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DENVER —** Demaryius Thomas may not have been himself Sunday, but he was still able to do enough to be the Broncos' most dynamic receiver while moving up in the Broncos' record books.

It was questionable whether Thomas would even play with a hip injury he suffered in the season opener, yet by halftime he had moved past Ed McCaffrey for fourth place in career receptions as a Bronco.

"I wasn't myself, but I held my own," said Thomas, who racked up 90 yards on just five receptions to lead the Broncos' receiving corps.

"[He was] unbelievable, to be honest with you," quarterback Trevor Siemian said. "He's a tough, tough guy and he's a heck of a player. It was special to watch -- special to watch how he handled the injury and then made a bunch of big plays for us."

Thomas' first catch was a 44-yard reception on a simple screen pass that he took behind the line of scrimmage before breaking free for a long gain.

"I'm disappointed because I got caught," Thomas said. "If I wasn't a little banged up, I think I would've scored." 

Two drives later, a short 9-yard catch would tie Thomas with McCaffrey for career receptions at 462. 

Then, in the middle of the second quarter, Siemian hit Thomas for a 17-yard reception, and the Broncos had a new name in fourth place for career receptions.

His final big play would keep the offense on the field at a vital time needing 11 yards to convert a third down with three minutes left. Thomas took a short pass and while being tackled, reached out for a first down. The play allowed the Broncos to take another minute off the clock and got them in better shape for a field goal attempt.t them in better field-goal position.

"I was just running a slant to get into great field-goal position," Thomas said. "Once I caught it, I was going to do everything I could do to get a first down and keep the clock running. I just reached out and made sure I held on to the ball."

Demaryius Thomas may not have been himself, but close was good enough.