SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 29, 2013
Broncos 52, Eagles 20: Peyton Manning passed for 327 yards and four touchdowns and host Denver slowed down Philadelphia's up-tempo offense to win its 15th consecutive regular-season game.
Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker each caught a pair of touchdown passes and Knowshon Moreno rushed for 78 yards and a score as the Broncos (4-0) rolled up a franchise record for points. Eric Decker caught five passes for a team-high 88 yards as Denver also set a franchise mark for the most wins in a row.
The Broncos neutralized the Eagles' wealth of offensive weapons and made a pair of big plays on special teams, getting a 105-yard kickoff return touchdown from Trindon Holliday in the first quarter and returning a blocked punt for a score in the fourth. Michael Vick was 14-for-27 for 248 yards and added 41 rushing yards but did not reach the end zone.
Philadelphia pulled within 14-13 on Chris Polk's 4-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, but it was all Denver from there. Moreno capped an 80-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run for a 21-13 halftime lead, and the Broncos outscored the Eagles 38-7 in the second half.
Manning and Thomas hooked up for scoring tosses of 1 and 15 yards on consecutive drives, and Welker caught his second touchdown pass in the final minute of the third quarter for a 42-13 advantage. Philadelphia snapped a string of 38 straight Denver points on Nick Foles' 6-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Maehl with 4:35 left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Manning's 16 touchdown passes are the most in NFL history through the first four games of a season. He also tied the record for most touchdown passes without an interception to start the season, matching Milt Plum of the 1960 Cleveland Browns. กญ Welker has caught at least one TD pass in each game this season. กญ Philadelphia RB LeSean McCoy, who entered the game as the NFL's leading rusher, was held to 73 yards on 16 carries.