Denver ? Beating Cincinnati and San Diego was a nice way for Denver to start the season.

But it is not like the Broncos took out the town bully with one punch. It was the Bengals and Chargers, after all. Embarrassing the Raiders on national television? Now that’s saying something.

“I’m tired of all these people talking about other teams and how great they are,” Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe said after Denver’s 31-10 win Monday night. “They talk about these teams that are supposedly set for the Super Bowl. But you know what? We played like a great team and we showed what we are all about.”

Denver joined Kansas City and Indianapolis as the only teams in the AFC at 3-0. Oakland, last year’s AFC champion, fell to 1-2.

OK, so the Raiders have been a shell of the team that lost to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl last year. Oakland’s offense looks like it is stuck in the mud, the defense can’t stop anybody and the penalties are piling up.

But don’t tell the Broncos about Oakland’s troubles. They’re not listening. Not only is Oakland the team Denver loves to beat, the Raiders embarrassed Denver twice last season.

“I’m about as satisfied as I’ve been in a long time,” Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce said.

It’s hard not to be.

New Denver quarterback Jake Plummer shook off last week’s shoulder injury and showed why the Broncos picked him up in the offseason. He threw touchdown passes to Sharpe and Ashley Lelie in the first quarter, then put the Broncos up 21-0 with a 6-yard touchdown run on a bootleg.

“It was a lot of fun to be that efficient in the first half and score 31 points,” said Plummer, who was 14-for-21 for 197 yards. “It was a great feeling.”

Denver defensive tackle Mario Fatafehi celebrates after sacking Oakland's Rich Gannon. The Broncos routed the Raiders, 31-10, Monday night in Denver.