Orton, KyleThe snowy weather forced many of us to stay home this week, but it couldn’t stop the Denver Broncos from preparing for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens; it merely forced them inside. Head coach Josh McDaniels says there was as much hitting during practice as there’s been in a while, reports The Denver Post.

The team will need effective practices between now and Sunday before facing Baltimore, which remains among the league’s best teams, despite a 3-3 record.

The Mile High Report believes quarterback Kyle Orton will be key in this game and writes that he’s just getting started in McDaniels’ offense. They predict Orton (pictured) will no longer be a free agent by the end of the year, with the Broncos ponying up some money, allowing him to work with McDaniels for the coming years and develop into an elite quarterback.

The Denver Post lists Orton as its number three surprise in a season full of surprises. Orton came into the season with 30 touchdowns and 27 interceptions, and a 71.1 passer rating. So far with the Broncos, he’s thrown just one meaningless interception and nine touchdowns on his way to putting up a 100.1 passer rating.

The Post also lists the turnaround of the once-disgruntled Brandon Marshall as another surprise, with a coordinated public overhaul as part of the plan. The next step is to have Marshall host “Sports Soup” on the Versus television network next week. Marshall plans to poke fun at his training-camp meltdown, reports The Associated Press.

Whatever he ends up talking about, let’s hope it follows a win over the Ravens. Westword rounds up the five scariest Baltimore players the Broncos face this Halloween weekend.