Peyton Manning spoils us into worrying about Broncos' win over Raiders for eighth straight

By Michael Roberts Fri., Dec. 7 2012 at 7:01 AM

At that point, the game was pretty much over, but those nettlesome NFL rules required both teams to punch the time clock for a little while longer. The Raiders scored a garbage time touchdown in the fourth, failed to complete the two-point conversion, and Manning ran out the clock.

Boring? Frankly, yes -- but that's a tribute to Peyton. Not once during the contest was there any doubt he'd find a way to win the game, and he did. Yet the number of stalled drives against a team that's hardly among the NFL's best is unsettling, especially with the next game coming against the Baltimore Ravens -- the sole playoff squad left on the Broncos' soft closing schedule.

Will Denver rise to the occasion against a better opponent? If Manning has anything to say about it, absolutely. But should the Broncos play like they did last night against the Ravens, they'll have a mighty tough time getting consecutive win number nine.

Look below to see a post-game interview with Thomas courtesy of CBS4, plus, for now, a round-up of the game as a whole.

More from our Sports archive: "Photos: Raiders suck memes."

Tags:

Carson Palmer, Denver Broncos, Mitch Unrein, Oakland Raiders, Peyton Manning, Von Miller

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Juan_Leg topcommenter

I predicted winning the VERY weak AFC West, w/ a 10-6, ( 11-5 at best ), record back in the beginning August. I can't begin to express how happy I am to have underestimated the team as a whole & NOT just at the QB position. Even when most were QUICK to abandon the 'Peyton Bandwagon' during & immediately following a BRUTAL first 1/3 of the season, I held fast, convincing Roberts & the thousands I interact w/ via Yahoo Fantasy & www.fanduel.com, that Bronco fans need not worry. Just so long as Manning remains healthy.

'Any given Sunday' IS a reality, but more so at the beginning of a season when teams are working to correct the small mental errors. Yes, it does occur late in the year but nowhere near as often as you'll see at season's start. This is more common following an injury of one of a team's superstars, & lack of dept to cover the loss. I was DEAD WRONG a cpl weeks back w/ my take on Moreno filling in for Willis. 20 + Fantasy points, Thursday night !!!!! AWESOME !!!!!

Elway's 'Republican Loving Ass' USED to be the greatest QB to ever don the Orange & Blue. John w/o question & deservingly so, is one of the Top Ten NFL QB's of all time, BEHIND Mr. Peyton Manning. Another championship IS coming to Denver w/i the next three seasons. ( At least one ! ) BET ON IT ! See points scored vs allowed, as well as Denver's dept at all positions. ( ASIDE from QB ) The Broncos are only as good as Peyton's health.

Last years Teblow miracle run was a fluke ! Denver will enter this postseason RESPECTED, unlike the year before. We have the components for a , " This one's for Peyton ! ", celebration come early February. I'm curious, where are all the Teblow worshipers that continued BAWLING throughout week 5 ? He'll be out of the NFL before Manning retires ! Teblow represents one of Denver's WORST 1st round picks in the history of the organization ! Moreno is quickly rushing his name from the list ! I can only hope he has left his 'IGNORANT' issues & way of life far behind and is ready to hoist the Lombardi w/ Manning & co ....

My lone complaint regarding Manning is the F'N commercials ! The 'Pappa Johns' are the worst! He makes enough scratch w/o the endorsements. Pass them off to Archie. Unlike his sons, he never signed a multimillion dollar pro contract & I'm sure could use the $$$ for a winter vacation home in Aspen next to Peyton's . I understand there are binding NFL advertising commitments, but ALL proceeds oughtta' go to a charity of his choice. I've got callus forming on my 'mute-button' finger from the abuse !

Brian Shurette

You should be happy you still have a job with the articles your editor chooses are newsworthy.

David Maestas

no. don't want to peak too early. There is no truly dominant NFL team this year. every team has their flaws and what matters most will be the games played in January.

Michael Bornstein

The difference between winning and losing has to do with spelling you idiot ^^^^^

Cognitive_Dissident topcommenter

"As we pointed out yesterday in the introduction to our gallery of Raiders suck memes, the once fearsome Black and Silver has been tarnished so greatly that it's hard to get worked up about what was once among the NFL's most passionate rivalries."

It hasn't kept the Broncos from getting destroyed at home multiple times over the last several years, and lest the smug Broncos fans think any differently, they won the division over the Raiders last season by a tiebreaker. With regard to the past, remember, the Raiders were in the Super Bowl more recently. It's not like the Broncos were blowing the doors off the league over the last decade.

All that aside, props to the Denver team. The Raiders are clearly in year zero of a rebuild, and the Broncos are definitely a contender this season. Keep it real, though.

Legen Dairy

Can't have a blow out every game. A win is a win.

Pat Angello

1 Like

Geez - be happy they won. This was a trap game, with Baltimore coming up next week. The Raiders are not a threat to anyone, which means they are taken lightly by good teams and can surprise anyone.