When the Broncos finally gave up on troubled star Brandon Marshall and traded him to the Dolphins in the offseason, they deemed first round pick Demaryius Thomas the answer to their massive need for an offensive playmaker.
When Thomas struggled with a foot injury for much of the preseason and missed Denver’s loss last week in Jacksonville, it was easy to question whether or not he would make an impact his rookie year.
But apparently he will.
The former Georgia Tech product caught eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ 31-14 rout of the Seahawks on Sunday. He was targeted nine times, so the fact that he caught eight of the passes thrown his way shows that the rookie can make plays in Josh McDaniels’ offense.
Of course, you can’t talk about a rookie that hauled in eight passes for 97 yards without talking about the man who was pitching him the rock. Kyle Orton finished 25-of-35 for 307 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions, proving once again that he’s more comfortable in his second year under McDaniels. Denver’s running game once again couldn’t get going, but with the way Orton threw the ball Knowshon Moreno and company weren’t needed.
As for the Seahawks, their 31-6 victory over the 49ers smells flukish in light of how they played today. Not that winning at home and losing on the road is anything new for Seattle.