The Denver Broncos used their bye week to get back into a groove after a tough loss to the Seattle Seahawks. It worked in the first 30 minutes on Sunday, as Denver's offense overcame a Peyton Manning pick to jump out to a 14-6 lead over the Arizona Cardinals midway through the second quarter.
The Cardinals would take advantage of another Manning interception, however, to close to within 14-13. Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas' second TD grab of the game would once again push the Denver's lead to eight, though, and the teams would head to the locker room with the Broncos up 21-13.
Biggest Play: The Broncos seemingly had all the momentum up 14-6 with the ball and time winding down in the second quarter. However, Manning's second mistake of the day (a ball that was thrown straight at Arizona's Calais Campbell) to set the Cardinals up at the Denver 5.
RB Andre Ellington would bowl into the end zone from there to slice Denver's lead to 14-13. Denver would score late to extend the advantage back again, but this sequence of events was the only reason why Arizona was within a score at the half.
Biggest Surprise: Peyton Manning had two giveaways in the first 30 minutes, the second of which turned the game completely around by basically gift-wrapping a touchdown for Arizona's offense. Manning threw just one pick in Denver's first three game combined, making his hiccup today all the more perplexing.
Broncos Key Player: WR Demaryius Thomas provided five catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns, once again establishing himself as an All-Pro, no All-World big play threat. Catch-and-runs of 31 and 86 yards for scores saved the Denver Broncos from themselves, along with establishing a season-high for receiving yards in a game for Thomas in just 30 minutes.
Cardinals Key Player: DE Calais Campbell and CB Jerraud Powers kept the Cardinals in the game with their takeaways against Manning. The Cardinals offense sputtered for a good chunk of the first half, so Campbell and Powers' contributions were that much more crucial.
Who Has The Edge? Denver has the weapons and Denver has the home-field advantage. Manning struggled in the first half and the Broncos still lead by 8, so expect the Broncos to maintain (if not extend) their advantage unless the turnover bug continues to strike.
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