Denver’s Manning on mark
Broncos increase protection of their veteran quarterback and improve to 3-0.
DETROIT — Peyton Manning was cool and confident, lofting passes to teammates as if they were buddies in his backyard.
Whether it was third or fourth down, in the second or fourth quarter, the 39-year-old Manning showed he still has it.
Manning converted a fourth down with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas with five seconds left in the first half. Then he threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Owen Daniels on a third down with 2 minutes 28 seconds remaining, lifting the Denver Broncos to a 24-12 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.
He credited the coaching staff with using a pistol formation, giving him the ball in a short shotgun with a running back behind him, after he was under center for some snaps during the first two games.
“I imagine it will be part of the arsenal throughout the season,” Manning said. “It gave us some help in protection.”
Manning was sacked only once after he was sacked seven times in the first two games.
“We protected him better than we have,” Denver Coach Gary Kubiak said.
Manning was 31 for 42 for 324 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
The last time the Broncos (3-0) won their first three games was in 2013, when they reached the Super Bowl.
The Lions (0-3) are off to their worst start since 2010, when they finished 6-10.
“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.”
Aqib Talib blocked an extrapoint kick by former Bronco Matt Prater early in the second quarter to keep Denver’s onepoint lead.
The Broncos also stopped a two-point conversion run, keeping them ahead, 14-12, early in the third quarter.
Detroit’s Matthew Stafford was 31 for 45 for 282 yards with a 16-yard scoring pass to Ameer Abdullah in the third quarter, two interceptions and a fumble.