Broncos 20 – Patriots 17: Game notes

Eddie Royal became the fastest Bronco to ever reach 100 catches Sunday. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Some truly fascinating nuggets here following the Broncos‘ 20-17 victory over the Patriots…. be sure to check the Broncos’ 2nd half defensive stats and Kyle Orton‘s amazing 4th quarter efficiency. Thanks as always to the Broncos PR staff.

FINAL SCORE: BRONCOS 20, PATRIOTS 17 (OT)
ATTENDANCE: 76,011

BRONCOS START 5-0

The Denver Broncos held the Boston Patriots scoreless after halftime and rallied for a 20-17 overtime victory to improve to 5-0 on the season for the fifth time in franchise history and first time in 11 seasons.

BRONCOS HALT IMPRESSIVE STREAK

The Broncos beat the Patriots despite losing the turnover battle (1 takeaway, 2 giveaways), snapping Boston’s 53-game winning streak when forcing more turnovers than its opponent. The Patriots had not lost a game when winning the turnover battle since the 2002 season.

ROYAL MAKES 100th CAREER RECEPTION

With his 8-yard reception in the first quarter, WR Eddie Royal became the seventh player in NFL history to reach 100 career receptions in 20 games or less. The second-year wide receiver, who finished with the second-most catches in league history by a rookie (91) in 2008, ties WR Terry Glenn, TE Keith Jackson, TE Jeremy Shockey and TE Kellen Winslow II for the third-fastest player to reach 100 career receptions (20 games). He has 109 receptions for 1,120 yards in his career.

MARSHALL FINDS THE END ZONE FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE GAME

Broncos WR Brandon Marshall dives into the end zone for the tying touchdown, his fourth in three games. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

WR Brandon Marshall, who finished with a season-high eight catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns, has scored in each of Denver’s last three games. It marks the second time in his career Marshall has scored in three consecutive games. The fourth-year wide receiver had a touchdown reception in his first three starts in 2008. His four touchdowns in the past three weeks mark the highest scoring total in a three-game stretch for Marshall’s career. His eight catches are the most since he recorded 10 receptions vs. Buffalo on Dec. 21, 2008.

ORTON SETS CAREER MARKS

QB Kyle Orton, who completed 35-of-48 (72.9%) passes for 330 yards to go along with two touchdowns and one interception (96.7 rating), recorded his second 300-yard passing game of his career and came within four yards of tying his personal-best mark of 334 yards set at Detroit (10/5/08) last season when he was a member of the Chicago Bears. His 48 pass attempts and 72.9% completion percentage both set career marks.

Kyle Orton played the best game of his career Sunday, leading the Broncos on two clutch, 90-yards-plus scoring drives in the comeback. (AP Photo/ Chris Schneider)

Orton had his string of 173 passing attempts without an interception broken when Patriots WR Randy Moss came up with Denver’s Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the first half. The streak, which dated to last season when Orton played for Chicago, was the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest streak by a Broncos player since QB Jake Plummer went 229 pass attempts without throwing an interception in a 10-game span in 2005.

ORTON IMPRESSIVE IN FOURTH QUARTER

With Denver’s 98-yard game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, Orton has now led a touchdown drive of 67 yards or more in the fourth quarter in four of Denver’s five games this season. Orton, who entered the game first in the AFC and second in the NFL with a 144.7 fourth-quarter passer rating, completed 8-of-13 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown in the final quarter. This season, Orton has completed 25-of-36 passes for 440 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions (138.7 rating) in the fourth quarter.

MORENO LOGS FIRST CAREER START

Rookie RB Knowshon Moreno made his first NFL start against the Patriots and finished with 21 rushes for 88 yards (4.2 avg.) and four receptions for 36 yards. Moreno leads the club as well as all NFL rookies with 81 carries and 337 rushing yards in 2009.

DENVER’S DEFENSE STRONG ON THIRD DOWNS

The Broncos held Boston to 0-of-7 on third downs in the second half, marking the third consecutive week the club has held its opponent without a third down conversion in the second half (Dallas was 0-for-7 last week and Oakland was 0-of-5 in Week 3). Denver’s opponents are a combined 2-of-31 on third downs in the second half this season.

PRATER BOOTS GAME WINNER

K Matt Prater kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime to send Denver to its fifth-straight win to start the 2009 season. It marked the first game-winning field goal of his career for Prater, who was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September.

MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES

• Denver has scored 69 of its 99 points this season after its opponent’s last score of the game.
• The Patriots, who won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half, had won 18 straight contests when winning the coin toss to start the game.
• Orton improved to 18-2 (.900) as a starter at home in his career—the best active mark in the league and the best mark since the 1970 NFL merger (min. 15 home starts).
• P Brett Kern had a 64-yard punt in the first quarter that tied a career long.