Broncos Defeat Steelers in Manning's Debut!

In one of the most exciting and memorable games in Bronco history, Denver defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers at home last night 31-19 to open the 2012 season. It was Peyton Manning's first game back since January 2011. It was Manning's first game as a Denver Bronco, and he didn't disappoint. Manning proved that he might be back for real, and he rallied the Broncos in the second half. There are so many things to talk about in this game. Here are my rapid thoughts on last night's game......

1) To see Manning introduced and running out of the tunnel was a really cool moment as a Bronco fan. It was amazing that after everything that happened all offseason the moment finally arrived.

2) It seemed like the Broncos started out conservative the first couple of drives. I was hoping that they would come out slinging it, but they didn't and Peyton Manning looked a little rusty to start as well.

3) I thought Denver did a nice job of stopping the run early. The game might have been different if Rashard Mendenhall was healthy for the Steelers, but overall Denver's rush defense stuffed the run early in the game.

4) This game changed once the Broncos went no huddle. In the second quarter, the Broncos went to the no huddle, and Peyton Manning looked like vintage Peyton Manning. He started spreading the ball around, and he commanded the offense from the line of scrimmage. It was nice to Knowshon Moreno finish off the drive with a touchdown run to give Denver the 7-3.

5) The Steelers have to hope they have seen enough of Demaryius Thomas. Thomas burned them for a 71 yard catch and run touchdown in the third quarter, and he finished with five catches for 110 yards.

5) Ben Roethlisberger is a elite QB in this league, and sometimes people forget to mention him in that class. Maybe it is a result of his off the field issues, but Big Ben is really, really good. He killed Denver all night on third and long. The Steelers were 11-19 on third down, and he absolutely lit it up on third and long. He was breaking contain and just killing the Broncos out of the pocket. He was great all night long, and he proved that he should be mentioned in that top group more often.

6) The Broncos defense could not get off the field on third down, and they were gassed by the third quarter. They simply couldn't get a third down stop, but more importantly they were able to bear down on three separate drives. The first one was when the Steelers had to settle for a 13-7 lead instead of 17-7 midway through the third quarter. The second time was when they forced to punt with about nine minutes to go in the game. The last key stop was the end of the game and it culminated with Tracy Porter's 43-yard interception return for a touchdown to clinch it with 1:42 left. How about that sack barrage by Von Miller the last series of the game? Plus, I liked Miller's little Tebow tribute after his last sack.

7) This game had a playoff type of feel to it. It felt like a big game because of Peyton Manning's debut, but as the game went on, it was a really intense game. It felt like a playoff game, and it was a great opening Sunday Night Football game for NBC. Great setting, great game, and a perfect ending to it.

8) Finally, I want to end it with Peyton Manning. As soon as Denver went no huddle, Manning started to look comfortable. He finished the night 19-26 for 253 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Manning was just amazing at times. He made all the throws, he checked out of certain plays, and caught the Steelers with their pants down a couple of times on blitzes. It was classic Manning in the third quarter. On a 2nd and 1, Manning saw blitz, suckered Troy Polamalu in, and threw a quick tunnel screen to Demaryius Thomas for a 71 yard touchdown and a 14-13 lead. His throws late in the game were on point. He hit Jacob Tamme on a great sprintout to the left side to give the Broncos a 22-19 lead. He also hit Tamme on a big time third down throw to extend the drive and get the field goal to extend the lead to 25-19. I don't want to go over the top, but it was a great way to start for Manning and the Broncos. If Manning can keep this up, then this season could be really special. It is really nice to have Peyton Manning on your side of the ball.