OAKLAND, Calif. -- A few thoughts from the Denver Broncos' 41-17 win over the Oakland Raiders in O.co Coliseum.
What it means: For almost two quarters, the Broncos looked as if the hangover from the loss to the New England Patriots was still in the offensive huddle. Peyton Manning threw two early interceptions and had at least four passes batted at the line of scrimmage to go with an intentional grounding penalty. The Broncos hung in with defense and finally kick-started things with a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown from running back C.J. Anderson. Denver closed the first half with two touchdowns in the last 2:44 before halftime and won going away, pulling several starters when the fourth quarter started, to keep a grip on first place in the AFC West.
Stock watch: The Broncos, in search of more consistency in the run game, have changed things up on the offensive line and tried a variety of players running the ball. On Sunday, Anderson tossed his hat in the proverbial ring with a touchdown that was his career-long play to go with 90 yards rushing. Anderson showed the kind of physicality and explosiveness the Broncos had been looking for.
Jury is still out: The Broncos made three changes to the offensive line for Sunday’s game when they moved Louis Vasquez from right guard to right tackle, shifted Manny Ramirez from center to right guard and put Will Montgomery in at center. A Raiders defense that was fairly gassed by midway through the third quarter may not be the best gauge, but the trial run with the new look came with mixed results. Oakland's pass-rushers got pressure on Manning early on. Manning had four passes batted down and two interceptions. The starting linemen were flagged four times, including three false starts, before the fourth quarter was two minutes old.
Game ball: Manning had the ninth five-touchdown game of his career -- and he did it in three quarters. Demaryius Thomas had his sixth consecutive 100-yard receiving game and Julius Thomas had a two-touchdown game, but it was Anderson who made the right-place, right-time play to shake the game loose for the Broncos as they turned what had the look of a road stumble in the first half into a rout.
What’s next: The Broncos (7-2) will make their third consecutive road trip as they head to St. Louis to face the Rams in an early game next Sunday. It’s a rare 1 p.m. ET kickoff for the Broncos (just their second this year), and they haven’t always looked their best in recent seasons in the early time slot. The Rams, having seen what the Raiders did against the Broncos' offensive front, figure to aggressively rush Manning.
