DENVER — The Denver Broncos are known for their prolific passing attack. Sunday, they showed they can win with the ground game and, in the process there was vindication for a much-maligned offensive line.

Peyton Manning threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns, running back C.J. Anderson had 27 carries for 167 yards and a score behind a motivated front and the Broncos rallied to beat the Miami Dolphins 39-36 on Sunday.

The Broncos rushed 35 times for 201 yards overall, vindicating an offensive line that was criticized after last week’s 22-7 loss in St. Louis.

“They took so much during the week,” Anderson said. “They’re still human and some of them got feelings. They’re not going to tell you but some of them was hurt. They grind. It’s hard to do what we do with great defensive lines. They went out there and imposed their will.”

Broncos coach John Fox said the staff didn’t do anything different to put up the gaudy rushing statistics.

“There wasn’t more innovation,” Fox said. “We did it better and we did it more.”

Manning extended his streak for games with at least one touchdown pass to 50, the longest active streak in the NFL and third all-time.

“We wanted to run the ball, but when you find yourself behind you better to be able to throw the ball effectively as well,” Manning said.

Manning hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas with scores of 5, 14 and 5 yards, and another to Wes Welker from 2 yards out to help the Broncos erase an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Thomas had 10 catches for 87 yards. He fell 13 yards short of matching Calvin Johnson’s NFL record of eight straight games of 100 or more receiving yards.

“I just wanted to win the game,” Thomas said. “I had a decent game, helped the team. The main thing is we won the game.”

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 26 for 36 for 228 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for another score.

“We knew we were going to have to score a lot of points in this game,” Tannehill said. “I have faith in our defense, but at the same time we have a lot of respect for this team and the high-powered offense that they have.”

Anderson gave Denver its first lead on a 10-yard touchdown run with 5:01 left. On Miami’s ensuing possession Tannheill’s pass Jarvis Landry went off his hand and safety T.J. Ward intercepted Tannehill at the Dolphin 45 and returned it to the 8 with 3:30 left.

“Looked like Jarvis’ arm got pulled down right when the ball got there,” Tannehill said. “Close call. They didn’t throw the flag.”

Manning, who was 28-for-35 passing, hit Welker two plays later to put Denver ahead 39-28.

Tannehill then found Landry from the 1 and running back Lamar Miller ran in the two-point conversion to cut the lead to three with 1:34 left.

Anderson recovered the onside kick and Denver ran out the clock.

What the Broncos said:

“I thought the best thing our team did is we stayed pretty calm. I know offensively we overcame maybe three or four third- or second-and-20s. We just had a real calm demeanor the entire game. It was a key factor there late in the game.” — quarterback Peyton Manning.

What the Dolphins said:

“I don’t take nothing from no loss except that we lost. It’s a tough loss. We played a great football game. We lost to a great football team. We can’t win them all.” — wide receiver Mike Wallace.

What we learned about the Broncos:

1. When challenged, the offensive line will respond. The group took a lot of heat for Denver’s poor performance in a 22-7 loss in St. Louis last week but bounced back to open holes for running back C.J. Anderson to the tune of 167 yards. The line also gave quarterback Peyton Manning plenty of time to find open receivers. He was rarely rushed on a throw and was sacked just once. The commitment to the running game also helped the unit find some rhythm.

2, The Broncos defense isn’t as formidable as their fans had hoped. The defense had some great games early on but it struggled in stopping the Patriots three weeks ago and the Dolphins on Sunday. Miami put together three long drives in the first half and came away with touchdowns on all of them. The Dolphins finished 4-for-8 on third down conversions. Denver spent a lot of money in the offseason to shore up the defense but it hasn’t translated into a dominant unit.

–RB C.J. Anderson had 167 yards rushing to set a franchise single-game record for an undrafted player. Anderson, in his third year out of California, broke Selvin Young’s mark of 156 set against Kansas City in 2007. Anderson also had 28 receiving yards to total 195 for the game. It’s the second highest total for an undrafted Bronco in team history. Wide receiver Rod Smith had 214 total yards in 2004.

–QB Peyton Manning now has 51 career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter, the most since the 1970 NFL merger. Former Dolphin great Dan Marino is second on the list with 47 and Brett Favre is third with 43. Manning’s boss, Denver Hall of Famer John Elway, has 40.

–WR Demaryius Thomas came up 13 yards short his eighth consecutive 100-yard receiving yards, which would have matched Lions All-Pro Calvin Johnson. Thomas’s three touchdown catches Sunday gives him 39 for his career, seventh on the franchise list. Rod Smith is first with 68.

What we learned about the Dolphins:

1. The Dolphins are a real threat to New England in the AFC East if the Patriots stumble at any point. Miami ran effectively and quarterback Ryan Tannehill picked apart Denver’s secondary to convert several third-and-long situations. The defense tired against a good offense in the thin air but the Dolphins can play with anyone and will be a tough matchup if they reach the postseason.

2. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been steadily improving in coach Joe Philbin’s offense. In four of the last six weeks he has posted a quarterback rating of 104.9 or higher and has 12 touchdown passes compared to three interceptions. He had three touchdown tosses Sunday and his one interception went off the hands of wide receiver Jarvis Landry. His 65.4 completion percentage is the highest of his three-year career.

–CB Jamar Taylor left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and didn’t return. It didn’t look good for him when he was taken to the locker room on a cart. There was no immediate update on his condition. Miami also played most of the game without left tackle Ja’Wuan James because of a stinger. He didn’t return but he said after the game he was fine. “I’m going to be all right,” James said. “That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

–WR Jarvis Landry has become a reliable part of Miami’s passing game. He was targeted a team-high 11 times and caught seven balls for 50 yards and two touchdowns. It’s the second time in three weeks he has been targeted at least 10 times but he still hasn’t broken out with a high-yardage game. His most yards in one game are 75, which came against Green Bay in Week 6.

–P Brandon Fields might enjoy punting in the thin air. He only had three kicks but he averaged 53.3 yards on them.