The Sports Xchange

DETROIT — Peyton Manning just wanted to get a first down in the closing seconds of the first half. With a lot of help from his top receiver, Demaryius Thomas, Manning ended up making the biggest play of the game.

Manning’s 45-yard scoring strike to Thomas gave the Denver Broncos an eight-point lead and they held on for a 24-12 victory over the winless Detroit Lions on Sunday night at Ford Field.

Manning was looking to hit his other favorite target, Emmanuel Sanders, on a shorter route, but that was covered. So he took a chance down the right sideline and Thomas out-fought cornerback Darius Slay for the ball, then sauntered into the end zone to give the Broncos a 14-6 lead with five seconds left in the half.

Thomas caught nine passes for 92 yards and running back Ronnie Hillman added a rushing touchdown for the Broncos (3-0).

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for 282 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice and lost a fumble. Stafford was also sacked four times.

Denver’s offense was held to 41 rushing yards, but Manning was efficient, completing 31 of 42 passes. Denver used the Pistol formation extensively to allow Manning to scan the field, rather than having him under center.

Wide receiver Calvin Johnson caught eight passes for 77 yards, and running back Joique Bell had a rushing touchdown for the Lions (0-3). But they couldn’t overcome Stafford’s turnovers. He was battered in Detroit’s first two games and once again took a beating.

“Regardless of injuries and all those kinds of things, we still should be playing better,” Detroit coach Jim Caldwell said. “That’s the key. We ought to be playing better. You can make all the excuses you want but the fact of the matter is we should be playing better.”

What we learned about the Lions:

1. The offensive line isn’t good enough to protect Matthew Stafford and it’s affecting his play. Stafford was sacked on his first pass attempt on Sunday and then was dropped three more times. He was also intercepted twice and committed a very costly fumble with his team trailing by two early in the fourth. By the game’s end, Stafford was too tentative to even heave the ball toward the end zone with his team trailing by two scores. He kept dumping the ball off to his running backs, rather than risk getting slammed to the turf once again.

2. The pass rush is ineffective, which is allowing opposing quarterbacks to carve up the secondary. The Lions sacked Peyton Manning just once and he attempted on 42 passes, which gave the wily veteran time to complete 31 passes. To make things worse, top pass rusher Ziggy Ansah left the game with a groin injury. The Lions allowed San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers and Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to complete a combined 81.7 percent of their passes during the first two games. Those numbers should make Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson feel comfortable as he prepares to face Detroit’s punchless pass rush next Monday night.

3. Running back Joique Bell has not shown the power and explosiveness he had last season. He scored a touchdown but was otherwise ineffective against Denver on Sunday. Bell carried the ball 10 times and gained just six yards. He also caught a pass for minus yardage and was swallowed up on a two-point rushing attempt. Bell underwent two surgeries during the offseason and missed most of training camp. He might only be used as a short-yardage back if he can’t regain his 2014 form.

Etc.:

–WR Calvin Johnson caught eight passes for 77 yards but did not score against Denver. Johnson made several acrobatic plays but Matthew Stafford has been unable to stretch the field with his throws to Johnson. The longest completion to Johnson was 25 yards and the longtime duo hasn’t hooked up for a completion of 30 yards or more in the first three games. Johnson has 20 receptions but they have gone for just 199 yards.

–DT Haloti Ngata made the first notable play of his Lions career when he tipped a Peyton Manning pass, allowing safety Glover Quin to intercept it and deny tight end Owen Daniels a touchdown. Ngata was the team’s biggest offseason acquisition as Ndamukong Suh’s de facto replacement, but the longtime Baltimore Raven hasn’t made much of an impact. Ngata was also credited with two quarterback hurries.

–P Sam Martin was arguably the Lions’ most effective weapon on Sunday night. Martin punted for an average of 53.2 yards with a net of 46.6 yards. He boomed one punt 66 yards that went for a touchback. Denver punt returner Emmanuel Sanders only gained 13 yards on his two returns. Martin is sure to have more activity next Monday night, when the struggling Lions face the ferocious Seattle defense on the road.