Plummer Does His Job

It was by no means a spectacular day for Jake Plummer.

No long touchdown passes or wild scrambles. No gaudy statistics.

But Plummer did just enough to guide the Denver Broncos to a 31-17 victory over the Oakland Raiders in an AFC West showdown Sunday, and that was enough to suggest the quarterback and his team are onto something good this season.

“Whatever it takes, I just want to win,” Plummer said. “I’m not going to overanalyze it, just enjoy it.”

While the Raiders suffered a disheartening afternoon at McAfee Coliseum -- stumbling at critical moments, hearing boos from the crowd, slipping to 3-6 -- the 7-2 Broncos gave themselves breathing room atop the division. More important for a team that has faltered down the stretch in recent years, the Broncos began the second half of the season with a win.

“ ‘Finish’ is a big theme around here right now,” safety John Lynch said. “We understand that we’re off to a great start, but that’s all it is.”

Plummer is perhaps the biggest reason for Denver’s success so far. Against Oakland, he completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown. With no interceptions.

Turnovers are an issue with Plummer, who has a history of erratic play. He conceded: “I’ve been marked by that as a quarterback.”

On Sunday, his offense began cautiously, running on seven of the first eight plays. But after Darrent Williams returned a punt into Oakland territory, Plummer lofted a pass down the sideline, where Rod Smith had broken free with a double move.

The 27-yard touchdown play put Denver ahead, 7-0, and set a theme. Raider linebacker Danny Clark explained: “I felt like we could beat this football team, but we had to draw first blood and jump on them.”

Instead, the Raiders kept misfiring. A long pass bounced off receiver Jerry Porter’s arms. A few minutes later, Raider quarterback Kerry Collins threw directly to Denver cornerback Champ Bailey.

On a day when the game was broadcast over a Navajo radio network -- what’s the translation for “frustration”? -- it would be a particularly tough game for Collins, whose 310 yards and two touchdowns were overshadowed by three interceptions.

Often he was pressured by Denver’s front four. Just as often, he looked out of sync.

“I’m disappointed because I work hard at this stuff,” he said.

Meanwhile, Plummer continued to complete key passes and running back Mike Anderson scored from a yard out. Add three field goals by Jason Elam and the Broncos built a 23-0 lead.

The Raiders finally showed some spark in the fourth quarter, Randy Moss beating double coverage in the corner of the end zone, Collins finding him with a 29-yard scoring pass.

Moments later, Oakland recovered a Smith fumble that appeared to be caused by the ground but wasn’t contested by Denver. With 14:03 left, there was a glimmer of hope for the Raiders.

“We had some chances, and plays we could have made,” Raider Coach Norv Turner said.

But after a critical third-down sack, Oakland settled for a 40-yard field goal to make the score 23-10. When Williams intercepted yet another Collins pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown, the game was all but over, leaving Oakland to ponder the odds of climbing back into contention from last place.

“We have to find a way to put a complete game together,” Turner said.

Not that the Broncos were feeling entirely comfortable at the top. Fast starts in each of the last three seasons have dissolved into less-than-impressive finishes.

In 2003 and ‘04, that meant first-round playoff games against -- and losses to -- Indianapolis.

If things are to go differently this season, it probably will require Plummer to remain relatively mistake-free. A quarterback who threw 114 interceptions against 90 touchdowns through his first six seasons has now gone 193 passes without an interception.

“He’s being a lot more smart, not forcing the ball,” receiver Ashley Lelie said. “He’ll throw it away if he has to.”

And, like his team, Plummer is taking nothing for granted.

After the game, he bemoaned an errant fourth-quarter pass that bounced off the hands of Oakland linebacker Kirk Morrison. He talked about doing what it takes to be successful this time of year.

“Every win on the road is not going to be pretty,” he said. “But we’ll take it, and it’s a good way to start the second half of the season.”