The Denver Broncos held off a spirited late comeback from the Buffalo Bills to secure a 24-17 victory at Sports Authority Field to ramp up the pressure on the New England Patriots in the race for the number one seed in the AFC.
Neither side could score on their first possessions, but the Bills gambled on a fourth down play and failed to convert. Peyton Manning punished them with a drive downfield, and his side took the lead when he handed the ball off to CJ Anderson for a three-yard score.
The Bills pulled themselves back into the game when they notched a field goal through Dan Carpenter as he made his kick with ease from 44 yards following a methodical drive downfield.
Manning was then picked off as he attempted to find Emmanuel Sanders downfield as Corey Graham made the interception, but the Bills were unable to take advantage as a holding penalty cost them good field position.
The Broncos extended their lead when they benefited from a penalty against Sanders, which brought a furious reaction from Jerry Hughes. Manning moved his side to the two-yard line where Anderson ploughed his way for his second score of the match.
Denver spurned a chance to put themselves further ahead as Jacob Tamme fumbled the ball inside the 10-yard line and allowed the Bills to recover to kill the drive.
In the second half, the Broncos did power into an 18-point lead when Juwan Thompson ran for a 47 yards over the left side of the line to move his side into scoring range. Manning then fired to Wes Welker to reach the goalline, which allowed Anderson to coast in for his third score of the game.
Both quarterbacks were struggling to find their rhythm and Manning was intercepted for the second time in the game as Stephon Gilmore made the pick, while Kyle Orton followed suit for the Bills when Chris Harris picked off his pass on the one-yard line.
The Broncos were struggling to move the ball deep into the Bills' territory, but did manage to move further ahead through the boot of Connor Barth as he fired a 51-yard field goal through the posts.
However, Buffalo got themselves back into the game early in the fourth quarter when Orton found Chris Hogan out in the flat, and the receiver ran untouched for a 14-yard touchdown.
Denver failed to kill off the game in the fourth quarter, but a curious coaching decision from Doug Marrone stopped the Bills taking advantage as he declined the opportunity to go for a conversion on fourth and two.
The decision took time off the clock as the home side opted to run the ball, but again Buffalo kept the game alive with a defensive stand, which allowed Orton to drive his side downfield to score a touchdown as he ran over himself on the goalline.
The game rested on the onside kick from the Bills, but the Broncos managed to recover Jordan Gay's kick down the middle to secure their 10th victory of the season.
Simon Sinclair
