NFL Game Summary - Oakland at Denver
(Sunday, September 30th)
Final Score: Denver 37, Oakland 6
Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Peyton Manning threw for 338 yards and three
touchdown passes in a near-flawless performance, and the Denver Broncos
erupted for 27 unanswered points in the second half to record a 37-6 rout over
the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Manning completed a crisp 30-of-38 passes in his most impressive outing of the
offseason acquisition's four-game tenure with the Broncos, while Willis
McGahee
rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown to help Denver (2-2) halt a two-game
losing streak.
"He's getting more comfortable," Broncos head coach John Fox said of Manning.
"Let's not forget he didn't play all season and probably more than a year, and
this is a new team, a new coaching staff, a new city, a new field...a new
everything for him. The type of guy he is, he's just going to get better and
better."
Demaryius Thomas added 103 receiving yards on five catches and Eric Decker had
seven catches for 79 yards and a touchdown for the Broncos, who piled up 503
total yards and also ended a string of four straight Raider victories in
Denver in the series.
Oakland (1-3), which was coming off a 34-31 come-from-behind triumph over
Pittsburgh last week for former Denver defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's
first win as head coach, managed just 237 total yards and 12 first downs, with
star running back Darren McFadden held to 34 yards on 13 carries by a swarming
Broncos' stop unit.
Carson Palmer finished with 202 yards on 19-of-34 passing for the Raiders in
their final contest before a Week 5 bye.
"They outcoached us, they outplayed us, they beat us in every phase of the
game," said Allen. "There's not a lot positive we can take from it. We've got
to go back and go to work, we've got the bye week coming up, so we've got to
evaluate what we're doing schematically, what we're doing personnel-wise, and
we've got to come up with a way to play better."
Manning was on point right from the outset, completing 6-of-8 passes on an 11-
play, 80-yard touchdown drive on the game's initial possession that the four-
time league MVP capped with a 22-yard bullet to Joel Dreessen. Just prior to
the strike, Manning connected with Jacob Tamme for an 8-yard gain on a 4th-
and-1 from the Oakland 30.
The Raiders answered with a 9-play, 60-yard march that culminated in Sebastian
Janikowski's 38-yard field goal with 6:47 left in the first quarter. A 31-yard
completion from Palmer to fullback Marcel Reece led to the kick.
Manning would march the Broncos downfield on the ensuing drive, however,
hitting Thomas for a 23-yard gain into Oakland territory two plays before
Andre Caldwell scampered 14 yards on an end around to put Denver at the
Raiders' 21-yard line.
The Broncos eventually had a 1st-and-goal inside the 5-yard line, but
Oakland's defense forced a pair of Manning incompletions and the Broncos
settled for a Matt Prater 21-yard field goal and a 10-3 advantage after one
quarter.
Denver had two other chances to increase the margin in the first half, but
Thomas fumbled deep in Oakland territory on a 40-yard catch-and-run and Prater
overthrew offensive lineman Zane Beadles on a fake field goal attempt with
just over three minutes left before intermission.
Following that stop, Palmer hit Denarius Moore for 37 yards on a deep pass to
set up Janikowski's 24-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 10-6 at the
break.
That would be as close as the Raiders would get, however. The Broncos would
score touchdowns on their first three drives of the second half to pull away
and spoil Allen's return to Denver, where he served as defensive coordinator
for the Broncos' 2011 run to an AFC West title.
Manning went 5-for-5 for 60 yards on a 9-play, 79-yard sequence that ended
with a 17-yard delivery to Decker that increased Denver's margin to 11 points
early in the third quarter. Following David Bruton's partial block of a Shane
Lechler punt that resulted in a 2-yard gain at the Oakland 18, McGahee carried
four times and punched it in from two yards out on the last attempt for a 24-6
Broncos' lead.
The Denver defense forced another three-and-out on the subsequent series, and
a 25-yard Thomas catch and 24-yard McGahee run set the stage for Manning's 14-
yard touchdown pass to Lance Ball with 3:46 left in the third quarter.
"I thought we got off to a good start today for the first time," said Manning.
"A good start to the first quarter and the third quarter. That's something we
really emphasized all week in practice was coming out of the blocks early and
having good execution."
Oakland's offense continued to stall over the remainder of the contest, and
Prater hit on field goals of 43 and 53 yards in the final 13 minutes to close
out the scoring.
Game Notes
Oakland had won five of the six most recent meetings between the longtime
rivals and hadn't lost in Denver since the 2007 season ... McFadden had rushed
for over 100 yards in each of his last three matchups with Denver ... The
Broncos improved to 17-4 in home games in September since 2002 ... The Raiders
played without wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who sustained a concussion
in last week's win over Pittsburgh, as well as cornerback Shawntae Spencer
(foot) and offensive tackle Khalif Barnes (groin) ... Oakland has now been
outscored 55-7 in the third quarter this season.
09/30 21:16:28 ET

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