NEW ORLEANS — Mike Anderson played drums in his high school band the last time he was in the Louisiana Superdome. On Sunday, he marched into the NFL record book.
Anderson ran 37 times for 251 yards and four touchdowns, breaking the NFL rookie rushing record in the Broncos' 38-23 victory against the New Orleans Saints.
"We ran two base plays all day," Anderson said. "Hand off left, hand off right."
Anderson broke the mark of 246 yards on 39 attempts set by Corey Dillon on Dec. 4, 1997. Anderson also broke Terrell Davis' 215-yard single-game rushing record for the Broncos.
"It was just poor tackling," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "Too many guys on the ground, and we didn't play well."
The victory left Denver (9-4) in striking distance of the Oakland Raiders (10-3) in the AFC West. The Saints (8-5) stayed tied with the St. Louis Rams for first place in the NFC West.
The Broncos opened up a big lead in the second quarter with three touchdowns, taking a 28-13 advantage at the half. They made it 31-13 in the third quarter with Jason Elam's 22-yard field goal, and Anderson scored his final touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter.
Anderson's accomplishment didn't come without pain.
He was helped off the field in the third quarter after Saints cornerback Kevin Mathis upended him. Anderson bruised his left knee but jogged on the sideline and returned in the fourth quarter.
Anderson was in New Orleans with his South Carolina high school band during Mardi Gras in 1991, ending up each day in the Superdome.
The march downfield Sunday was better, Denver quarterback Gus Frerotte said.
"Anderson is a lot of fun to watch," said Frerotte, who's filling in for an injured Brian Griese. "He hits the holes, he makes guys miss and breaks tackles. He's showing he's a big time back."
Anderson rushed for a 13-yard touchdown in the first quarter, for touchdowns of 5 yards and 7 yards in the second quarter and for a 2-yarder in the fourth. He's the first Denver player to score four touchdowns in a game.
Frerotte, who had offset six touchdown passes with seven interceptions going into the game, was 11-of-16 for 201 yards with no interceptions and one sack. He threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Carswell in the second quarter.
New Orleans got another big game from Aaron Brooks, who completed 30 of 48 passes for 441 and two touchdowns, breaking
Archie Manning's single-game team record of 377 yards set in 1980. Brooks was sacked three times and intercepted twice.
"Sometimes you give all you can and you don't come back," Brooks said.
For the first time, New Orleans missed running back Ricky Williams, who broke his ankle Oct. 15 against Carolina. New Orleans did not run once in the second half.
While Anderson was keeping the Saints' defense honest, New Orleans had only 21 yards rushing, 13 yards by Brooks. Jerald Moore gained 6 yards after missing much of the week with a shoulder injury. Chad Morton, who separated his shoulder in the first quarter, gained 5 yards. Terrelle Smith had minus 3.
New Orleans, with the fourth-ranked defense in the NFL, had given up over 21 points only three times previously this year. The Saints had allowed an average of 288.8 total yards a game through their first 12 games, only 80.8 rushing. The Broncos had 483 total yards, 283 rushing.
"We pride ourselves on stopping the run and any time your goal isn't reached, it hurts your pride," Saints linebacker Keith Mitchell said. "He put up 251 yards and he's a rookie, so I guess our pride took a hit."
The Saints first touchdown was on a 19-yard pass from Brooks to Andrew Glover in the first half. Brooks hit Willie Jackson with a 28-yard touchdown pass 45 seconds before the game ended.
Doug Brien kicked field goals of 30, 19 and 42 yards for New Orleans. He missed a 43-yard attempt in the first quarter.
Joe Horn had 170 yards on 10 receptions, giving him 1,059 yards for the season and making him the first Saints player to reach the 1,000 yard mark since Quinn Early did it in 1995.
WEEK 14
Broncos 38
Saints 23