SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 6, 2012
Broncos 26, Raiders 13: Peyton Manning threw for 310 yards and a touchdown while Matt Prater kicked four field goals as visiting Denver rolled to its eighth consecutive victory.
Manning completed 26 of 36 passes and Knowshon Moreno rushed 32 times for 119 yards and a score for the AFC West-champion Broncos (10-3), who recorded 428 total yards and converted half of their 14 third-down attempts.
Carson Palmer went 19-of-30 for 273 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Darren McFadden returned from a sprained ankle to gain 52 yards on 11 carries and catch two passes for 12 yards and a TD for Oakland, which suffered its sixth consecutive loss.
The Raiders (3-10), who were swept in their season series with Denver, were unable to rally around Dennis Allen following the death of the coach's father on Monday. Manning opened the scoring 4 1/2 minutes into the game with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Joel Dreessen and Prater converted a 43-yard kick with 5:09 remaining in the first quarter to give the Broncos a 10-0 lead.
Following another Prater field goal, Palmer connected with McFadden on a 6-yard scoring play to get Oakland within six points. But Moreno highlighted a 13-point third quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run two plays after linebacker Von Miller sacked Palmer at the Oakland 3 and forced a fumble, giving Denver a comfortable 23-7 advantage.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Allen said McFadden could not finish the game after re-injuring his ankle but did not know how serious it was. ... Manning became just the second quarterback in NFL history with 5,000 career completions. Manning needed 239 games to join Brett Favre, who took 221 contests to reach the plateau. ... Prater also had successful kicks of 34, 20 and 33 yards. ... Palmer, who was responsible for two turnovers that led to 10 Denver points, teamed with Darrius Heyward-Bey for a 56-yard score late in the fourth quarter.