Peyton Manning Returns: Leads Denver Broncos to 31-19 Win over Pittsburgh Steelers
What a way for Peyton Manning to mark his return to the National Football League (NFL) than with a resounding 31-19 victory over Pittsburgh Steelers.
The four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner showed no signs of being out of the game for an entire year and once again showcased why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
Manning also had no problems as he took some big hits from Steelers defensemen but got right back up to help Broncos to the win.
Completing 19 out of 26 attempted passes Manning was in a groove throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns to put the whole league on notice that he is back and firing on all cylinders.
Speaking after the game Manning remained humble but said that it was a special moment for him.
"It's just one game. I try to keep it in perspective. I know how hard I've worked to get to this point. I know how much help that I've gotten along the way, from a lot of people. I'm very grateful for that. It's special. I will definitely say it's special."
Manning also threw his 400th touchdown pass during the game which was his 208th in the NFL.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin rued that his plan to keep the ball far from Manning did not come to realisation.
He said:
"That was our intention. We need to possess the ball, we needed to get stops and time of possession is just that, though you look at the scoreboard, they got it done, we didn't. The plan didn't come to fruition."
This was one of the most exciting encounters of the week and it completely lived up to the billing as both Steelers and Broncos delivered great performances to a hugely entertained capacity crowd.
Both sides cancelled each other out in the first quarter with no scoring taking place.
Pittsburgh drew first blood in the second quarter through a 21-yard Shaun Suisham field goal.
The lead though did not last for long as five minutes later Denver took the lead with Knowshon Moreno rushing seven yards to score the game’s first touchdown.
Roethlisberger took possession for the final few minutes of the half and sent a touchdown pass to Heath Miller from 4 yards to make it 10-7.
It took Manning till the third quarter to send his first touchdown pass in more than a year and it was a thing of beauty worthy of his 400th touchdown pass.
The quarterback found Demaryius Thomas with 5:29 left in the quarter for a massive 71-yard touchdown to give Broncos the lead again.
Pittsburgh retook the lead early in the fourth quarter as Roethlisberger sent a 3-yard pass to Mike Wallace to make it 19-14.
Broncos though had nothing but victory in mind as a Manning touchdown and Cornerback Tracy Porter’s interception return gave Denver a huge win.
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