The Denver Bronocs have proved that they are still a tough team to beat. They reassured the National Football League of that with a 24-12 victory over the Detroit Lions to extend their record to 3-0.
The Lions (0-3) struggled on the ground for the second straight week. Ameer Abdullah, a rookie, rushed eight times for just 23 yards. Next was Joique Bell with six yards on 10 carries, but he added the only rushing touchdown for the Lions. Bell's touchdown came with 1:03 left in the second quarter.
The Broncos (3-0) got a huge game from Peyton Manning, who picked up his 535th touchdown pass. He finished 31-for-42 with 324 yards through the air and two touchdowns. His only blemish was an interception that was tipped by Haloti Nagata and picked off by Glover Quinn.
"We protected him better than we have," Denver coach Gary Kubiak said.
As the Detroit run game struggled, so did Denver's. C.J. Anderson rushed for 18 yards before being sent off with a possible concussion. Anderson passed the concussion test and will be back next week. Meanwhile, Ronnie Hillman took over and rushed seven times for 13 yards and a score. His touchdown gave the Broncos a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.
With five seconds left until halftime, Manning tossed a long ball up to receiver Demaryius Thomas in hopes of a late touchdown. Thomas went up and caught the ball to make it 14-6 at halftime. It was a momentum swing that changed the game for Denver.
Matthew Stafford, however, only threw one touchdown pass. It was a 16-yard reception from Abdullah to pull the Lions within two points. Bell attempted a two-point conversion, but it was denied.
The Lions quarterback finished 31-for-45 with 282 yards though the air. He tossed two interceptions and just one touchdown on the night. Bradley Roby intercepted the first and David Bruton Jr. intercepted the second. Malik Jackson also recovered a fumble for the Broncos. All in all, it was not the type of day Stafford was hoping for against a solid Denver defense.
Brandon Marshall led Denver with 12 tackles - 10 solo and one for a loss - in the victory. On the other side of the ball, Stephen Tulloch made 11 tackles - seven solo - for Detroit and James Ihedigbo chipped in seven tackles.
Manning heated up at the end of the game to put the nail in the coffin for Denver. He found tight end Owen Daniels for an 11-yard touchdown reception with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter to give his side a 12-point lead.
Thomas led the receiving corps for Denver, but Emmanuel Sanders continued to impress. He had six receptions for 87 yards. He is coming off a Pro Bowl selection last season, which was his first of his career.
Per usual, Calvin Johnson led the Lions with eight receptions for 77 yards. But he could not find the end zone and neither could Eric Ebron or Golden Tate. Ebron and Tate combined for 118 yards on nine catches.
The Lions will face the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, October 5, at 8:30 PM from CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks (1-2) are a very good defensive team, but just have struggled to put victories on the board.
Denver will play host to the Minnesota Vikings at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. The Vikings (2-1) will rely on running back Adrian Peterson, who has 291 rushing yards and two touchdowns over the first three games of the season.
The Lions will look to become just the fourth team since 1990 to make the playoffs after an 0-3 start to the season.
"We do have 13 games left," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "They're not handing out trophies after three games and you can't be eliminated after three games."