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. … Welker has caught at least one TD pass in each game this season. … Philadelphia RB LeSean McCoy, who entered the game as the NFL's leading rusher, was held to 73 yards on 16 carries.