Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag on Wednesdays during the regular season.

Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag.

Hey, Mike. Read the mailbag weekly and love it. Am I the only Bronco fan who sees optimism in the past three wins? We are winning, and Peyton Manning isn’t the only reason why! This defense is the reason we will raise that trophy in Arizona. “Pot Roast” for MVP!

— Nick, Minneapolis

Nick – There’s never harm in optimism, so long as it’s kept within realistic bounds. I do think it’s realistic for Broncos fans to believe their team can win it all this year.

Let’s look at some stunning numbers from the past three games as it compares to the first 10. In the first 10, Manning averaged 330 yards passing per game. In the last three, he averaged 203 yards passing. That’s going from Dan Marino to Alex Smith.

In the first 10 games, the Broncos’ offensive plays broke down to 63.6 percent pass-36.4 percent run. In the last three games, it’s been 45.5 percent pass-54.5 percent run.

Stunning. Correction made. Perhaps, now the Broncos should move the needle back to a 58 percent pass-42 percent run split, especially with C.J. Anderson running on a gimpy left ankle last week and tight end Julius Thomas recovering from his gimpy left ankle this week.

Running the ball is about stringing together singles and doubles. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders hit home runs.

As for “Pot Roast” and the MVP, let’s first see if he can make his first Pro Bowl team. Fans get one-third of the vote. Vote here.

MVP awards are for offensive players, or defensive players who have three touchdown catches like J.J. Watt.

Why put C.J. Anderson back on the field if he’s obviously hobbling off the field? Denver needs healthy backs going into the postseason.

— Ray G., Vancouver

Ray – This is football. You tape it up and put him back out there. Grrr!

Seriously, the Broncos’ medical team led by trainer Steve “Greek” Antonopulos wouldn’t have put Anderson back out there if there was concern the running back would do further damage to his sprained left ankle.

Anderson is tough. Yes, he’s battered and bruised like he hasn’t been in a while. So is every Broncos player as we head into mid-December. This is the time of year where the goal is to be ready by Sunday.

What was that false-start call on Manning?!

— Mary J., Evansville

Mary – The official ruled Manning jerked his hands while calling signals from the shotgun position, which in turn drew Buffalo defensive end Mario Williams offsides.

I saw the replay and it didn’t look like Manning flinched more than a flicker. The Bills got more bad calls than the Broncos last Sunday, but I didn’t think that penalty on Manning was correct.

Mike – I love seeing our running game doing so well and don’t think we really need to address much. But out of pure curiosity, do you think they would ever think about putting Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton in at the goal line as a fullback or as even a “Fridge”-like running back? Seems like he is a very good athlete and could get it done in a tough situation.

— Kelly Tindle, Clovis, N.M.

Kelly – I don’t like this idea. I l-o-o-o-o-v-e this idea. We’ve seen those Bridgestone commercials a couple dozen times by now. The “Pot Roast” hype machine could use something fresh.

Knighton is a good athlete. He can dunk a basketball. And he used to bring the ball upcourt on his high school team. He can handle a 1-yard, goal-line plunge. Plus, it would put some fun into the Broncos’ offense.

Your opinion of Jacob Tamme. He seems to have below-average hands, below-average speed for this position, and below-average ball retention.

— Gene Davis, Dillon

Gene – Ball retention? Tamme fumbled for the first time all year Sunday. I think Tamme is an unsung reason why the Broncos have had so much success the past three seasons.

He has way above-average hands, by the way, and until this year, he had above-average speed for a tight end. He had 52 catches for 555 yards in 2012, then reluctantly accepted, in the most professional manner, a reserve/special teams role in 2013 as the freak talent that is Julius Thomas emerged at tight end.

Tamme accepted a pay cut to come back and play with the Broncos this year. He could have said no, became a free agent and probably hooked up with a team that needed a “receiving” tight end. But Tamme took less pay to stay.

I asked him, why? He said because he’d rather play less for a winning team with a chance to win a Super Bowl than play more for a losing team.

Not every team has a guy like this. I do think two years on the bench has put some rust on Tamme. The game is played so fast that when you’re not out there consistently, it takes a game or two to catch up.

The shame of his fumble inside the Bills’ 10-yard line with 39 seconds left in the half Sunday was that Tamme seemed to be protecting his battered ribs that caused him to miss the week of practice. Had Julius Thomas been able to play, Tamme might have sat out. But Julius Thomas’ ankle wasn’t quite ready so Tamme had to play through pain.

No excuse, as Tamme was the first to say. He felt terrible. But there’s a game Sunday at San Diego. Win and the Broncos capture their fourth consecutive AFC West title, and Tamme will again be playing in the playoffs.

Mike – I would like your sage opinion. After playing the Bills, it still looks to me like the way to stop the Broncos’ passing game is to get physical and beat people up. When that happens, they seem to get timid, and Peyton is “just another QB.” Why are they so “fragile”? AND on the other side, is this defense good enough to overcome that in the playoffs? I think it is, and we have a good chance to win it all because of the defense.

— Deborah, Ventura, Calif.

Deborah – An underrated aspect of the Broncos’ relatively heavy run-light passing balance was that the Bills have a very good defense. That is an aggressive, stout group. If they had a quarterback who is willing to take a hit to pick up a first down on third-and-1 instead of sliding for a 1-yard loss, they’d be a real good team.

The Bills are close. As for the Broncos’ defense, yes it’s good enough to win the Super Bowl. Unless.

The playoffs are such a crapshoot, anymore. Seattle had the No. 1 defense when it won it all last year. But Baltimore was the No. 17 defense when it won in 2012, and the New York Giants had the No. 27 defense when it won the Super Bowl in the 2011 season. New Orleans was No. 25 in 2009.

Denver’s D ranked No. 2 in 2012, then got torched in its first playoff game against the Ravens. The Broncos were No. 19 in defense last year, yet played very well in beating San Diego and New England in the AFC playoffs.

There is no exact formula to winning the Super Bowl. The Broncos have the No. 4 defense now. But can they defend Andrew Luck for a second time on Jan. 11? Can they stop Tom Brady and the Patriots in Foxborough on Jan. 18 in the AFC championship game? If so, will Denver’s defense be able to slow down Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson in the Super Bowl?

Look at that potential postseason schedule and it can be safely stated Denver’s defense hasn’t done anything, yet.

Seems to me our three best linebackers right now are Von Miller, Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall. Will coach find a way to start those three together when Danny is fully healthy?

— Pete, Florida

Pete – You’re right. Miller, Trevathan and Marshall are the Broncos’ three best linebackers. The problem is none of them is a middle linebacker.

You still need Steven Johnson to play in the base as the “Mike.” And it will be a few weeks before Trevathan is ready to resume his every-down workload.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if come playoff time defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio goes heavier with his nickel packages — so that both Trevathan and Marshall are on the field — than he usually does, which is already about 70 percent of the time.

Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag. Listen to Mike Klis on “Klis’ Korner” on Monday-Friday at 102.3 FM ESPN.