Broncos vs. Giants Rapid Recap

The Denver Broncos are 2-0. The New York Giants are 0-2. And Peyton Manning is 3-0 against younger brother Eli.

After a tight first half that saw the Broncos take a 10-9 lead into the locker room, Denver played a nearly perfect second half to turn this game into a blowout. In their first three possessions of  the second half, the Broncos scored three touchdowns, with each drive taking less than five minutes. Peyton was once again brilliant, throwing for 307 yards with two TDs on 30-43 passing.

Perhaps even more promising for the Denver offense was the emergence of Knowshon Moreno in the backfield. The elder statesmen in a crowded group of backs, Moreno had 93 yards on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns, both of 20-plus yards. Rookie Montee Ball had 12 carries, but he was ineffective with only 16 yards and a red zone fumble. Moreno looks like the Broncos starter going forward.

For the Giants, Eli actually out-passed his brother, throwing for 362 yards on 28-49 passing. But he didn’t outplay Peyton, throwing a career-high four interceptions. The highlight for Eli came on his first pass, a 51-yard bomb to Victor Cruz. However the rest of his day consisted of settling for field goals, miscues by his receivers and end zone picks. For a Giants team that hoped to make it to the playoffs, an 0-2 start is not good. Lucky for them, no team in the NFC East has started 2-0.

The turning point in this game came early in the fourth, with Trindon Holliday fielding a punt off the bounce and taking it 81 yards for a TD to blow the game open 38-16. It’s only two games, but Denver looks like the team to beat in the AFC. The offense has rolled and the defense has held their own while they wait to get star LB Von Miller back from his six-game suspension.

Next week the Broncos host the Oakland Raiders on Monday night and the Giants travel to Carolina to face the Panthers.