CHICAGO — The Broncos took a commanding 3-1 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night to take over the second place spot in the AFC South with their win over the defending Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.
Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian completed 14 of 20 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns as the Broncos (4-1) snapped a three-game losing streak with the win.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said.
“It’s a special moment for our guys.
It was a great team effort.”
The Broncos (3-1), who won three straight games to extend their franchise record to 17-3, also beat the San Francisco 49ers 38-7 on Sunday.
“The way we played tonight, it was a huge win,” quarterback Matt Flynn said.
The Broncos’ offense went into the game having allowed 493 yards on 126 carries and a league-low 4.4 yards per carry.
They have now scored 20 points in their last three games.
They opened the scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run by Siemian in the third quarter and a 3-yard run by DeMarcus Ware with 1:28 left in the half.
The defense held the Saints to only four first downs and did not allow a touchdown pass until a 28-yarder by Ware.
New Orleans had not allowed a touchdown in its last three regular season games.
The Saints also held New England to 4-of-18 passing (36.7 percent) for 79 yards and three touchdowns.
The win puts the Broncos in third place in the NFC South with a 9-5 record.
“We’re still getting a lot of work to do, but it feels good to be in this position right now,” Siemian said.
Denver was led by its most productive offensive player, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who was 10-of 20 for 161 yards and a touchdown.
The big wideout also had five receptions for 66 yards.
Siemian threw for four touchdowns and ran for another in the win, and the Broncos have scored more than 200 points in six straight games.
Rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch, who started the last two games, had only one catch for 26 yards.
“They were a tough matchup.
I think they played great defense,” Broncos safety T.J. Ward said.
Lynch had an interception, and safety Eric Berry made two stops.
“Everybody has to be ready,” Ward said of the Saints.
“Their defense was a nightmare tonight.
They gave us a ton of problems on the offensive side of the ball.”
The Saints (1-3) have lost two straight and six of their last nine.
The last time the Saints were beaten by Denver was Dec. 6, 2004, when the Broncos beat the Denver Broncos 26-20.
New Saints quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 0-2 in his past four starts against the Broncos.
“This team is very confident,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick threw for 300 yards and six touchdowns in the first half, but the Broncos scored only two points in the second half.
“Our guys came out and they played hard,” Broncos quarterback Paola Patai said.
“(Fitzpatrick) had some good throws, but I think we just weren’t there.
They were able to make plays, especially in the red zone, where they really were dominant.”
The Patriots won for the second time in three games, beating Philadelphia 30-17 on Sunday in what is the team’s fourth straight win.
The Patriots are in second place with a 13-4 record, one game ahead of the Jets.
New England has won five of seven against the New York Jets.
“A big part of this is getting back to the basics, and just playing as hard as we can,” defensive end Trey Flowers said.
Flowers and cornerback Malcolm Butler each had two tackles for loss.
The Jets, who have allowed an average of 29.1 points per game in their past four, are 3-5 in their season opener against Denver.
