Royal kicks into gear, keeps Broncos perfect

The Broncos didn’t get an offensive touchdown until Kyle Orton threw a 19-yard pass to tight end Tony Scheffler late in the third quarter for a 24-23 lead. Denver added a field goal by Matt Prater and a late 5-yard touchdown catch by Brandon Stokley that was upheld on review.

After a slow start Orton finished 20 for 29 for 229 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions.

This is the fifth time the Broncos have been 6-0, the first since going 13-0 in 1998 en route to winning their second straight Super Bowl behind John Elway. They opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the AFC West over three-time defending division champion San Diego (2-3).

Denver outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil had two sacks to extend his NFL lead to 10. His second sack caused Philip Rivers to fumble, with Vonnie Holliday recovering to set up Prater’s 29-yard field goal. The Broncos sacked Rivers five times, three in the fourth quarter.

Royal is the 11th player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in a game.

After the Chargers were forced to settle for a field goal following a sensational drive late in the first quarter, Royal took the kickoff at the 7, found a big hole at about the 35, cut inside of kicker Nate Kaeding at the 50, and raced down the left sideline to give the Broncos a 7-3 lead.

In the second quarter, Royal fielded Mike Scifres’s punt on the bounce at the 29, worked his way inside, then outraced the coverage to the outside to give Denver a 17-10 lead.

Royal’s electrifying returns at first silenced Qualcomm Stadium, then had Chargers fans booing.

Speedy little Darren Sproles of the Chargers got in on the action when he returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown for a 20-17 lead that held up at halftime. Sproles caught Brett Kern’s punt, ran up the left sideline, got a nice block at about the 50, cut inside, and was gone.

Sproles was one of the 11 to return a punt and kickoff for touchdowns, doing it in a 23-21 win against Indianapolis on Nov. 11, 2007.