Broncos vs. Lions 2015, ‘Sunday Night Football’ preview: Denver looks for a 3-0 start

Despite all of the chirping about Peyton Manning's supposed decline, the Denver Broncos find themselves at 2-0 heading into a Sunday night matchup against a winless Detroit Lions team. And while it took a miraculous Jamaal Charles fumble to overcome its shaky offense to get to this point, Denver looks to be settling into its usual spot as AFC West favorites.

That's mostly thanks to a defense that has allowed an average of 244 yards and 18.5 points per game, snagged a league-high four picks and held the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs to converting just 10 percent of their third downs. But the offense hasn't been quite as bad as reported. Yes, the offensive line is a mess and Denver ranks dead last in the NFL at 3.7 yards per play, but it also ranks 11th in points per game, fifth in time of possession and second in turnover margin. And when the game was on the line on Denver's final possession in Kansas City, Manning led an 80-yard drive (including 75 passing yards) for the game-tying touchdown.

It's hard to be as rosy when talking about Detroit, which is 0-2 after blowing an 18-point lead against the San Diego Chargers and getting run over by Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings. Shaky offensive line play has prevented Matthew Stafford from going downfield to Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, while the defense has struggled to get off the field on third downs (they've allowed a 52-percent conversion rate). With the Green Bay Packers speeding out of the gates and looking like title contenders, the Motor City needs to get revved up before it gets left in the dust.

To make matters worse for the Lions, Stafford is dealing with multiple injuries that have hurt his effectiveness. He's expected to start Sunday's game, but Stafford has taken a beating in the first two weeks and is clearly less than 100 percent. If the Lions want to protect their franchise quarterback, they need to get the run game going -- Ameer Abdullah, Joique Bell and Theo Riddick combined for just 16 rushing yards against the Vikings.

For as much talk as there has been about Manning's decline, there has been little acknowledgement of how awful his offensive line is. Manning has been sacked on 7.6 percent of his dropbacks, per ESPN. With starting left tackle Ryan Clady sidelined with a torn ACL, backup Ty Sambrailo has already allowed a sack, two QB hits, two QB hurries and drawn a flag. The running game has also suffered -- C.J. Anderson has just 56 rushing yards through two games and Broncos backs as a whole are averaging just 1.5 yards per run before contact.

Matthew Stafford has had blocking issues himself. He took eight hits last week against Minnesota and adds a sore chest and ribs to an injury list that already included a dinged arm. He has insisted that he is ready to roll against Denver, but there's at least some degree of uncertainty. Even if Stafford ends up starting Sunday night, the Lions are one big hit away from Dan Orlovsky throwing passes, which is never a good spot to be in.

Aqib Talib won't make Stafford's life any easier. The star cornerback has already nabbed two picks while giving up just three catches for 32 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Opposing quarterbacks throwing into his coverage have a passer rating of 5.1. The Lions offense is loaded with talented pass catchers, but the Broncos secondary -- which has also gotten stellar play from Chris Harris Jr. and Darian Stewart -- should be up to the challenge.