BRONCOS ON TOP OF NFL - BUT IT'S EARLY : DENVER 34, N. ENGLAND 13.

Byline: Associated Press 

Thanks to Terrell Davis and John Mobley, the Denver Broncos passed their first big test Monday night.

Now they have to wait three months to find out if it means anything.

Davis ran for 171 yards in 32 carries and Mobley returned an interception for a score and forced a key fumble as the Broncos scored 17 points in the third quarter and beat New England 34-13 in the ballyhooed battle of the NFL's last unbeaten teams.

Rod Smith added five catches for 130 yards as the Broncos (6-0) beat the Patriots for the 10th straight time dating to 1979.

``I guess we just match up with them well,'' Mobley said. ``We know they're one of the upper-echelon teams in the league, so we get up to play them.''

But based on last season, getting up now doesn't mean much.

Denver started 12-1, including a 34-8 win over the Patriots, clinched home field with five games left in the regular season, then lost its first playoff game to Jacksonville, and New England went on to the Super Bowl.

``Let's keep this in perspective,'' Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. ``It's a long season. This was just the sixth round. Last year there was a team that was 7-1 (Washington) that didn't make the playoffs.''

The Broncos jumped to a 14-0 lead on a 1-yard run by Davis and a 13-yard interception return by Mobley.

But the Patriots (4-1) cut it to 14-13 at halftime thanks to two interceptions by Willie Clay that set up a 44-yard TD pass from Drew Bledsoe to Keith Byars and one of Adam Vinatieri's two field goals.

The second half was no contest as Davis rushed for 114 of his 171 after intermission. ``That's a lot of work,'' he said.

Denver took the kickoff 80 yards in 10 plays for a score on a 1-yard sneak by John Elway; Scott Bentley added a short field goal; then Davis scored on his second 1-yard TD run.

The defense, meanwhile, held New England to three plays and out on its first two series of the half and the Patriots self-destructed - they had six penalties for 74 yards in the third quarter alone.

The Patriots finished with 117 yards in penalties, 74 of them on cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock.

New England moved easily to the Denver 25 off the opening kickoff.

But Terry Glenn was stripped by Mobley, and Elway directed the Broncos on a 75-yard, 11-play drive capped by Davis' first TD.

Mobley stepped in front of Bledsoe's pass at the 13, picked it off, and trotted into the end zone.

But the New England defense reciprocated.

On the first play of the second quarter, Clay got his first interception, returning it 27 yards to the Denver 44. On the next play, Bledsoe found Byars for the TD that made it 14-7.

Then Vinatieri hit from 26 yards and 49 yards in the last 3:12 of the half to make it 14-13.

The Broncos' first drive of the third quarter was helped by facemask and defensive holding calls against New England. The key play was a 30-yard completion on third and 10 from Elway to Smith in which Elway was very close to crossing the line of scrimmage.

Bentley, signed this week to replace the injured Jason Elam, kicked the first field goal of his NFL career, a 21-yarder set up by a 39-yard pass-interference call against Hitchcock to make it 24-13.

A 47-yard pass from Elway to Smith, who made a leaping catch at the 1, set up Davis' second 1-yard TD run, and it was 31-13. Bentley added a 33-yarder for the final points.

Elway was 13 for 27 for 197 yards, and Maa Tunavasu had three sacks for the Broncos.

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Photo

Photo: (color) Broncos linebacker John Mobley returns an interception 13 yards for a touchdown.

Associated Press