Season Review Week 1-7: Denver Broncos – Part I
The Denver Broncos last year made it to the playoff divisional round thanks to some epic comeback performances led by quarterback Tim Tebow.
Denver though were resoundingly beaten by the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs.
With four-time MVP quarterback Peyton Manning having just been released in the offseason by the Indianapolis Colts, the Broncos saw it as a great opportunity to bring in a more orthodox quarterback into the team while also giving themselves a chance to challenge for the Super Bowl.
They did just that and secured the services of Manning after beating back the competition from other teams for the veteran’s signature while they shipped off Tebow to the New York Jets.
Manning’s arrival was unanimously welcomed by fans who took his arrival as a sign of the return of the days when the franchise used to challenge for Super Bowl titles.
The veteran quarterback got to work immediately and in this three part series we will look at the performance of Manning and the Broncos in the first seven games of the 2012/13 season.
Week 1: Against Pittsburgh Steelers
The Denver Broncos had defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round of last season’s playoffs after Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas in overtime for a massive win for the Broncos.
Now with Peyton Manning leading the team in centre the Broncos performed even better against the Steelers as the veteran quarterback hit the ground running.
Pittsburgh went up 19-14 early in the fourth quarter but Manning was not ready to let anyone ruin his opening game with the Broncos as he rallied the franchise.
The Broncos went on to score two touchdowns in the final quarter to win 31-19 over the Steelers as Manning put away all doubts about his arm strength.
It was a big win for Manning as this was his first game in the NFL after sitting out the entire 2011/12 season.
Week 2: At Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were next on the cards for Denver as they entered week two on the back of a massive win over the Steelers.
Denver though was in for a torrid night against Atlanta as the Falcons completely shackled Manning and Denver’s offence.
Manning was intercepted three times by the Falcons defence as he struggled with his passes.
Atlanta on the other hand built up a massive lead in the third quarter as their own quarterback Matt Ryan did not miss his passes.
The Falcons were up 27-7 at the end of the third and even though Broncos running back Willis McGahee tried hard to launch a Broncos comeback in the fourth quarter as he scored two touchdowns in the final 15 minutes, Atlanta held on for a 27-21 win.
(The views expressed in this article do not reflect the editorial policy of bettor.com)
Tags: