The Denver Broncos still have their troubles with the red zone and yellow flags. The dark cloud that hung over them in their month of misery, though, is gone.

Kyle Orton drove them on six scoring drives, Matt Prater kicked four field goals and safety Brian Dawkins led a ferocious defense 48 hours after calling a players-only meeting, and the Broncos defeated the New York Giants, 26-6, last night at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver.

Elvis Dumervil dumped Eli Manning twice, extending his NFL-leading sack total to 14. Dumervil's second one came in the fourth quarter and resulted in a fumble that sealed Denver's first win since Oct. 19.

Playing host to their first Thanksgiving game since 1963 in the AFL, the Broncos returned to the physical style of play that marked their 6-0 start and ditched the sieve that was their defense during their four-game skid.

Behind three takeaways, the Broncos (7-4) halted their free fall and pulled within a half game of AFC West Division leader San Diego. New York (6-5), which snapped its four-game losing streak Sunday, fell two games behind Dallas, which beat Oakland earlier yesterday, in the NFC East.

The Broncos outgained the Giants, 213-38, in the first half but settled for field goals on three drives, including their first two trips inside the Giants' 10 as they continued their monthlong red zone struggles.

That led to an embarrassing mistake by the NFL Network, which accidentally aired a profanity from Broncos coach Josh McDaniels.

• Cowboys 24, Raiders 7: Miles Austin could not stop smiling, soaking up the cheers as he stared at himself on the giant video screens over the field. Then Tony Romo really soaked him, splashing a cup of water in his face. All part of the fun for host Dallas in its Thanksgiving rout of Oakland.

Romo snapped the Cowboys from their offensive slumber by leading them to a season-high 494 yards, with Austin delivering 145 yards and a touchdown, sending the Cowboys to a victory against the Raiders. By winning for the sixth time in their past seven games, Dallas (8-3) is guaranteed of going into the final month of the season atop the NFC East.

Now comes the real challenge: Staying there. The Cowboys are 5-10 in games after Thanksgiving since Romo became the starting quarterback in 2006.

Oakland (3-8) and its new starting quarterback, Bruce Gradkowski, were coming off a victory against AFC North-leading Cincinnati but could not cross midfield in the first half.

The Raiders' lone highlight was top draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey making the first touchdown catch of his career.

Dallas' defense continued its strong play, with linebacker Anthony Spencer coming up with his first two sacks of the season.

• Packers 34, Lions 12: Detroit used to take a lot of pride in playing Thanksgiving Day. Lately, the Lions have been getting embarrassed when the nation tunes in to watch them. Aaron Rodgers matched a career high with three touchdown passes and Charles Woodson grabbed two of his team's four interceptions, giving the Green Bay Packers a win against host Detroit. The Lions have lost six consecutive games on the holiday, setting a franchise record, by an average of 23.2 points and eight of nine in the showcase game. The latest loss was an emotional setback for Detroit four days after Matthew Stafford's gutsy play capped the Lions' biggest comeback win since 1957. Before its recent slide, Detroit won four in a row and nine of 12 Thanksgiving games but then ex-general manager Matt Millen arrived in 2001 and made a lackluster franchise awful.

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