by Sports Xchange

"We were prepared for a gadget," McDaniels said. "We would love to check out of the front we were in and go to something different. We didn't get that necessarily done. We had too many people in coverage, not enough people rushing. It was well-designed on their part, but it's no excuse. We have to play it better, and we can play it better. We just didn't on that play."

--Broncos running back Peyton Hillis, who became a fan favorite after leading the team in rushing as a rookie fullback-turned-tailback last year, was a healthy scratch against Washington. Hillis admitted he needs to step up his intensity to get a bigger role, but McDaniels said Hillis was inactive because of special teams reasons.

"It's hard to take four backs to the game unless they're contributing significantly in the kicking game, based on the way our roster pans out with all the linebackers we take to the game," McDaniels said. "He's done that in the past and he can, but it's more of a kicking game decision than it is anything else."

BY THE NUMBERS: 2,123-2,108 -- The total points for each team in the series heading into the 100th meeting, with San Diego holding a 15-point edge over Denver.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've lost three games in a row and I understand it seems like we're going in opposite directions, but I think this game is going to be determined by how we play on Sunday, and how they play." -- Broncos coach Josh McDaniels.