Broncos Show Off Depth

The Denver Broncos were without quarterback John Elway for the entire game and without running back Terrell Davis and kicker Jason Elam in the second half. They weren’t missed.

Bubby Brister, starting because Elway was bothered by stiffness in his lower back during warmups, threw four touchdown passes, and Davis ran for 168 yards and two scores as the Broncos routed the Philadelphia Eagles, 41-16, Sunday.

The Broncos (5-0) built a 35-2 halftime lead and 41-2 advantage after three quarters before Charlie Garner ran for a pair of two-yard touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the Eagles (0-5).

Davis had 120 yards and both of his touchdowns in the first quarter and finished the half with 168 yards, surpassing Cleveland’s Jim Brown for the sixth-highest rushing total in the first four years of an NFL career (5,062 yards).

Davis sat out the second half, saying, “I’m not a person who likes to pad stats.”

Elam didn’t play in the second half after he strained his right hamstring late in the first half, but punter Tom Rouen performed his duties capably.

Brister, who made his second straight start, completed 16 of 29 passes for 203 yards.

“I’m having a ball,” said Brister, 36. “It’s great to play with a team that has this type of talent. It’s a quarterback’s dream.

“It’s John’s team. I’m just holding the fort. When he’s ready to go, I’m backing him up. Hopefully, he’s back next week because we need him to win this thing. Maybe we need both of us.”

The Broncos, extending their regular-season home winning streak to 19 games, scored touchdowns on their first four possessions en route to their 28-0 first-quarter lead and had 242 total yards in the quarter compared to the Eagles’ 16.