Packers vs. Broncos: Score and Twitter Reaction for Sunday Night Football

Two undefeated teams entered Sunday night's showdown at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, but only one remains after the Denver Broncos blitzed the Green Bay Packers, 29-10, to improve to 7-0. 

Coming off a bye, Denver's offense was balanced, focused and sharp. Peyton Manning completed 21 of 29 passes for 340 yards and an interception, and that was all the Broncos defense needed as it clamped down on Aaron Rodgers. 

Green Bay's quarterback was under siege from start to finish. As Denver posted a 500-140 advantage in total yardage, Rodgers was limited to a career-low 77 yards passing (minimum 20 attempts, per ESPN Stats & Info) as Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib regularly locked up the Packers' primary options on the outside. 

Denver's real epiphany came on the ground. Though Broncos entered Sunday night's clash ranked 31st in average rushing yards (85.0), head coach Gary Kubiak's side nearly eclipsed that mark by halftime. 

Ronnie Hillman (19 carries, 60 yards) paced the ground game early with two rushing touchdowns as Denver opened up a 14-0 lead, and C.J. Anderson finally came alive following weeks of plodding around the line of scrimmage.      

Anderson rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, including a warp-speed sprint to the end zone in the third quarter, as the NFL documented on Twitter:  

The Denver Post's Troy Renck took note of Anderson's return to 2014 form: 

While both squads were well-rested, Denver came out rejuvenated with a fresh approach on offense.

Deep balls were a prominent feature of the Broncos' game plan throughout the first half, and Manning's numbers reflected the team's increased sense of aggression. 

Manning finished the first half with 212 yards on 14-of-18 passing—or just over 15 yards per completion on average. Considering Manning tallied a grand total of 213 yards passing in Denver's Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday night represented a major improvement. 

Manning also impressed relative to Rodgers, who was limited to 37 yards over the first two quarters. According to NFL Network's James Palmer, Rodgers entered the night averaging 141 passing yards in first halves. 

Denver's refreshed offense also became the first team to score more than 13 points in a first half against the Packers this season, per ESPN Stats & Info. 

Green Bay's defense had no answer for Denver's deep crossing routes and one-two rushing punch, and the Packers' only sustainable source of offense came when the Broncos extended drives because of penalties. 

NFL Network's Stacey Dales summed up Denver's dominance: 

On both sides of the ball, this was the performance Denver needed to solidify its status as a Super Bowl contender. Kubiak's defense was already entrenched as arguably the league's best, but the offense took a promising step forward Sunday night against one of the NFC's elite. 

The Broncos are now 7-0 with the wobbly Indianapolis Colts coming up in Week 9. And if history is any indication, Denver is right where it wants to be. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the only other time the Broncos started 7-0 (1998), they went on to win the Super Bowl. 

Post-Game Reaction

The Packers' official Twitter account relayed post-game soundbites from Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy: 

As for Denver, Kubiak referred to Sunday's win as a stepping stone to greater future gains, per Renck: 

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was also thrilled with his unit's effort, according to Renck:

"I haven’t had my ass kicked like that in a long time," McCarthy added, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. "They covered us very well.” 

Finally, one Bronco thanked an external source of motivation for helping keep Denver undefeated. 

"Being the underdog at home made us mad," Harris said, per Palmer. "Thank you Vegas."