OAKLAND, Calif. — The Denver Broncos were looking for a bounce-back game against winless Oakland on Sunday, a week after their embarrassing 43-21 loss to New England.

But with only three minutes left in the first half, the Broncos trailed the Raiders 10-6, and quarterback Peyton Manning had already been intercepted twice.

The Broncos needed a spark, and they got one from an unlikely source, third-string running back C.J. Anderson, a second-year player out of Cal who grew up in the Bay Area city of Vallejo, not far from the O.co Coliseum.

Anderson turned a short third-and-8 Manning swing pass into a highlight-reel 51-yard touchdown, igniting a 35-0 Denver burst and lifting the Broncos to a 41-17 victory.

“That was as fine a play as I’ve seen so far this season,” said Manning, who overcame his slow start to throw a season-high five touchdown passes in just three quarters of work. “I thought they had pretty good coverage on the play across the board. I thought I was feeling somebody was kind of close to me. I didn’t want to have a sack in that situation.

“I don’t know how many guys he made miss, but it was just an effort play on his part. … That really gave us a spark offensively and of course the whole sideline was fired up. C.J. played great today.”

Denver (7-2) sent the Raiders to their ninth straight defeat this season and 15th consecutive overall. The Broncos beat Oakland for the sixth straight time, five of those with Manning at quarterback.

Manning completed 31 of 44 passes for 340 yards with five scores and two interceptions before giving way to backup Brock Osweiler after building a 31-point lead.

What the Raiders said:

“We’ve got to be a team that can take the shots like that one and bounce back from that. I thought we started fast. After that play, man, I don’t know what it was. It kind of took the wind out of our sails there. We weren’t able to get it back. That’s no excuse, man. We’ve got to figure out ways to keep our composure, keep doing what we’re doing and figure out a way to play four quarters. Last week, it was the opposite. We came out flat and were able to finish the game on a high. This week, it was the other way around. We’ve got to figure out ways how to start and finish games.” — DE Justin Tuck, on the Raiders collapse after Broncos RB C.J. Anderson’s game-changing 51-yard touchdown catch.

What the Broncos said:

“We did just kind of need a spark, a big play. I was on the other side of the field, (running back) C.J. (Anderson) broke about three tackles and I was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to get the first down.’ All of a sudden, he started turning up and crossing the field. That’s a great play and just what we needed at the time.” — WR Wes Welker, on Anderson’s’ 51-yard touchdown catch.

What we learned about the Raiders:

1. They just might dink-and-dunk their way to an 0-16 season. Quarterback Derek Carr completed 30 of 47 passes but averaged just 6.4 yards per completion. Wide receiver James Jones caught a team-high eight passes for 20 yards — 2.5 per catch. When interim coach Tony Sparano made his debut Oct. 12 against San Diego, Carr threw 34 times and completed 18 for 282 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 15.7 yards per completion in a 31-28 loss, the closest Oakland has come to a victory this season. It’s time for Carr to start throwing more deep passes again. What do the Raiders have to lose?

2. Running back should be high on their wish list for the 2015 NFL Draft. Darren McFadden led the Raiders with 14 rushing yards on seven carries, averaging 2.0 yards per try. Maurice Jones-Drew carried three times for 10 yards, 3.3 yards a pop. The Raiders entered the game ranked last in the NFL in rushing at 65.5 yards per game and rushed for 30 yards on 15 carries against Denver.

–TE Mychal Rivera caught six passes for 64 yards and an 18-yard touchdown Sunday against Denver. Rivera has 34 catches for 286 yards and three touchdowns this season and 72 catches for 693 yards and seven touchdowns for his career, which began last year. He moved past Raymond Chester (70) into third place on the Raiders’ all-time list for receptions by a tight end over their first two NFL seasons.

–DE Justin Tuck had his third career interception Sunday, picking off a pass by Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. Tuck jumped up to deflect Manning’s pass early in the second quarter then made a diving interception. It was his first interception since Dec. 22, 2013.

–CB DJ Hayden made his first start of the season Sunday against Denver and picked off his first pass of 2014. On his second play from scrimmage, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw deep over the middle to WR Emmanuel Sanders, but Hayden knifed in to make the interception. Hayden, the Raiders’ top pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, left the game in the fourth quarter with a groin injury.

What we learned about the Broncos:

1. Running back C.J. Anderson earned a larger role. Anderson’s miraculous 51-yard catch and run for a touchdown late in the first half, gave the Broncos a 13-10 lead and ignited their slumbering offense. Denver scored 35 straight points and cruised to a 41-17 victory against the Raiders. Anderson, who went to Cal and grew up in the Bay Area city of Vallejo, had a career day in front of over 40 family members and friends. He carried 13 times for a career-high 90 yards and caught four passes for a career-high 73 yards and his first NFL touchdown. “You just got to be ready for your opportunity,” said Anderson, who signed with Denver last year as a rookie free agent. “I always just try to prepare and be ready for my opportunity. You got to thank the O-line for what they did today.”

2. Peyton Manning still owns the Raiders. Manning threw five touchdown passes and improved to 5-0 against Oakland as a Bronco. Going into the game, he had completed 81 percent of his passes in four games with Denver against Oakland, going 113 of 139 for 1,288 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception. Manning got off to a slow start Sunday with two early interceptions, but he finished with 340 passing yards and his five TDs in just three quarters of work.

–RB C.J. Anderson rushed for a career-high 90 yards on 13 carries and caught four passes for a career-high 73 yards and his first NFL touchdown Sunday in a 41-17 victory against Oakland. Anderson turned a swing pass into a spectacular 41-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, putting the Broncos ahead 13-10. Anderson signed with Denver as an undrafted rookie last season.

–OLB Brandon Marshall had a team-high 13 tackles Sunday in Denver’s 41-17 victory against Oakland. Eleven of Marshall’s tackles were solo. He had one tackle for loss and one pass defensed. He leads the Broncos with 73 tackles.

–QB Peyton Manning completed 31 of 44 passes for 340 yards and a season-high five touchdowns Sunday in a 41-17 victory against Oakland. Manning started slowly, throwing a pair of interceptions in the first half. But he threw two TD passes late in the second quarter and three more in the third before being replaced by backup QB Brock Osweiler, who played the entire fourth quarter.