John Elway proved once and for all he's not a one-man show.
Elway threw two first-half interceptions and by halftime was 7-of-15 for 61 yards - figures that would have doomed Denver teams of the past.But while the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback was struggling, Terrell Davis ran for 171 yards and Rod Smith made like Lynn Swann, leaping high over defenders to pull down 47- and 40-yard receptions.
The Broncos defense, meanwhile, shut out the NFL's No. 2-rated offense in the second half, and the result was a 34-13 romp over the New England Patriots on Monday night.
In a battle of the NFL's last remaining unbeaten teams, the Broncos posted their 10th straight win over the Patriots, who are the defending AFC champions - a designation the Broncos felt would be theirs until a shocking first-round playoff loss to Jacksonville last January.
"This game might have big implications down the line," Elway said. "To be tested like we were tonight by a good football team that went to the Super Bowl last year, it answers a lot of questions.
"We still have a long way to go, and our schedule gets tougher. But we feel good being where we are."
Two big defensive plays by Denver linebacker John Mobley, who finished with 13 tackles, helped stake the Broncos to a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Mobley forced a fumble, ending a Patriots drive at the Denver 25, and Davis, the NFL rushing leader, capped a subsequent 75-yard touchdown drive with a 2-yard run.
Less than two minutes later, Mobley intercepted a pass from Drew Bledsoe and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown.
The second quarter, however, belonged to the Patriots. Safety Willie Clay twice intercepted Elway, setting up Bledsoe's 44-yard TD pass to Keith Byars and a field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Another field goal cut the deficit to 14-13 at halftime.
Denver responded by scoring on its first three possessions of the third quarter. Elway passed 30 yards to Smith and then sneaked the final yard for a 21-13 lead. A 39-yard pass-interference penalty against Pats cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock set up the first of two field goals by Scott Bentley, playing in his first NFL game because of an injury last week to Jason Elam.
Then Smith beat Ty Law on a 47-yard reception to set up Davis' 1-yard run with 1:59 left in the period, making it 31-13.
"It's been a long time since we had a game like this that meant so much against a good opponent where we went out and dominated the second half," Elway said. "We got bogged down in the second quarter, but we came out more aggressive in the third quarter, especially in the passing game, and got them on their heels. That's when Terrell is at his best."
Davis gained 114 of his 171 yards in the second half.
Elway finished with 196 yards on 13-of-27. Bledsoe was 20-for-41 for 234 yards.