NFL game summary for 09/07/1980:
The Eagles were expecting a tough, grind-it-out game from the rugged Denver Broncos in their opener at Veterans Stadium. Instead, Philadelphia rode the passing arm of Ron Jaworski for three touchdowns and flew past the Broncos for the Eagles' biggest margin of victory in an opening game since 1964.
"I didn't expect us to play as well as we did," said Jaworski, who completed 18 of 29 passes for 281 yards. "We didn't play the real Denver Broncos today. They have one of the finest defensive teams in football, They have great linebackers. We figured they would play a tough game."
Jaworski opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 56-yard pass to wide receiver Harold Carmichael, who extended his NFL record by catching a pass in his 113th consecutive game. Jaworski added scoring strikes of 16 yards to Scott Fitzkee and 11 yards to John Spagnola. "He didn't surprise me," Eagles Coach Dick Vermeil said of Jaworski. "He had a great training camp. He has a lot more confidence out there this year."
While the Eagles were rolling for 421 yards, their defense held the Broncos to 233 yards and no TDs. Denver managed only a pair of third-quarter field goals by Fred Steinfort. "I'm disappointed and embarrassed," said Denver Coach Red Miller. "The Eagles are good, but they're not that good. Our quarterback did not play well today." Matt Robinson, acquired from the New York Jets in the offseason, completed 18 of 41 passes for 175 yards and was intercepted twice in his Denver debut. [The Sporting News]
Line: Eagles by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Denver Broncos (0-1-0) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
 Philadelphia Eagles (1-0-0) | 7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
( 0- 7) PHI Harold Carmichael 56 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick) ( 0-10) PHI Tony Franklin 17 yard field goal ( 0-13) PHI Tony Franklin 35 yard field goal ( 0-20) PHI Scott Fitzkee 16 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick) ( 3-20) DEN Fred Steinfort 44 yard field goal ( 6-20) DEN Fred Steinfort 43 yard field goal ( 6-27) PHI John Spagnola 11 yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick)
DEN PHI
First Downs: 14 21
Rushes-yards: 23-93 35-137
Yards/rush: 4.0 3.9
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 18-41-178-2 19-30-287-0
Sacked-yards: 5-38 1-3
Net pass yards: 140 284
Net yards/pass: 3.0 9.2
Total net yards: 233 421
Total plays: 69 (33% run) 66 (53% run)
Yards/play: 3.4 6.4
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 4-2
Turnovers: 2 2
Penalties-yards: 3-35 9-68
Attendance: 70,307
Passing:DEN: Matt Robinson, 18 of 41 for 178 yards (2 int)
PHI: Ron Jaworski, 18 of 28 for 281 yards and 3 TDs; Joe Pisarcik, 1 of 2 for 6 yards
Rushing:
DEN: Jim Jensen, 7 for 23 yards; Otis Armstrong, 6 for 24 yards; Dave Preston, 4 for 20 yards; Rob Lytle, 3 for 7 yards; Matt Robinson, 2 for 16 yards; Lawrence McCutcheon, 1 for 3 yards
PHI: Wilbert Montgomery, 19 for 71 yards; Perry Harrington, 9 for 49 yards; Louie Giammona, 2 for 4 yards; Ron Jaworski, 2 for 2 yards; Charlie Smith, 1 for 6 yards; Zachary Dixon, 1 for 3 yards; Billy Campfield, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 6 for 75 yards; Jim Jensen, 6 for 33 yards; Riley Odoms, 3 for 47 yards; Dave Preston, 2 for 11 yards; Lawrence McCutcheon, 1 for 12 yards
PHI: Wilbert Montgomery, 6 for 50 yards; Harold Carmichael, 3 for 135 yards and 1 TD; John Spagnola, 3 for 29 yards and 1 TD; Billy Campfield, 2 for 19 yards; Perry Harrington, 2 for 18 yards; Scott Fitzkee, 1 for 16 yards and 1 TD; Charlie Smith, 1 for 13 yards; Lewis Gilbert, 1 for 7 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Dave Preston, 4 for 84 yards; Emery Moorehead, 1 for 18 yards
PHI: Wally Henry, 1 for 20 yards; Louie Giammona, 1 for 15 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Rick Upchurch, 2 for 17 yards; Dave Preston, 1 for 7 yards
PHI: Wally Henry, 5 for 27 yards
Interceptions:
PHI: Brenard Wilson, 1 for 41 yards; Jerry Robinson, 1 for 13 yards
Punting:
DEN: Luke Prestridge, 6 for 237 yards
PHI: Max Runager, 5 for 196 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Fred Steinfort, 2/2
PHI: Tony Franklin, 2/2