Peyton Manning has produced another offensive masterclass to help the Denver Broncos claim a 28-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers in the NFL, throwing four touchdowns as Demaryius Thomas scored a hat-trick at Qualcomm Stadium.
Denver wasted little time in breaking the deadlock in the search for their third away win of the season, as Manning set Julius Thomas free for a 74-yard touchdown less than six minutes into the first quarter.
San Diego offered some response as Nick Novak made good on two field goals early in the second quarter, but that show of resistance from the hosts proved to be brief.
From midway through the second quarter Manning took control, picking out Thomas in the end zone after another sustained drive down the field, covering 80 yards in just seven plays.
Thomas made Denver's dominance tell on the scoreboard with his second score in the last few seconds of the first half, breaking through a struggling Chargers defence to put the Broncos in complete control just before the break.
After the interval Thomas completed his hat-trick in style, finding room to collect Manning's 34-yard touchdown pass as Denver built a 28-6 lead early in third quarter.
The Chargers kept pressing with aggression and were finally rewarded late in third quarter, with Danny Woodhead collecting a drilled pass by Philip Rivers to reduce the deficit with their first touchdown of the night.
San Diego quickly got their second to make the fourth quarter interesting, closing to within eight points as Ryan Matthews wriggled over the line.
Manning then used all his experience to help Denver kill the clock late on in a frustrating finish for the hosts, helping the Broncos improve to 8-1 in the AFC West.
Liam Power
