Davis Hits Higher Ground in Carrying for 215 Yards

Little was expected of Terrell Davis when the unheralded running back from Georgia was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft in 1995. Expectations have changed dramatically since.

Davis rushed for a club-record 215 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and the Denver Broncos stayed unbeaten with a 38-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

“Two years ago when I ran for 100 yards, everybody praised me,” Davis said. “Now when I get 100 yards, it’s like: Who cares? The standards have definitely been raised.

“It’s nice to get 200 yards. That’s something I had in mind coming into the season.”

Davis, who rushed for 1,117 and 1,538 yards his first two seasons, is headed toward another 1,000-yard season after topping 100 yards for the fourth consecutive game. He broke his personal best of 194 yards set last year against Baltimore.

John Elway threw three touchdown passes, then put the ball right where he wanted it in the final quarter--in Davis’ hands.

Davis’ scoring burst gave the Broncos (4-0) a 28-20 lead with 11:13 to play. He later ran 34 yards to set up Jason Elam’s 25-yard field goal with 3:26 left.

Cincinnati (1-2) had leads of 7-0 and 17-14 but couldn’t withstand Denver’s multifaceted offense.

Ki-Jana Carter, the first player selected in the same draft in which Davis went 196th, had his best game in the NFL. Carter ran 79 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter and finished with 104 yards, the first Cincinnati back in 68 games to gain 100 yards.