After the Denver defense forced the fourth Saints’ punt of the half, the Broncos took over at their own 13-yard line.
On the first play of the drive, running back Willis McGahee picked up another big chunk on a reception. This one was a 19-yard gain as McGahee beat a defender to the sideline and finished the play with a strong stiff arm.
A play later, quarterback Peyton Manning stood in the pocket and took a hard hit from a blitzing Saints defender, delivering a perfect ball down the left sideline to Eric Decker for a gain of 23.
McGahee then carried it twice, covering 11 yards of turf and bringing us to the two-minute warning with the Broncos set up with a first-and-10 at the New Orleans 30-yard line.
Coming out of the two-minute warning, McGahee took it again to pick up 10 yards, but that was the last first down the Broncos would gain on the drive.
Matt Prater kicked a 33-yard field goal to end the first half, giving Denver a 17-7 lead at the break. Prater is now 8-of-8 on the year after nailing his first field goal attempt since Week 4.
Manning finishes the half with 11-of-16 passing, 178 yards and a touchdown.
McGahee had 13 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown, as well as two catches for 33 yards.
Decker caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown, while Demaryius Thomas caught two passes for 75 yards.
The attendance tonight was 76,832, the fourth-largest crowd in team history.
Tags: Gameday Coverage, New Orleans Saints, Week 8