Peyton Manning Returns, Leads Broncos To Win Over Steelers

Peyton Manning's Debut Brings Big Ratings On Sunday Night Football

Peyton Manning's first game with the Denver Broncos against the Pittsburgh Steelers was the marquee game of Week 1 of NFL action, getting the first Sunday Night Football slot of the season. It proved to be a huge television draw as well, setting a record for viewership of SNF games.

As tweeted by Daniel Kaplan of the Sports Business Journal, the game picked up an 18 rating in the country's major markets.

NBC said the Broncos’ victory over the Steelers last nite fetched an 18 rating in major markets, a record 4 the first SNF game of the year

— daniel kaplan (@dkaplanSBJ) September 10, 2012

The record-setting rating was also the best for any primetime NFL game since 1997.

For more coverage of this game, be sure to check out Steelers blog Behind the Steel Curtain and Broncos blog Mile High Report. For all your pro football needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

NFL Debrief: Peyton Manning Is Back, RGIII And The 49ers Are For Real

Week 1 in the NFL is nearly in the books with 13 games down on Sunday. Recap the action from Peyton's return to RGIII lighting it up to the 49ers showing us they're for real.

Steelers Vs. Broncos, Week 1: Two Straight Season-Opening Losses For Pittsburgh

Plenty of teams have lost to the cerebral and competitive Peyton Manning. But when the Steelers lose, it's always a little more melancholy in the Steel City the day after.

Manning, making his triumphant return to the NFL after a season out of the game, led the Denver Broncos to a 31-19 win over the Steelers on Sunday Night Football in America. Manning ran the no-huddle offense effectively, his biggest completion a long TD pass to Demariyus Thomas that got the momentum for the Broncos.

The Steelers clearly missed Rashard Mendenhall and an effective running game plus depth on the offensive line, staples of team success. Playing at altitude also appeared to be a factor in the loss, writes Behind The Steel Curtain's Neal Coolong.

The Steelers were dominated at the point of attack in the running and passing games, and looked gassed, despite owning a huge advantage in time of possession.

The Steelers will try to get right in time for the New York Jets next Monday at home.

For more on the Pittsburgh Steelers, be sure to visit Behind the Steel Curtain.

Steelers Vs. Broncos, Week 1: Mile High Report Talks About Lost Minute

There was a lot of negative reaction to the replacement officials during the first week of the NFL season. Several games around the league had questionable calls, but nothing was as bad as what happened in the Denver-Pittsburgh game on Sunday night.

According tot he Mile High report, the officials in the Broncos vs. Steelers game lost nearly a minute of time on the clock in the fourth quarter:

With 10:34 to go in the 4th quarter, Peyton Manning completed a pass to Eric Decker at the one yard line. Decker lost control of the ball, but after he made contact with the ground. The Broncos hurried to the line of scrimmage and actually ran a play - but Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin threw the challenge flag. He was, after the fact, awarded the challenge. The Broncos ran the phantom play at 10:18. While the officials were figuring out whether to grant the challenge, the clock ran down to 9:34.

The play was confirmed to be ruled correctly and the Broncos were given 1st and Goal from the 1. The play-clock should have been reset back to 10:18. It remained at 9:34.

Mile High Report also has video evidence, which most everyone missed at the time. It is not known if this will factor into any decision on the part of the NFL, but it was not the only event that will draw the notice of the league.

For more coverage of this game, be sure to check out Steelers blog Behind the Steel Curtain and Broncos blog Mile High Report. For all your pro football needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Tim Tebow: Gone, But Not Forgotten

Steelers Vs. Broncos Game Recap: Broncos Defeat Steelers 31-19

The Steelers opened their season in the same way they ended their last, with a loss in Denver to the Broncos. Odd as it was to see him in a new uniform, Peyton Manning didn't look out of place at all as he led the Broncos to their first win of the season.

Pittsburgh would open the scoring, going up by a field goal less than five minutes into the second quarter. The Broncos would march back down the field with an answer though, as Knowshon Moreno would cap the 80-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown run. The Steelers would re-take the lead before the end of the first half, as Big Ben connected with Heath Miller to put Pittsburgh up 10-7.

The Steelers would add another field goal early in the second half before Peyton Manning made a bit of personal history. Manning would connect with Demaryius Thomas on a 71-yard touchdown pass, the touchdown being the 400th of Manning's career. That would send the Broncos into the fourth quarter with a 14-13 lead. Here's the touchdown in gif form:

The Steelers would retake the lead in the fourth with another field goal, but Peyton Manning and the Broncos would take over from there. Manning and the Broncos drove 80 yards to re-take the lead when Peyton hit Jacob Tamme from a yard out. Matt Prater would add another field goal before Tracy Porter iced the game with a 43-yard interception for a touchdown. Here's the pick:

Box Score Hero: Peyton Manning was the star of the night, completing 19 of 26 for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Demaryius Thomas was his favorite target, catching five balls for 110 yards and a score. Ben Roethlisberger completed 22 of 40 for 243 yards, threw two touchdowns, and had one picked off to lead the Steelers attack.

