The Denver Broncos have hammered the Oakland Raiders 47-14 in their AFC West clash to secure their place as the number two seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Broncos started the game in a solid fashion as they forced a punt from the Raiders on their first possession, and then moved into field-goal range despite sustaining a 15-yard penalty. Connor Barth fired them ahead with a 51-yard kick.
Denver took control of the game when they got into the endzone in their next possession as Peyton Manning floated the ball to Demaryius Thomas to put his side in the red zone, and CJ Anderson finished the touchdown drive with an 11-yard rush.
The Raiders forced an error from Manning as he threw a lateral pass aiming for Emmanuel Sanders, but Justin Tuck tipped the ball and Keith McGill picked it and ran it to the endzone for a touchdown.
However, Denver restored their 10-point advantage early in the second quarter as Manning looped another pass to Thomas, and he again handed off to Anderson who powered over for the one-yard touchdown.
Barth added another field goal before the break with the aid of the post to hand his team a 13-point lead at the interval.
In the second half, Omar Bolden ripped off a huge return from the kickoff to put his side's offense in the red zone, and Anderson notched his third score of the game he found a crease in the defense to coast in from 25 yards.
The Raiders responded as Derek Carr moved them to the goalline, and he was able to pick out Jamize Olawale at the back end of the endzone for a one-yard score.
The Broncos couldn't hit back with seven points as Thomas dropped the ball in the endzone from a Manning pass, but Barth did add three points from field goal on the next play.
Barth added two further field goals to put his side beyond the reach of the Raiders, while Tony Carter secured a fumble return for a touchdown to put John Fox's men at the 40-point mark.
There was still time late in the game for Brock Osweiler to throw his first touchdown pass of his career to Virgil Green to confirm his side as the number two seed in the AFC, and with it a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Simon Sinclair
