DENVER - A dinged-up right thumb wasn't enough to throw Peyton Manning off his game and, to no one's surprise, neither was New Orleans' defense.

Despite banging his throwing thumb on an opponent's helmet in the second quarter Sunday night, Manning passed for 305 yards and three scores, led a pair of 90-plus-yard touchdown drives and easily outplayed Drew Brees to lead Denver to a 34-14 victory.

Manning surpassed the 300-yard mark for the fifth consecutive time to match his personal best and set a franchise record for the Broncos (4-3). He completed 22 of 30 throws for a passer rating of 138.9. Willis McGahee ran for 122 yards and a score for Denver, which won two in a row for the first time this season and took sole possession of first place in the AFC West.

The Broncos gained 530 yards - a season high - against the NFL's worst defense, which came in allowing more yards (2,793) over the first six games of a season than any team since 1950.

The Saints (2-5) were hoping to get a boost from the return of linebackers-turned-interim head coach Joe Vitt from his six-game suspension for the team's bounty scandal. All he can do is stand on the sidelines, though, and linebacker Jonathan Vilma - another New Orleans player implicated in the scandal - returned to the starting lineup, but he couldn't plug the holes, either.

Denver's defense held Brees and the league's top passing offense to 213 yards and two scores, the second marking the first points the Broncos have allowed in the fourth quarter since opening week. Brees threw for both scores to extend his record to 50 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass. He also reached 301 career touchdown passes to climb past John Elway for sixth on the career list.

Small consolation on a night in which the Denver defense looked almost as good as the offense.

Linebacker Wesley Woodyard did extensive damage, finishing with 13 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one interception, when Vitt chose to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Broncos' 47 early in the second quarter with the game tied at 7.

Manning answered with a 56-yard drive for the go-ahead touchdown - a 13-yard pass to Eric Decker, who was all alone when Jabari Greer slipped. Decker celebrated by spiking the ball a good 10 rows into the stands.