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 Prater set an NFL record with a 64-yard field goal, and Manning
led a go-ahead, 24-point blitz after Denver fell behind early as the
Broncos rallied past the Tennessee Titans 51-28 on an icy Sunday.
"He's been playing great his entire career, and to come out there
and put 50 points on the board, it kind of put the cold thing down,"
Broncos tight end Julius Thomas said of Manning, who completed 39 of
59 passes for 397 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Manning's performances in the cold came under scrutiny because the
37-year-old veteran entered the day with an 8-11 career record in
games played with a temperature of 40 or below. At kickoff Sunday,
it was 18 degrees, but Manning certainly quieted the concerns.
"I wasn't trying to answer it because I didn't give it validation in
the first place," Manning said. "We had a good plan, and I thought
we threw the ball well and guys caught the ball well."
The victory in coach John Fox's return to the sideline allowed the
Broncos (11-2) to clinch a playoff berth and remain undefeated at
home. Fox missed the previous month after undergoing heart valve
replacement surgery.
"It's great to be back," Fox said. "I really forgot how fun that
was."
Manning helped make it so with four scoring passes: 1 yard to wide
receiver Wes Welker, 8 yards to Julius Thomas, 4 yards to wide
receiver Demaryius Thomas, and 20 yards to wide receiver Eric Decker
(eight catches 117 yards).
Welker suffered a concussion before halftime and did not return to
action. He took a hit to the head when he dived for a pass as safety
Bernard Pollard came in to break up the play.
Titans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 172 yards on 13-of-24
passing. He connected on a 41-yard scoring pass to wide receiver
Justin Hunter and a 57-yard completion to Hunter that set up another
score. Hunter finished with four catches for 114 yards.
"We knew coming into this game we were going to have to put the
pedal to the metal all game long," Fitzpatrick said. "Even though we
had a lead in the first half, we knew they were going to put up a
lot of points in the second half. We've seen them do that a lot this
year."
And it happened quickly, leaving the Titans (5-8) with their fourth
loss in five games.
Down 21-10 after running back Shonn Greene ran 28 yards for his
second touchdown of the day in the second quarter, the Broncos ran
off 24 straight points to surge back in front.
"We were doing well at the beginning, but they took off like a
rocket," Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner said.
Manning started the flurry late in the second quarter with a drive
that ended in the scoring pass to Julius Thomas, who was back after
missing the previous two games with a right knee injury.
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After forcing a Tennessee punt, the Broncos got the ball on their
29-yard line back with 31 seconds left in the second quarter and no
timeouts. Manning completed passes to Demaryius Thomas and tight end
Jacob Tamme, with Tamme getting out of bounds at the Tennessee 46 to
stop the clock with three seconds remaining. Fox then sent Prater onto the field.
Taking dead aim on history, Prater got plenty of leg into the
kick and sent it right on course, and the ball narrowly cleared
the crossbar, pulling the Broncos within 21-20 as time expired
in the first half.
"I knew I hit it pretty good, but I wasn't sure with the cold
and everything if it was going to get there," Prater said. "I
saw the ref's hands go up and I can't even explain what I felt
after."
The kick eclipsed the previous field-goal record of 63 yards,
originally set by the New Orleans Saints' Tom Dempsey against
the Detroit Lions on Nov. 8, 1970, and matched on three other
occasions, most recently by the San Francisco 49ers' David Akers
against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 9, 2012.
"It was awesome, because the whole team almost rushed the field
after the kick," Prater said. "It was definitely a momentum
swing."
Buoyed by Prater's heroics, the Broncos scored successive
third-quarter touchdowns. Manning culminated the opening drive
of the second half with a short touchdown pass to Demaryius
Thomas that put the Broncos in front for the first time, 27-21,
with 11:58 remaining in the third quarter.
The Broncos' defense pitched in on the next score. Linebacker
Von Miller tipped a Fitzpatrick pass that was intercepted by
nose tackle Terrance Knighton, leading to running back Knowshon
Moreno's 1-yard touchdown run.
After Hunter's long scoring catch pulled the Titans to 34-28,
Prater kicked his third field goal of the day, a 19-yarder,
following running back Chris Johnson's fumble.
Manning later connected with Decker, upping the Broncos' lead to
double digits with 9:12 left to play.
Denver running back Montee Ball closed the scoring out with a
5-yard touchdown run with 3:12 remaining, lifting the Broncos
past the 50-point threshold for the third time this season.
NOTES: QB Peyton Manning's 39 completions were the most in a
game in Broncos history. ... Titans WR Kenny Britt was listed
among the team's inactive players as a healthy scratch. ...
Broncos CB Champ Bailey missed a 10th game this season because
of a lingering foot injury. ... In a pregame ceremony, the
Sports Authority Field press box was renamed in honor of Jim
Saccomano, the Broncos' media relations executive who is
retiring after 36 years with the organization. ... Julius Thomas
made his 11th touchdown catch of the season, the most by a tight
end in Denver history. ... Titans RB Chris Johnson had a 3-yard
touchdown run in the first quarter. He needs one more rushing
touchdown to become the third player in team history with 50.
Eddie George and Earl Campbell also achieved the milestone.
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