(My Sportsbook) - Had it not been for Brandon Stokley's heads-up play in Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos new head coach Josh McDaniels would be answering questions about last season, when the team couldn't do squat offensively over the last three weeks and failed to seal the AFC West title.

Denver once again sputtered on offense in the season opener, and needed a last-second prayer to top the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, making his debut with his new team, chucked an 87-yard touchdown pass to Stokley, who grabbed a tipped pass intended for enigmatic star receiver Brandon Marshall and raced into the end zone to give his team a 12-7 victory.

"We scored in the last 10 seconds, and of course we didn't script it this way," McDaniels said on the team's site. "But I think they understand that things are possible when you play hard and you stay in it."

McDaniels, an offensive-minded coach, saw his team rack up a quiet 302 yards on Sunday. He has to be pleased with Orton's performance, after pundits picked the former Purdue star to crumble after coming over from Chicago in a trade that sent Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler to the Windy City. Cutler wasn't so hot in his Bears debut as well, but at least Orton came away with a victory.

Orton did not turn the ball over on Sunday, a big reason why the Broncos were in it until the end. Protecting the football is an obvious key to a winning formula, and Orton's diligence with the football allowed him to earn a passer rating of 100.7, tops among winning AFC quarterbacks. Orton went 17-of-28 on the day, totaling 243 yards and a touchdown.

Orton, who was sacked three times, wore a glove on his right throwing hand because of a finger injury suffered during the preseason. He needed stitches to close the wound and had them removed following the contest, and hopes he won't have to wear the glove again in this Sunday's game with the Cleveland Browns.

"I'm hoping, and I didn't really have any setbacks today, which was important," Orton said. "It's been a long two weeks, and hopefully I can get back to playing the way I want to."

A pair of Broncos newcomers also had solid debuts with their new team, as starting safety Brian Dawkins ended with a game-high 11 tackles and running back Correll Buckhalter had eight carries for 46 yards, an average of 5.8 yards per carry. Both players had been together with Philadelphia since the 2001 season. The secondary played very well in Sunday's defensive battle, finishing with a pair of interceptions and seven passes defensed.

Denver might be catching another break this week, with the lowly Browns coming to town.

CHIEFS: The Kansas City Chiefs made a valiant effort by scratching and clawing their way to tie the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday's opener, but fell apart late in the fourth quarter to suffer a 38-24 setback.

Kansas City allowed 21 points in the fourth quarter and 501 total yards to the Ravens in the debut of head coach Todd Haley. The former Arizona offensive coordinator brought over his knowledge from the Cardinals to one of the AFC's oldest teams, but it didn't turn out the way he had hoped Sunday.

"I made it very clear to the team, that for us to win the game it would not be a pretty game," Haley said on the team's site. "For us to have a chance to win the game, it was going to be downright ugly. That's really the type of game we played until the last play of offense they had, when they hit the big play for the touchdown on the post. We made it very clear that was the way we had to play and I feel like that's the way we played. That's what I'm encouraged by."

Haley has to be encouraged for how backup quarterback Brodie Croyle performed in the injured Matt Cassel's absence. Croyle finished 16-of-24 for 177 yards and two touchdown passes and did not turn the ball over. Now it's up to Haley to make a decision on who will start this week versus the despised Oakland Raiders.

Croyle proved he can handle the pressure, something that can not be said for Kansas City's run defense. The Ravens racked up 198 yards on the ground, with Ray Rice tearing up the turf for 108 yards on a game-high 19 carries.

There will be a sense of urgency for the Chiefs this week as they shoot for their first win since November 30 of last season. A significant improvement along the offensive line will be needed in order to do that, after Kansas City registered a paltry 29 rushing yards and starting running back Larry Johnson recorded just 20 of those on 11 carries.

Kansas City, losers in 24 of its last 26 games overall, will begin a tough stretch against the NFC East after hosting the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

"It doesn't really matter who's coming in," Chiefs safety Jarrad Page said on the team's site. "We need a win. That's the thing I can definitely tell you. We need a win."

Page had six tackles and two passes defensed in Sunday's loss.

In other team news for Kansas City, the team signed veteran wide receiver Bobby Wade, recently released by Minnesota, on Tuesday. Haley was Chicago's receivers coach for Wade's rookie season in 2003, and already got rid of seasoned wideouts Amani Toomer and Ashley Lelie before the regular season commenced.

