Peyton Manning isn't launching rockets downfield at the age of 39. He can't move outside the pocket, and sometimes he appears to lie down and accept his fate when a pass-rusher is in quick pursuit.
Manning is also 3-0 and torched the Detroit Lions secondary to the tune of 324 yards and two touchdowns during Sunday night's 24-12 victory. The Broncos switched to the pistol formation for large stretches of the game, and it paid off for Manning and the passing attack.
As for the 0-3 Lions, Matthew Stafford threw for 282 yards and a touchdown, but he also committed three crippling turnovers, two of which came in the fourth quarter, when victory was still within Detroit's grasp.
Despite Stafford's struggles, the Broncos defense deserves plenty of praise for forcing those turnovers and holding the Lions to just 28 rushing yards. That, along with a handful of special teams miscues, sealed the Lions' fate.
Stafford did not shy away from responsibility in the aftermath, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com: "I have to do a better job of getting the ball out of my hands."
Before the devastating turnovers, the teams traded scores in the second quarter, with Ronnie Hillman and Joique Bell each notching a one-yard touchdown run. Denver blocked Detroit's extra-point attempt, and it looked as though the Broncos would take a 7-6 lead into the locker room. However, Manning found Demaryius Thomas for a 45-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1 in the waning seconds of the half.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post noted it was the Broncos' longest play of the season, and the NFL shared the highlight:
Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News pointed out the main problem for the Lions as they faced a 14-6 halftime deficit:
Detroit almost caught a monumental break at the start of the third quarter when Thomas lost the ball reaching for a first down. Quandre Diggs scooped up the apparent fumble and ran it all the way back for a touchdown, but the official ruled Thomas down. While a replay review overturned the call and Detroit received possession, it was not rewarded with a touchdown because the referee originally ruled the play dead.
It's safe to say that Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk did not agree with the initial ruling:
The Lions took the officiating crew off the hook when they marched down the field for a touchdown. Rookie running back Ameer Abdullah capped off the drive with a 16-yard touchdown catch, although Detroit could not convert on the subsequent two-point attempt. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press highlighted the Lions' success when challenging Denver's linebackers with passes to running backs:
The offenses stalled for the rest of the third quarter, and Denver took a 14-12 lead into the final 15 minutes. One of the main problems for the Lions offense was the lack of a running game, as the team entered the final quarter with a combined 25 rushing yards.
The one-dimensional Detroit offense turned to the air in the fourth quarter, but tight end Eric Ebron missed a golden opportunity to set his team up in scoring position by committing a brutal drop. Mike Mady of Scout.com underscored how important the dropped pass was in the moment:
Things took a turn for the worse for Detroit when Shaquil Barrett sacked and stripped Stafford on a controversial play. Justin Rogers of MLive.com thought the officials would rule the fumble to be an incomplete pass because "the arm was coming forward when the ball popped out." However, the fumble stood, and Mike Klis of 9News in Denver blamed Stafford for the outcome:
The Broncos responded with a 48-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 17-12. That only came after they missed a 53-yarder, but Detroit was called for an illegal formation on the play, giving kicker Brandon McManus a chance at redemption.
Mady highlighted how frustrating the game was for the Lions:
David Bruton then made perhaps the biggest play of the game, picking Stafford off in Denver territory. It was an incredible play in space downfield, but after the interception, ESPN Stats & Info highlighted how poor Stafford was under pressure on the night:
Manning and the Denver offense put the game on ice during the subsequent possession with a touchdown drive. The veteran quarterback hit tight end Owen Daniels with the scoring pass, but a deep throw to Emmanuel Sanders set it up. Katzenstein pointed to Manning's decision-making and the receivers' ability to make plays in coverage as the key components of the drive:
The NFL shared a highlight of Sanders' catch:
Detroit had one final opportunity to cut into the lead, but Stafford threw an incompletion on fourth down, sealing up the 24-12 loss.
What's Next?
The Broncos will return home Sunday for a showdown with the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota sits at a solid 2-1, but if Denver finds a way to win, it could be staring at a 6-0 start.
Following the date with the Vikings, the Broncos will then face the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns in two winnable contests. NFL players understand they must follow the "one game at a time" cliche, but anything short of a 6-0 start would be surprising given the way Denver's defense is playing.
As for the 0-3 Lions, things don't get any easier with an impending Monday Night Football road game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4.
Seattle picked up its first win of the season Sunday and finally has safety Kam Chancellor back to lead the Legion of Boom secondary. The Seahawks won't have any trouble picking off a few passes if Stafford plays like he did against the Broncos.