Peyton Manning

Denver, CO

Peyton Manning was exactly what the Denver Broncos hoped he would be Sunday night. His old self.

Manning threw a pair of touchdown passes in his return to the NFL after a year off and sparked the Broncos to a 31-19 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener for both teams.

Manning completed 19 of 26 passes for 253 yards and threw both of his TD passes in tyhe second half. Tracy Porter ran an interception back 43 yards for a score to ice the game with 1:58 left.

Knowshon Moreno ran for a TD from seven yards out in the second quarter for Denver.

Manning sat out last season after undergoing neck surgery and the Colts decided to move on. Indianapolis took Andrew Luck with the first pick in the draft and the Manning era with the colts was over.

The Broncos are the beneficiaries of Indianapolis' decision to turn the page and the move to sign Manning paid of right away.

Pittsburgh took a 19-14 lead with 14:11 left but missed the two-point conversion. Manning then led Denver on a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that he capped with a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Jacob Tamme that put the Broncos up for good.

Manning also hit Demaryius Thomas for a 71-yard TD in the third quarter that gave Denver a 14-13 lead at the time. That scoring strike made Manning just the third player in NFL history with 400 career touchdown passes, joining Brett Favre and Dan Marino.

 

Peyton Manning Sharp in Return, Leads Broncos Past Steelers

 

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