DENVER (Ticker) -- The Denver Broncos were looking for payback, and it came in spades.
Jake Plummer threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score - all in the first quarter - as the Broncos pasted their long-time rivals, 31-10.
Denver coach Mike Shanahan was 12-2 against his former club prior to last season, but the Raiders hammered the Broncos twice, including a 34-10 triumph in the last meeting between the teams.
In that contest, Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon was nearly perfect, throwing for 352 yards and completing an NFL-record 21 straight passes.
But Shanahan got a measure of revenge in this one as Plummer got it done with his arm and legs. He capped the Broncos' opening drive of the game with an 18-yard scoring strike to tight end Shannon Sharpe and pushed the lead to 14-0 with a 44-yard TD pass to Ashley Lelie with 4:14 left in the quarter.
Plummer found Lelie for another 44-yard completion on the Broncos' next possession and capped the five-play drive with a six-yard scamper. Questionable during the week with a sore right shoulder, Plummer completed 14-of-21 passes for 197 yards.
He added a 40-yard run in the second quarter - the longest ever by a Denver quarterback - and finished with 48 yards on the ground. Oakland had a total of 39.
"It was a great game plan by both Coach (Gary) Kubiak and Coach Shanahan," Plummer said. "We were a well-prepared team. We practiced really hard and well all week. We had an extra day of practice and were ready to go. We came out firing. I felt good, the shoulder wasn't an issue, and the guys up front gave me a lot of time. The guys down the field got open, so we could make a lot of big plays."
Lelie also continued to torture the Raiders. Prior to the game, his career highs for single-game receptions (eight) and yards (106) had come against Oakland. He had 88 yards in the opening half and finished with three catches for 108 yards.
"I don't think anything is perfect," Shanahan said. "I thought Jake had a couple plays in there that were big-time plays. A couple third-down plays weren't designed plays. It's always nice to see someone step up into the pocket and scramble and make a couple big plays like he (Plummer) did. I was really pleased with his effort. I thought he played exceptionally and made a couple big time plays."
"We scored three times, I don't know how we could have gotten our defense off the field any quicker - maybe if we had scored four touchdowns," Plummer said.
Gannon completed just 14-of-29 passes for 148 yards.
"They played very well," Gannon said. "We struggled coming in and continued to struggle tonight. They are a good football team, and tonight they came in and showed it. This is as bad a loss as I've ever had, at least in the regular season."
"First off, let me say: we didn't play our best football," Oakland coach Bill Callahan said. "The start of the game really put us behind the eight ball. We did not start fast or start the way we want to normally. Consequently, it kind of dovetailed and we kind of spun a bit as the game went on. Our guys fought back a little bit more in the second half, but it wasn't enough."
The teams were meeting on Monday Night Football for a record 14th time. Denver grabbed a 7-6-1 edge.
Denver, which improved to 3-0, has outscored its opponents by 65 points thus far and has yet to trail.
"I thought we had a great week of preparation," Shanahan said. "I thought we came out ready to go, on offense and on defense, we made some great plays early and got them behind. It was a nice way to cap off a Monday night game."
Sharpe was quick to point out that the balance of power has switched in the AFC West Division.
"I'm tired of all these people talking about other teams and how they're so great," Sharpe said. "They talk about all these teams that are supposedly set for the Super Bowl. But you know what? We played like a great team tonight, and we showed what we're all about. We knew what we had to do when we came out here. We had a great week of practice and we knew we had a great game plan. The question was whether we could come out and execute. For three quarters, we played about as good as we can play."
"Credit goes to the Broncos - they did an excellent job," Callahan added. "Right now we're 1-2 and we need to improve. We've got another division game coming up against San Diego on Sunday, and it's going to be imperative that we turn this thing around quickly."
After Denver jumped to an early lead, kicker Jason Elam added a second-quarter field goal for a 24-0 cushion.
Oakland managed just 74 yards in the opening half and could not figure out the Broncos' offense or defense after the break either.
Denver took the second-half kickoff and moved 80 yards in six plays, culminating in a one-yard touchdown run by backup running back Mike Anderson, who left later in the game with a knee injury.
Oakland finally got on the board with 5:21 to go in the third quarter as Zack Crockett punctuated a 13-play, 88-yard drive with a four-yard scoring run.
Sebastian Janikowski hit a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, but the Raiders never got closer. Janikowski played despite being arrested late Saturday night for his alleged role in a brawl at a bar.
The rivalry did retain some of its heat as Denver wide receiver Rod Smith was ejected midway through the second quarter for throwing a punch that inadvertently hit umpire Undre Wash.
"He told me that they were pushing and shoving," Shanahan said. "When he went to push the defensive player, he said he gave the umpire a good shot right in the jaw, so he knew he was in trouble. It obviously was not intentional, he was going after the player, but that will cost him a few dollars."
"It was an accident," Smith said. "The guy had me by the head, and I was just trying to break away, and I guess I accidentally hit the ref. I guess he was just trying to break it up, too, and I just got him. I would never do something like that, and I absolutely apologize for what happened. It was not my intention at all."
