DETROIT (AP) — Peyton Manning converted a fourth down with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas with 5 seconds left in the first half, and threw an 11-yard TD pass to Owen Daniels with 2:28 remaining, lifting the Denver Broncos to a 24-12 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.
The last time the Broncos (3-0) won their first three games was in 2013, when they reached the Super Bowl.
The Lions (0-3) are off to their worst start since 2010, when they finished 6-10.
Aqib Talib blocked an extra-point kick early in the second quarter to keep Denver’s one-point lead. The Broncos later stopped a 2-point conversion run, keeping them ahead 14-12 early in the third quarter.
Matthew Stafford had three turnovers, including a fumble and interception at midfield in the fourth quarter.
| Unofficial Final Statistics | |||
| Denver | 0 14 0 10 — 24 | ||
| Detroit | 0 | 6 6 | 0 — 12 |
| Second Quarter | |||
| DEN – TD, Ronnie Hillman, 1-yard run (Brandon McManus kick), 4:54 | |||
| DET – TD, Joique Bell, 1-yard run (Matt Prater kick blocked), 1:03 | |||
| DEN – TD, Peyton Manning, 45-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas (Brandon McManus kick), 0:05 | |||
| Third Quarter | |||
| DET – TD, Matthew Stafford, 16-yard pass to Ameer Abdullah (2PT Run failed), 10:51 | |||
| Fourth Quarter | |||
| DEN – FG, Brandon McManus, 48 yards, 7:50 | |||
| DEN – TD, Peyton Manning, 11-yard pass to Owen Daniels (Brandon McManus kick), 2:28 | |||
| TEAM STATISTICS | |||
| DEN | DET | ||
| First Downs | 18 | 22 | |
| Rushes-Yards | 19-41 | 19-28 | |
| Passing Yards | 313 | 262 | |
| Comp-Att-Int | 31-42-1 | 31-45-2 | |
| Return Yards | 44 | 29 | |
| Punts-Avg. | 5-48.2 | 5-55.8 | |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 1-1 | |
| Penalties-Yards | 9-95 | 9-76 | |
| INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS | |||
| RUSHING (Team: player, attempts-yards) | |||
| DEN: C.J. Anderson 8-18, Ronnie Hillman 7-13, Juwan Thompson 3-11, Peyton Manning 1-(minus 1). | |||
| DET: Ameer Abdullah 8-23, Joique Bell 10-6, Matthew Stafford 1-(minus 1). | |||
| PASSING (Team: player, completions-attempts-interceptions-yards) | |||
| DEN: Peyton Manning 31-42-1-324. | |||
| DET: Matthew Stafford 31-45-2-282. | |||
| RECEIVING (Team: player, receptions-yards) | |||
| DEN: Demaryius Thomas 9-92, Emmanuel Sanders 6-87, Owen Daniels 5-28, Bennie Fowler 4-50, Jordan Norwood 3-27, C.J. Anderson 1-9, Andre Caldwell 1-2, Virgil Green 1-26, Ronnie Hillman 1-3. | |||
| DET: Calvin Johnson 8-77, Theo Riddick 8-66, Golden Tate 5-57, Eric Ebron 4-61, Ameer Abdullah 2-19, Lance Moore 2-10, Joique Bell 1-(minus 2), Matthew Stafford 1-(minus 6). |