Broncos beat Raiders for eighth win in row

Peyton Manning threw his 30th touchdown pass of the season as the Broncos rolled to their eighth straight victory, beating the Raiders, 26-13, Thursday night in Oakland, Calif.

Knowshon Moreno ran for 119 yards and a TD on a career-high 32 carries, and Matt Prater kicked four field goals for the Broncos (10-3).

Carson Palmer threw one interception and lost a fumble that set up a touchdown for Denver as Oakland (3-10) lost its sixth straight game

Raiders coach Dennis Allen's father, Grady, died this week from cardiac arrest. Allen was away from the team for two days but returned Wednesday and coached the game.

The Raiders had talked about rallying around their first-year coach but came out flat against a fierce division rival and were swept by the Broncos for the first time since 2006.

Big Ben: Extra protection

The Steelers aren't taking any chances with their franchise quarterback's sprained right shoulder and dislocated rib.

Although the Steelers confirmed Ben Roethlisberger will return to the starting lineup Sunday against San Diego after missing three games, he'll take the field with a little extra protection. He will play with a custom fit rib/chest compression shirt and a layer of Kevlar-lined composite in his shoulder pads to help absorb hits to his clavicle and shoulder joint regions.

The padding, made by Unequal Technologies, has grown popular across the NFL. It is similar to the gear the company puts in chest protectors for catchers.

Whatever he's wearing, the Steelers (7-5) are eager to have him back. Roethlisberger took "90 percent" of the first-team snaps Thursday without any major issues.