Broncos are tied for first

DENVER -- Eighty yards here, 62 there, another 48 somewhere else. Next thing they knew, the Denver Broncos found themselves in a spot they only could have dreamed of a few weeks ago -- tied for first place in the AFC West.

Jay Cutler threw touchdown passes of 41 and 48 yards and little-known Glenn Martinez and Andre Hall added to Denver’s slew of big scoring plays Monday night in a 34-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

“It’s been a long season, up and down, a little panic in Denver,” Cutler said. “But we pulled it together. That’s two big wins the last two weeks.”

Vince Young threw for a career high -- 308 yards -- for the second straight week, but this one also resulted in a lopsided loss for the Titans (6-4), who played catch-up against Denver the same way they did in a 28-13 loss to Jacksonville the previous week.

Martinez, a second-year receiver signed off the practice squad in September, returned a punt 80 yards to give Denver a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Hall, a first-year player with eight carries this season, turned his ninth into a 62-yard score to help the Broncos regain control of the game after they’d watched a 17-point lead slip to seven.

Hall was in after Selvin Young, who started in place of Travis Henry, went out with a knee injury.

“He was our last tailback and Andre took advantage of his opportunity,” Denver Coach Mike Shanahan said.

“We needed a big play at that time and that’s one thing about the running game. You keep pounding and every once in a while, you break one of those.”

The Broncos improved to 5-5, good enough to tie San Diego for the lead in the woeful West.

The Titans have lost two straight and hardly looked like the team that appeared poised to push Indianapolis in the AFC South.