The Denver Broncos struck on the first play of the fourth quarter after being quiet throughout the third Sunday afternoon; Kyle Orton’s 41 yard pass to Brandon Lloyd was good for their first passing touchdown of the day. For Lloyd, the NFL leader in receiving yards, it was his third reception of the afternoon, for 71 total yards.
Orton had been struggling since the opening drive. Now he’s 15-for-24 with 213 passing yards and the one touchdown. It ended a streak of five unanswered scores for the St. Louis Rams since early in the second quarter.
Orton’s famous understudy, Tim Tebow, has not made an appearance in this afternoon’s game. The Broncos trail the Rams 33-20, thanks to a career performance from rookie Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, who has 308 passing yards and three touchdowns in 34 pass attempts. As well as the Broncos have managed to stifle Steven Jackson, despite their trouble defending the run to date, the passing game has been left wide open.