Haley can use all the help he can get as he tries to get the Chiefs to erase the memories of consecutive losing campaigns.

RAIDERS: Oakland Raiders new defensive tackle Richard Seymour decided to join his new teammates just in time to watch them drop a tough decision to the rival San Diego Chargers on Monday night.

Seymour certainly impressed, registering a game-high two sacks in a 24-20 loss to the Chargers at the Oakland Coliseum.

"I am very excited at what this team has come to," said Raiders coach Tom Cable. "I'm very excited as to where we're headed. We have to let this one go. It's tough. This is the NFL. It's a tough lesson, but a valuable one."

Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell still has some work to do, and Cable can't be excited about that. Russell threw for 208 yards and a touchdown with a pair of interceptions, including one on a desperate heave in the waning moments of the game. Russell has been under the microscope ever since the Raiders selected him with No. 1 overall back in 2007, and will continue to be until he proves that he is worth every penny in his contract.

Oakland could have easily won this game if it wasn't for the defense breaking down late and allowing Chargers running back Darren Sproles to cash in from five yards away with 18 seconds remaining. Cable's defense has to learn how to keep opposing teams down when it has the lead before giving it away with ease.

The offensive line played a cohesive 60 minutes and allowed just one sack all night. The unit also paved the way for second-year running back Darren McFadden, who posted game highs in carries (17) and yards (68).

McFadden did all he could to help the Raiders stop their Week 1 woes, but the franchise still suffered its seventh straight loss in season openers. Oakland also lost its 12th consecutive contest to the Chargers and rookie wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey finished with no catches in his NFL debut. Heyward-Bey was selected early in the first round of April's draft, a move not too popular with fans and prognosticators.

The Raiders, though, didn't look as bad as many pundits predicted and Cable seems to have owner Al Davis' team headed in the right direction.

Cable will shoot for his first win as full-time head coach this week against the rival Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City is coming off a tough loss to Baltimore and will have a tough time trying to stop Oakland's ground game after giving up a ton of rushing yards to the Ravens.

CHARGERS: With every victory there comes a price. And the San Diego Chargers paid a costly one in Monday night's 24-20 win over the AFC West-foe Oakland Raiders.

Starting offensive linemen Louis Vasquez and Nick Hardwick both left the game in the third quarter with apparent leg injuries, with center Hardwick needing to be carted off the field. The rookie Vazquez earned the starting nod at right guard with a strong training camp and preseason, and impressed the coaching staff up until he exited the game with an injured knee. That's a huge blow for San Diego's oft-criticized head coach Norv Turner and his quest to maintain a potent ground attack.

"We dealt with a little adversity," said Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, who led the team with 83 receiving yards. "When things weren't going well, we kept our focus and pulled it out. It wasn't pretty, but in this league, a win is a win."

LaDainian Tomlinson had 55 yards and a score on 13 carries in the win, while Darren Sproles contributed 23 yards on nine touches, including the game- winning touchdown run with 18 seconds on the clock. Sproles finished the game with 246 total yards, including 180 on kickoff and punt returns. Tomlinson's days of mega-productivity seem to be over, but at least Sproles is in the fold.

Quarterback Philip Rivers didn't have to do much to help San Diego and finished with 252 yards and a touchdown on 24-of-36 passing. Rivers signed a big contract extension this summer and like Vazquez, wants to prove that the organization made the right move by investing in the side-armed signal caller.

Chargers linebacker Stephen Cooper, who led San Diego with 13 tackles on the night, forced a crucial fumble to stop a potential scoring threat by the Raiders in the second half. The defense only got to Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell once, as Ogemdi Nwagbuo posted his first sack of the season. Oakland rushed for 105 yards in the first half, but was held to just 43 over the last 30 minutes of the contest.

San Diego stud linebacker Shawne Merriman was back in action at full strength on Monday and posted five tackles. Merriman's presence on the field alone was an advantage, since the hard-charging linebacker is a physical specimen with rare speed and power. Merriman missed all but one game of last season because of knee surgery. Off the field issues aside, he seems poised for another strong campaign in his sixth year out of Maryland.

Up next for the three-time defending AFC West champions will be the run- rampant Baltimore Ravens this Sunday in the friendly confines of Qualcomm Stadium.