to step up, generate a pass rush, and stop running backs from breaking into the secondary.


4. Hunter, Sheffler facing old teams. A preseason game it may be, this will be the first time Tony Scheffler will be playing in a football game against the Broncos. "It is going to be a lot of fun," Scheffler said. "I spent four years there, and it is a great organization with great fans. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the guys again, because I've kept in touch with everyone." While Tony will be playing with the Lions, former Lion defensive end Jason Hunter, who the team signed on Thursday, will be playing against the Lions. Last season Hunter started fourteen games for the Lions, registering nine sacks. It will be interesting to see how both players fare against their former teams.


5. Game day traffic. The Broncos have posted a Gameday Traffic Advisory on the their blog, if you are going to be driving to the game be advised there are roadway repairs on Northbound I-25 and northbound / southbound Santa Fe Drive. For more info, click here.

Update: Although Tim Tebow and D.J. Williams were spotted jogging around the field with the Broncos Trainer, Tebow wasn't wearing cleats, and CBS4's Gary Miller just reported Tebow won't be suiting up. There is no official word yet, so we'll keep you posted.

Photo courtesy of DenverBroncos.com