ENGELWOOD, Colo. — For the first 27 minutes Sunday at the Oakland Raiders, the Denver Broncos offense racked up mistakes as quickly as gained yards. It was still on pace to push for a 400-yard day, but penalties, poor execution and two interceptions of Peyton Manning had the Broncos in a 10-6 hole.

Manning’s two picks, one of which came on an overthrow of a pass to Emmanuel Sanders, showed that no Bronco was immune from the malaise that appeared to grip the entire team after its 43-21 loss at New England seven days earlier. Not even changing 60 percent of the starting offensive line appeared to help.

“We got down in the red zone a couple of times and kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” said center Will Montgomery. “So it was just a matter of finishing the drives.”

And on a team filled with finishers at its skill positions, perhaps the least known of them seized the day, the game and got the Broncos back in the win column.

No one expected C.J. Anderson to be the hero of the day. But after Ronnie Hillman struggled with a sprained foot, and after the offense failed to ignite, it took the undrafted second-year player to bring it back to life by breaking three tackles en route to a 51-yard touchdown reception that gave the Broncos the lead for good.

All of a sudden, the execution problems vanished. The Broncos overwhelmed the Raiders, scored on their next five possessions and cruised to a 41-17 win that restored order to a season that, for a brief moment Sunday, appeared to be teetering on unraveling.

“Once we got settled down, and guys made some plays, that’s what we needed,” said wide receiver Wes Welker. “We needed some guys to step up, and we had a bunch of them do it.”

An interception from Bradley Roby, a forced fumble by Malik Jackson and two touchdowns apiece from Sanders and Julius Thomas did that. But it was Anderson’s jaunt through Khalil Mack, Charles Woodson and the Raiders defense that roused the Broncos from their post-defeat stupor.

For Anderson, the day had special meaning. He grew up a Raiders fan in Vallejo, Calif., north of Oakland, and attended approximately a dozen games at the Coliseum. His family watched him cross the goal line, where teammates celebrated as much out of relief as joy.

But for the Broncos, it was all cold, calculated business after Anderson scored. They got in, got the win over a winless Raiders club, and got out. That’s their simple mission between now and Nov. 30 against Kansas City.

MEDICAL WATCH: RB Ronnie Hillman was limited to 31 snaps because of a mid-foot sprain that could keep him out two to three weeks. Hillman was ineffective in his limited work, averaging 2.2 yards on six carries and 4.5 yards on two receptions. Montee Ball missed a fifth consecutive game with a groin strain. Ball practiced on a limited basis last week and could return to the lineup next Sunday in St. Louis.

REPORT CARD VS. RAIDERS

PASSING OFFENSE: A-minus — After a scattershot first quarter and a half, Peyton Manning found his rhythm and dismantled Oakland’s battered secondary, throwing five touchdown passes in a 17-minute span. The shuffled offensive line gave him more time to throw as the game progressed, which led to a 32-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders that pushed the Broncos’ lead to two points and effectively put the game beyond Oakland’s reach.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-plus — C.J. Anderson’s biggest play was on the ground, but his steady running — which included carries of 16 and 17 yards — helped stabilize the Broncos’ offense after some early struggles. Anderson finished with 90 yards on 13 carries in his most extensive regular-season action to date, and displayed good balance and quickness that could give him more snaps, even after Montee Ball’s expected return from a groin injury.

PASS DEFENSE: B-plus — Only a fourth-quarter lapse after the game was decided and with some reserves rotating into the lineup sullied the performance. The Broncos finished without a sack, which was no surprise given Derek Carr’s ability to avoid pressure and take checkdowns rather than lingering in the pocket. But they did make him uncomfortable and limit his options. After three quarters, the Broncos’ dominance of Oakland’s passing game was so complete that the Raiders averaged just 2.5 yards per attempt and 4.4. yards per completion.

RUSH DEFENSE: A — Good penetration up front and outstanding work at filling gaps from linebacker Brandon Marshall effectively eliminated Oakland’s rushing game, which made its offense one-dimensional and helped the Broncos pull away. None of the Raiders’ six runs gained more than six yards, and the Broncos defense returned to the top of the league in rushing yardage allowed per game and per carry.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-minus — Brandon McManus hit both field-goal attempts — both from inside 30 yards — and blasted every kickoff into or beyond the end zone, and Isaiah Burse had his best day on punt returns, averaging 13.0 yards on his four runbacks. But Burse’s best return, a 30-yarder, was wiped out by an illegal block penalty on David Bruton that made no difference in the outcome, which was another tough break for the rookie returner.

COACHING: B-plus — The mission was to prevent the issues against New England from starting a trend, and for the most part, the Broncos succeeded, overcoming a slow start pockmarked by the same kind of mental errors that plagued them a week earlier. The changes in the offensive line were effective at giving Manning more time and galvanizing the running game.