Peyton Manning's record touchdown pace took a hit, but the 6-0 Denver Broncos still had too much firepower for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Sunday's 35-19 victory.
After jumping out to an early 14-0 lead behind a pair of touchdown passes from Manning, the Broncos turned to Knowshon Moreno for a career-high three touchdown runs the rest of the way.
Manning tossed an interception for the second consecutive game and might have taken as many hits Sunday as he has all season.
Written off as a national punch line this week, Jacksonville came to play. When they pulled to within two points in the middle of the third quarter, it appeared the mighty Broncos were at least breaking a sweat -- even if an upset was too much to ask.
Still seeking their first win of the season, the Jaguars just couldn't hang with one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history for a full four quarters.
Here's what else we learned in Sunday's game:
- On the "Around The League Podcast,"Â we've been gushing over an improved Justin Blackmon since the beginning of the preseason. Champ Bailey and the Broncos cornerbacks had no answer for Blackmon on slant routes, where he did the majority of his damage in racking up 14 catches for 190 yards on a whopping 20 targets. A bear to tackle after the catch, Blackmon has played like a young Anquan Boldin or Hakeem Nicks the past two weeks.
- The Jaguars sorely missed Cecil Shorts, who never returned after sustaining a strained shoulder/neck early in the first quarter. Replacement Mike Brown managed just four catches for 49 yards on five targets.
- Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for a season-high 71 yards and cleared 3.0 yards per carry for just the second time this season. He appears to be slowly rounding into form -- emphasis on "slowly." The offensive line finally opened a hole big enough for Jones-Drew to hit the second level, but he struggled to get out of third gear on a 28-yard scamper. It's hard to imagine the contract-year veteran fetching more than a fourth-round draft pick in trade talks.
- The Broncos have a gem in 2012 fifth-round draft pick Malik Jackson, who has been one of the NFL's most effective situational pass rushers through six weeks. He had two sacks, three tackles for loss and a pass defensed on Sunday. Jackson will team with All-Pro linebacker Von Miller -- returning from suspension -- for next week's throw-down at the Indianapolis Colts.
- Moreno's job is as secure as it has ever been. While he totaled 104 yards and the three scores on 22 touches, Ronnie Hillman fumbled (again) and Montee Ball dropped an easy pass (again).
- The Broncos have now won 17 consecutive regular-season games, tied with the 1934 Chicago Bears for the fourth-longest streak in history. That 1934 season was also the last time two teams from the same division started the season 6-0, as both the Broncos and Chiefs have this year.
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