DENVER (AP) – Peyton Manning kept it going Thursday night, throwing his 511th touchdown pass early in the second quarter to give the Denver Broncos a 7-0 lead over the San Diego Chargers.
On third-and-goal from the 2, Manning rolled right and found Emmanuel Sanders in the back of the end zone.
Manning was coming off an emotional four-TD performance Sunday night against San Francisco in which he surpassed Brett Favre as the NFL’s touchdown pass king.
After losing at home to the Chargers on a Thursday night in December – Denver’s only home loss last season – the Broncos changed their work week. They practiced without pads and helmets.
But their first two drives led to punts.
So did San Diego’s. After the Chargers went three-and-out on his second series, QB Philip Rivers retreated to the sideline while yelling into his helmet.
Manning hit Emmanuel Sanders for a 31-yard gain to the 31 of San Diego. Then, on first-and-10 from the 18, Demaryius Thomas plucked a pass on the run and took it to the 2 as the first quarter ended.
Manning is 20-3 at home since joining the Broncos, but Rivers is no slouch in Denver, where he’s 6-3. And he’d be 7-2 if not for Ed Hochuli’s blown call on a last-minute Denver fumble in 2008.
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