Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Led by a resurgent Peyton Manning, the Denver
Broncos are on a roll. And now the AFC West champs are eyeing a potential
first-round bye following their eighth straight win. Manning tallied his
5,000th career completion and threw for 310 yards and a touchdown in the
Broncos' 26-13 win over the Oakland Raiders. Manning joined Brett Favre
(6,400) as the only NFL quarterbacks with 5,000-plus completions. Manning,
who completed 26-of-36 passes, has tossed 19 touchdowns and seven
interceptions during his torrid eight-game stretch for Denver (10-3), which is
in the midst of its longest winning streak since the 1998 squad began the year
13-0. The Broncos were tied with the New England Patriots and Baltimore
Ravens for the No. 2 seed in the AFC coming in, but sat fourth in the
standings based on tiebreakers. Denver visits Baltimore next Sunday. Knowshon
Moreno finished with 119 yards rushing and a score on a career-high 32
carries, while Eric Decker recorded eight receptions for 88 yards in the
win. Oakland, meanwhile, is headed in the complete opposite direction. Carson
Palmer had 273 yards through the air on 19-of-30 efficiency with two scores
and an interception for the Raiders (3-10), who suffered their sixth
straight defeat. Raiders head coach and former Broncos defensive
coordinator Dennis Allen returned to the sidelines Thursday following the
death of his father, Grady Allen. The former NFL linebacker was originally
hospitalized last week with heart problems and passed away at the age of 66 on
Tuesday. Darren McFadden returned after missing the previous four games with
an injured ankle and finished with 52 yards on the ground -- 36 coming on the
first play of the second half -- on 11 totes. He added a touchdown reception.
The Sports Network