Buffalo Bills vs Denver Broncos Match Player Stats On Dec 07, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 7, 2014

Broncos 24, Bills 17: C.J. Anderson scored on three short touchdown runs and Denver overcame another pedestrian performance by Peyton Manning to improve to 7-0 at home.

Manning had his streak of 51 straight games with a touchdown pass halted, finishing 14-of-20 for 173 yards and two interceptions as first-place Denver (10-3) won its third in a row to move two games ahead of San Diego in the AFC West. Anderson scored on runs of 6, 1 and 3 yards on his way to 58 yards on 21 carries.

Ex-Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton threw for 355 yards on 38-of-57 and sparked a belated comeback by throwing for a score and running for another, but he also had a pair of costly third-quarter interceptions. Rookie Sammy Watkins had seven catches for 127 yards and Chris Hogan had a TD reception for Buffalo (7-6), which saw its playoff hopes take a hit.

Manning's 38-yard pass to Wes Welker (six catches, 82 yards) set up Anderson's 6-yard run with 2:43 left in the first quarter, but Dan Carpenter nailed a 44-yard field goal on the ensuing possession. Anderson plowed in from the 1 with 3:26 left in the first half to give the Broncos a 14-3 edge at the break.

Juwan Thompson broke loose for a 47-yard run on the first drive of the second half and Anderson finished it with a 3-yard plunge for a 21-3 lead before Orton sandwiched two interceptions around a pick by Manning. The Bills finally put together a sustained drive, going 80 yards in 13 plays to pull within 24-10 on Orton's 13-yard strike to Chris Hogan with 10:46 to play, and Orton's 1-yard sneak with 55 seconds left accounted for the final margin.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Manning was held under 200 yards passing for the second straight week and had his fourth two-interception game in the past six games. ... Bills RB Fred Jackson had 10 catches for 37 yards to become the third undrafted player in history to record 5,000 yards rushing and 2,500 yards receiving. ... Anderson's three rushing TDs tied for the third most in club history. ... Broncos TE Julius Thomas, who missed the past two games with an ankle injury, was active and in uniform but did not play.