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 Suffice to say Elway and the Broncos enjoyed Sunday's trip to New
Jersey far more than their previous one -- even if coach John Fox
and his players were reluctant to acknowledge it.
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning recovered from a slow start to
throw three touchdown passes and inch closer to Brett Favre's career
record as Denver survived a scare to beat the New York Jets 31-17.
The Broncos (4-1) were playing at MetLife Stadium for the first time
since Feb. 2 when they were routed 43-8 by the Seattle Seahawks in
Super Bowl XLVII.
"I don't remember the last one," Broncos linebacker Von Miller said,
unable to suppress a grin. "It's a short-term memory for me. I don't
even remember playing the last one. I don't even think about that."
Nor did Fox.
"This game's not about when, where -- it's who," Fox said. "So that
was a different year, a different team. Had nothing in common, other
than some grass that was a different color (in the) stadium that
day."
Manning, who had 34 completions in the Super Bowl but threw for just
280 yards and two interceptions, conjured up memories of February
during a four-series sequence in the first half in which the Broncos
had two first downs and Manning was sacked twice while uncorking
several throws that bounced in front of the intended receivers.
He was also flagged for illegal motion after a snap hit him in the
hip deep in Broncos territory. The Super Bowl, of course, began with
a snap sailing past Manning and into the end zone for a safety.
But Manning found his rhythm midway through the second quarter when
he directed two scoring drives that turned a 7-3 deficit into a 17-7
halftime lead via touchdown passes to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas
(10 catches for 124 yards) and tight end Julius Thomas.
Manning picked up where he left off on the Broncos' first possession
of the third quarter when he marched Denver 87 yards in 10 plays and
capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Julius Thomas.
The Broncos passed just 16 times and rushed 12 times on the three
touchdown drives as Denver adjusted to the defense devised by Jets
coach Rex Ryan, who put eight men in the secondary and dared the
Broncos to win via the run.
Denver entered Sunday with just 318 rushing yards, the second-lowest
total in the league. But Ronnie Hillman (100 yards on 24 carries)
and rookie Juwan Thompson (38 yards on eight rushes) combined for
138 yards. Overall, the Broncos rushed 33 times and Manning
(22-of-33 for 237 yards) dropped back 35 times.
"It's tough to throw the ball when they've got eight guys in
coverage every single play disrupting some of your receivers
outside," Manning said. "It was good to get the run game going
today."
Manning's slow start and the Broncos' emphasis on the run ended any
chance he had of breaking Favre's record on Sunday. Manning has 506
career touchdown passes, two shy of Favre.
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The milestone touchdown pass will almost certainly come in Denver,
where the Broncos host the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday and the
San Diego Chargers four days later on Oct. 23.
Manning, already the NFL career leader in passing yards, pass
attempts and completions, said he's not focused on adding the
touchdown record to his resume.
"I don't know if any of them are big for me, especially in the
middle of a season -- we're trying to win football games," Manning
said. "Two games in five days coming up -- that's plenty to think
about."
The Jets (1-5) dropped their fifth in a row, their longest losing
streak since 2007. New York heads to New England on Thursday night.
"I think you know how I feel about a 1-5 start," Ryan said. "It's
not even close to where we thought we'd be. All the wishing and
everything else isn't going to change anything. We have to find ways
to win and we have to do it in a hurry."
The Jets pulled within 24-17 on quarterback Geno Smith's 2-yard
touchdown pass to former Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker with 7:56
left.
New York had two chances to drive for the tying score but failed to
get a first down either time. Smith was picked off with 23 seconds
left by Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, who returned the interception
22 yards for a game-sealing touchdown.
Smith was 23-of-43 for 190 yards and two touchdowns, including a
2-yarder in the first to rookie tight end Jace Amaro. It was the
first career touchdown catch for Amaro, who finished with 10 catches
for 68 yards.
NOTES: Oft-injured Jets CB Dee Milliner suffered a right Achilles
injury during a Broncos field-goal attempt in the first quarter.
Milliner, who went down without contact, had to be helped off the
field and was almost immediately declared out by the Jets. ...
Before Sunday, the Jets hadn't hosted the Broncos since Nov. 30,
2008, when the Jets still played at the Meadowlands. The only AFC
team the Jets have not played at 5-year-old MetLife Stadium is the
Tennessee Titans. ... Broncos LB Danny Trevathan suffered a knee
injury 2:59 into the game and was declared out later in the first
quarter. ... Broncos LB Von Miller was evaluated for a possible
concussion late in the first half but returned to start the third
quarter.
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