ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Faced with a fourth-and-6 from the Detroit 35-yard line in the second quarter of Saturday's preseason game, 
Time and again since last season,
This time, Orton took a quick drop and lofted a back-shoulder pass for the veteran wide receiver. Gaffney deftly turned his body and made the catch, while taking a hit from Detroit's Eric King near the sideline.
The 14-yard grab continued the drive, leading to Denver's first touchdown in the eventual 25-20 loss. Maybe as importantly, it rewarded Orton's confidence, teaching the Lions defense a first-hand lesson those around Dove Valley this summer have already learned.
"I think he's underrated in his playmaking skills," Orton said of the receiver who finished his half of work Saturday with six catches for 98 yards. "He made a lot of really nice catches for us in tight coverage. He's certainly one of our most dependable players on offense."
Gaffney's play in the final minutes of the first half Saturday helped jumpstart the Broncos attack. With five of his catches coming on a pair of 80-yard touchdown drives before intermission, Gaffney again emerged at just the right time.
While the second-year Bronco has been quick to deflect any suggestion that he has become Orton's No. 1 receiving target, his production Saturday reinforced the notion that his growing chemistry with the quarterback will be one of the keys to the Broncos passing game this season.
"If I see something, it's like we're on the same page," Gaffney said explaining the duo's recent success. "We just get to that play or run that route that I know he wants me to run, and we've been able to just hit it."
As the Broncos try to replace their top receiver from 2009, Brandon Marshall, Gaffney's dependability is a valuable trait. Head Coach Josh McDaniels has called the ninth-year player from Florida a leader of the diverse receiving corps that continues to demonstrate the complementary skills to give Orton more options than ever before.
After Saturday's game, Gaffney insisted the receivers have no interest in ranking themselves within the unit as long as they are productive as a whole.
When examining Gaffney's role in that group, his consistency is unmatched. He's played all 16 games and notched at least 400 receiving yards in seven of his eight NFL seasons.
Last season, he posted a career high in receiving yards and finished one shy of his career high for receptions. Counting his performance in the 2009 finale when he posted the second-most receiving yards in a game in Broncos history, Gaffney has registered 20 catches for 311 yards in his last three halves of play at INVESCO Field at Mile High.
"He's had his chances and opportunities," McDaniels said, "and he's made the most of them."
Gaffney said by being more comfortable with the offense, Orton and the receivers have been better able to put themselves in position to be successful this season. Often, Orton has had the time to go through his progressions and pick apart the opposing defense. Other times, the offense requires Orton to trust his receivers to make the play.
Gaffney appreciates the faith Orton has showed in him early this preseason -- especially on that fourth-down play against the Lions.
Both receiver and quarterback recognized man-to-man coverage. Then, it was up to Gaffney to go get the pass. The resulting catch kept the drive alive, helping the Broncos cut into an early 13-point deficit.
Those type of connections are one reason Orton has been able to put together a 116.5 passer rating through two preseason games.
Gaffney, who has five career 100-yard games, including two in the postseason, just hopes his relationship with Orton continues to progress.
In the receiver's mind, the equation for success is pretty simple.
"I try to get open -- that's my job," Gaffney said. "(Orton's) job is to hit the guy that's open. We've made a couple plays. Hopefully, we can keep that going."
