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Broncos replay: Road show in high gear

Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky

Published November 30, 2008 at 9:59 p.m.

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Perhaps the Broncos should consider moving their final two home games to another location.

Denver earned its third consecutive road win against a quality opponent, downing Brett Favre and the New York Jets 34-17 at the Meadowlands.

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler executed a sound game plan to perfection, mixing screens to Eddie Royal with passes to his tight ends before finishing with 27 completions in 43 attempts for 357 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Peyton Hillis continued to impress, turning in the first 100-yard game of his career by gaining 129 yards on 22 carries.

The Broncos defense took more hits on the injury front but frustrated Favre all day, making three fourth-down stops in the second half and forcing two turnovers that led to 14 points.

FIRST QUARTER: Broncos 17, Jets 7

The game begins humbly enough as the teams trade punts. Then the fireworks begin.

New York commits the game's first big mistake, badly misplaying an attempted reverse into a fumble that Broncos safety Vernon Fox returns 23 yards for a touchdown to give Denver a 7-0 lead.

The Jets waste absolutely no time answering, getting a 59-yard touchdown run from Thomas Jones on the next play to tie the score 7-7.

The Broncos get their own big play moments later, as Jay Cutler hits rookie receiver Eddie Royal along the sideline for a 59-yard touchdown pass.

After a holding penalty helps to stall the Jets, Cutler responds by leading Denver's first sustained drive, hitting Chad Jackson with a 19-yard reception that sets up a 25-yard field goal by Matt Prater, giving the Broncos a 17-7 lead as the quarter ends.

SECOND QUARTER: Broncos 27, Jets 14

The Broncos defense continues to struggle, failing to corral Jones, who bounces off a pile to complete a 29-yard touchdown run as Denver stands around stunned.

After a Denver punt, though, the Broncos defense gets another big play as cornerback Dre Bly, burned by Jets quarterback Brett Favre in overtime last year at Invesco Field, intercepts a deep ball by Favre. The Broncos take advantage of the turnover with a seven-play drive that ends with a 1-yard touchdown run by Peyton Hillis, giving the Broncos a 24-14 lead.

Favre continues to misfire and, after a Jets punt, Cutler engineers a well-executed late drive. Cutler completes five passes, including a 20-yard throw to Brandon Marshall, to set up a 35-yard field goal by Prater with three seconds remaining to give the Broncos a 27-14 halftime lead.

THIRD QUARTER: Broncos 27, Jets 17

The first possession ends with a Broncos punt that Karl Paymah saves from going into the end zone, forcing the Jets to start at their 2-yard line. Two Denver penalties get the Jets out of the hole, but the Broncos defense makes a big play on fourth down near midfield, dropping Favre for a loss.

Cutler takes advantage of the field position, hitting Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham with passes that move the Broncos into scoring position. But a holding penalty against center Casey Wiegmann wipes out an apparent touchdown by Hillis, and Cutler makes an ill-advised attempt at throwing back across the field and is intercepted in the end zone by Jets cornerback Dwight Lowery.

Favre completes a couple of screen passes to Leon Washington on a drive in which three Broncos defenders - Spencer Larsen, Ebenezer Ekuban and Bly - leave the game because of injuries. New York kicker Jay Feely boots a 30-yard field goal to trim the Broncos' lead to 27-17 going into the fourth quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER: Broncos 34, Jets 17

Ekuban and Bly return to the action and, after the Jets move past midfield, the defense turns in another huge fourth-down stop.

After the Broncos take over, Cutler hits Scheffler for nine yards and pounds the ball with Hillis before finding veteran Brandon Stokley for a 36-yard touchdown pass that increases Denver's lead to 34-17.

Favre attempts to rally the Jets, but his next possession ends with a three-and-out, and his final desperation drive ends when Broncos cornerback Josh Bell knocks away a fourth-down pass in the end zone. After Hillis caps his career day with one more run for a first down, Cutler starts taking a knee and the Broncos start celebrating.