Broncos 51, Titans 28
DENVER -- Matt Prater set an NFL record with a 64-yard field goal and quarterback Peyton Manning led a go-ahead 24-point blitz after Denver fell behind early as the Broncos rallied past the Tennessee Titans 51-28 on an icy Sunday.
The victory in coach John Fox's return to the sideline kept the Broncos (11-2) undefeated at home this season and clinched a playoff berth. Fox had missed the past month after undergoing heart valve replacement surgery.
Manning, whose record in cold-weather games had come under scrutiny this week, completed 39 of 59 for 397 yards in a game played in sub-freezing temperatures. At kickoff, it was 18 degrees.
Manning finished with four scoring passes: 20 yards to wide receiver Eric Decker, 8 yards to tight end Julius Thomas, 4 yards to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and 1 yard to wide receiver Wes Welker, who was sidelined just before halftime with a concussion, his second in four games. Welker took a hit to the head when he dove for a pass as safety Bernard Pollard came in to break it up.
Titans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 172 yards, including a 41-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Justin Hunter and a 57-yard completion to Hunter that set up another score.
Down 21-10 after running back Shonn Greene ran 28 yards for his second touchdown of the day, the Broncos ran off 24 straight points to surge back in front.
Manning started the flurry late in the second quarter with a drive ending in the scoring pass to Julius Thomas, who was back after missing the previous two games with a right knee injury.
After forcing a Titans punt, the Broncos got the ball on their 29-yard line back with 31 seconds left in the second quarter and no timeouts. Manning completed passes to Demaryius Thomas and tight end Jacob Tamme, with Tamme getting out of bounds at the Tennessee 46 to stop the clock with 3 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Fox then sent Prater onto the field.
Taking dead aim on history, Prater got plenty of leg into the kick and sent it right on course, and the ball narrowly cleared the crossbar, pulling the Broncos to within 21-20 as time expired in the first half.
The kick eclipsed the previous field goal record of 63 yards, originally set by the New Orleans Saints' Tom Dempsey against Detroit on Nov. 8, 1970, and subsequently matched on three other occasions, most recently by San Francisco's David Akers against Green Bay on Sept. 9, 2012.
Buoyed by Prater's heroics, the Broncos scored successive third-quarter touchdowns with Manning culminating the opening drive of the second half with a short touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas that put the Broncos in front for the first time 27-21 with 11:58 remaining in the third quarter.
The Broncos' defense pitched in on the next score. Von Miller tipped a Fitzpatrick pass that was intercepted by nose tackle Terrance Knighton, leading to Knowshon Moreno's 1-yard touchdown run.
After Hunter's long scoring catch pulled the Titans to 34-28, Prater kicked his third field goal of the day, a 19-yarder, following running back Chris Johnson's fumble, and Manning later connected with Decker, upping the Broncos lead to double digits with 9:12 left to play.
Montee Ball closed the scoring out with a 5-yard touchdown run with 3:12 remaining, lifting the Broncos past the 50-point threshold for the third time this season.
NOTES: QB Peyton Manning's 39 completions were the most in a game in Broncos' history. ... Titans WR Kenny Britt was listed among the team's inactive players as a healthy scratch. ... Broncos CB Champ Bailey missed a 10th game this season because of a lingering foot injury. ... In a pre-game ceremony, the Sports Authority Field press box was renamed in honor of Jim Saccomano, the Broncos' media relations executive who is retiring after 36 years with the organization. ... Julius Thomas' touchdown catch was his 11th of the season, most by a tight end in Broncos' history. ... Titans RB Chris Johnson had a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and needs one more rushing touchdown to become the third player in team history with 50. Eddie George and Earl Campbell also achieved the milestone.
