Owen Daniels earned every penny of his contract last night. A lot of guys contributed to that victory, but nobody sacrificed as much as he did.

After helping drive the the Broncos down the field in the final minutes of regulation and overtime, Daniels was walloped — WALLOPED! — crossing the middle of the field inside the 10-yard line. He didn’t make the catch, but he proved what other Broncos receivers haven’t (*cough Vernon Davis cough*): He’s willing to give up his body for the team.

I don’t care who you are, how big you are or how tough you think you are, that one hurts. But in a surprising turn of events, it was actually Owen Daniels who went to Twitter to thank Reggie Nelson.

In today’s NFL, where it can be nearly impossible for a defender to make a  legal hit on a “defenseless” receiver, you’ll see defenders target a wideout’s legs because they’re afraid of getting too close to their head; Nelson, though, got it just right.

But we should give Daniels some credit, too. I mean, he’s the one who had to take the hit.

At the beginning of the season, fans were clamoring for a tight end to complete this offense; after trading for Vernon Davis, they thought they had one.

But after the last few weeks, it’s pretty clear that Owen Daniels is the tight end the Broncos have been looking for this whole time.