After consecutive three-and-outs by each offense, the Broncos drove 88 yards to regain the lead with Peyton Manning’s third touchdown pass of the game.
On the first play, Peyton Manning threw to Ronnie Hillman out of the backfield, who found running room for an 11-yard pickup.
A 6-yard completion to Joel Dreessen followed, and then Hillman moved the chains with a 4-yard carry.
A play later, Manning threw a high pass to Dreessen in first-down territory. Dreessen leaped in the air to secure the catch while absorbing a hard hit from a Baltimore defender.
A personal foul was called on the play to tack on 15 yards to the 11-yard reception. That moved Denver to the 40-yard line of Baltimore.
After a short run and a short completion, Denver faced a third-and-3 at the 33-yard line. From the shotgun formation with Hillman next to him, Manning called an audible and then threw to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. The pass fell incomplete, but a defensive holding penalty was called prior to the pass, granting Denver a first down to the 28-yard line.
Hillman took the first-down carry and gained 4. Wide receiver Eric Decker caught a short pass as he crossed over the middle, then made a move to pick up the first down.
From the 17-yard line with a new set of downs, Manning faked the handoff and threw it to Thomas for a screen pass. The receiver took a step to cut it inside, where defenders converged. On a dime, he bounced the play outside where tackle Orlando Franklin and company had the edge sealed.
Thomas crossed the goal line for a 17-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 35-28 lead with 7:11 remaining in the game.
Manning now has three touchdowns on the day, tying the Broncos single-game postseason record. John Elway holds the other three instances of that feat.
Tags: AFC Divisional Round, Baltimore Ravens, Gameday Coverage