On a night when Peyton Manning wavered between flashes of vintage performances and showing his age, the Broncos defense held steady to lead the team to a 3-0 start.
That defense forced three Lions turnovers on Sunday, including a David Bruton interception with the Lions driving toward a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, that sealed a 24-12 win in Detroit. Manning did the rest, going 31 of 42 for 324 yards and two touchdowns — his first 300-yard game of the season.
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Manning has been anything but perfect to start the season, but he showed signs of his younger self. There were also times when he look all of 39 years old. He was responsible for one of the Broncos' two turnovers that kept the Lions within two points into the fourth quarter.
That's when the defense kicked in, led by cornerback Aqib Talib, who stifled Calvin Johnson and the Lions' failing passing game. Johnson made eight catches, but only for 77 yards. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was 31 of 45 for 282 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw two interceptions. And the Lions offense managed only 290 yards.
Talib blocked an extra-point attempt late in the first half that forced the Lions to attempt a two-point conversion later in the third quarter. The Broncos defense stopped the run attempt that would have tied the game at 14.
That gave extra weight to a controversial fumble in the fourth quarter. Stafford appeared to have completed a forward motion, but it was ruled a fumble and the Broncos recovered. And on the ensuing Broncos possession, an illegal formation penalty on the Lions negated a missed field-goal attempt by Brandon McManus, who pulled the ball right. The penalty gave McManus another attempt, and he nailed the 48-yarder to make it 17-12.
Stafford led the Lions into Broncos territory on the next drive, hoping for the go-ahead touchdown. But Bruton intercepted another Stafford pass and Manning led the Broncos down field for an 11-yard touchdown pass to Owen Daniels.
Demaryius Thomas had nine catches for 92 yards and a score, and Emmanuel Sanders added six grabs for 87 yards.
The Lions, whose offense was among the league leaders in 2013 — when the Manning-led Broncos were tops in most categories — has sputtered, their downfall evident at 0-3.
