Julius Thomas catches a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning in the third quarter. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
Peyton Manning threw 506th career touchdown as the Broncos defeated the Jets, 31-17 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Here were some notable and not-so-notable moments from the Denver victory.
Making history: Julius Thomas continued his breathtaking start. He caught just before half, an NFL record for a tight end through five games, breaking mark held by Mike Ditka (1963) and Antonio Gates (2010). Thomas added his ninth score in the second half. Rob Gronkowski holds the single-season record by touchdowns by a tight end at 17.
Hillman’s climb: Ronnie Hillman capitalized on his first start, rushing for 100 yards. He burst for 26 yards in the third quarter, the longest by a Broncos back this year. He fumbled, but the Broncos recovered.
Marshall takes over: With linebacker Danny Trevathan out with a knee injury, Brandon Marshall played well and called the defensive signals.
Trevathan out: Danny Trevathan led the Broncos in tackles in his season debut last week, but never received a chance Sunday. The weakside linebacker on the Jets’ second offensive play and did not return. He missed the first three games with a broken left shin bone.
Center of attention: Center Manny Ramirez struggled early before rebounding. He misfired on a snap, allowed a sack and was called for holding in the first half.
Too much yellow: The Broncos tied a season-high with 11 penalties and were penalized a season-high 101 yards. Officials flagged Lamin Barrow for a personal foul and ejected him for throwing a punch in the third quarter.
INTERACTIVE:
Offense: Peyton Manning provided a new wrinkle with rollouts. The Broncos abandoned that for traditional shotgun work. Manning threw touchdown passes on three consecutive drives bridging the second and third quarters. Denver established the run with Ronnie Hillman, but oddly chose him over Juwan Thompson on a failed third-and-1 in the fourth quarter that kept the Jets’ pulse racing. Hillman enjoyed a career day, reaching 100 yards for the first time. Grade: B+
Defense: The Broncos met their first priority, making Geno Smith one-dimensional. The Jets’ running game disappeared after a slow start. Denver provided relentless pressure on Smith, and finally secured the victory with Aqib Talib’s interecption return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Denver benefited from ham-handed receivers and allowed an easy touchdown to former teammate Eric Decker. Grade: B+
Special Teams: Denver played with energy and controlled abandon. The Broncos produced two fumbles on returns. Steven Johnson recovered one. A better grade was erased because of yards allowed on returns and Andre Caldwell’s decision to return a fourth quarter kick from deep in the end zone. Grade: B-
Coaching: The Broncos tried unique offensive sets with designed rollouts, used an extra tackle for blocking and ran the ball effectively. Denver stopped the clock with Manning’s last pass with 1:05 remaining when it should have run it down. The defense adjusted well after losing Danny Trevathan to a left knee injury. Grade: B
Ronnie Hillman: Valuable contributor in run and pass game.
Julius Thomas: Has nine touchdowns after five games.
Denver’s D-Line: Jets never had a chance when they couldn’t run.