But Did They Cover? The oddsmakers had Denver favored by two this evening, so they covered the spread.

For More On This Game: For more news on the Steelers; check out Behind the Steel Curtain. For more on the Broncos, check in with Mile High Report.

Next Week's Schedule: The Steelers will head home next weekend to take on the New York Jets. The Jets are coming off of an impressive offensive display against the Buffalo Bills. The Broncos will again play in primetime next week, hitting the road to square off with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. The Falcons defeated the Kansas City Chiefs earlier today 40-24.

Steelers Vs. Broncos: We Lost About A Minute Of Clock

When Mike Tomlin threw a controversial challenge flag -- he may have got it off just before the snap or he may not have -- he didn't just fail to get the play overturned. It also appears as though we lost about 50 seconds of game time. While the challenge was being reviewed, the clock continued to run on the screen and it was never adjusted. The challenge flag was throw with about 10:16 on the clock. Officials came out of the booth with 9:34 showing on the clock.

Check the play-by-play:

1-10-PIT 18(10:45) (Shotgun) P.Manning pass short right to E.Decker to PIT 1 for 17 yards (R.Mundy). Pittsburgh challenged the first down ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #1.)
1-1-PIT 1(9:28) (Shotgun) P.Manning pass short left to J.Tamme for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.

How did 1:17 run off the clock between those two plays? Don't forget that a challenge call came in as well. The play clock isn't anywhere near that long.

The clock was never adjusted, and it showed 9:23 when NBC came back from commercial for the kickoff -- following the Broncos' one play for a touchdown. So time was missing. Timing error? Graphic error? All of the above?

Hey Peyton, How's The Game Going?

Ben Roethlisberger Is Staring Through You

This is kind of creepy...

Let's add one necessary block of text.

Ah, there we go.

Emmanuel Sanders Goes Down After Helmet-To-Helmet Hit

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders was left in a heap on the turf after taking a serious blow to the head on Sunday night. Sanders was stumbling to the ground as Broncos safety Rahim Moore tried to go low, leaving both looking somewhat daze on the ground. Sanders got the worse end of it, though, and immediately clutched his head, likely signaling a concussion.

Here's the play again.

Moore did try to go low and tried to avoid the head. But he got caught in a difficult spot when Sanders also dipped his head, leading to the helmet-to-helmet hit. Moore was flagged for the hit -- which is going to happen when heads knock -- and Sanders left the game.

Still, it's tough for Moore to do anything else here, with the game moving at full-speed and Sanders dipping down late. Neither player was in a good spot.

For more coverage of this game, be sure to check out Steelers blog Behind the Steel Curtain and Broncos blog Mile High Report. For all your pro football needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Peyton Manning Tosses Touchdown Pass No. 400

Peyton Manning just put an exclamation mark on his NFL return this year. Demaryius Thomas did much of the heavy lifting, though, on Manning's first touchdown pass of the season and No. 400 for his career.

With Thomas waiting on the short, left side of the field on second-and-one and with just under six minutes left to go in the third quarter, Manning tossed a swing pass to get the first down. Thomas made the catch and headed downfield with some speed for the touchdown. Check out the video of Manning and Thomas on the touchdown:

That score put the Broncos up 14-13 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Manning is 12-for-16 with 178 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos' season opener.

Manning's touchdown also put him in the history books, once again. He became only the third quarterback in NFL history to throw 400 touchdown passes.

For more on the Broncos, check out Mile High Report, SB Nation's Broncos blog.

Marcus Gilbert Injury: Steelers OT Suffers Knee Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert left Sunday night's game against the Denver Broncos with an injury to his left knee. His return to the game is questionable.

Related: Demaryius Thomas Injury: Thomas Injures Left Arm, Returns To Game

Gilbert, who is in his second NFL season, played in 14 games for the Steelers in 2011, 13 of those as the starter. His absence leaves some question marks up front for Pittsburgh, especially since offensive guard Ramon Foster has suffered an eye injury that has his return questionable.

Despite the losses up front, Pittsburgh leads Denver at halftime, 10-7. The Steelers took the lead on a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Heath Miller in the final minute of the second quarter.

For more coverage of this game, be sure to check out Steelers blog Behind the Steel Curtain and Broncos blog Mile High Report. For all your pro football needs, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Magnets, How Do They Work?

I'm convinced there were magnets involved in this play. It's the only way it makes sense. Ben Roethlisberger tried to throw the ball away to the sidelines, and at the same time Justin Bannan reached up, held his arm high and palmed the ball without moving.

It reminders me of WONDER DAN, a classic GIF.

Peyton Manning With The Fake Fake

It's good to have Peyton Manning back in the NFL. In Sunday night's prime time game against the Steelers, he even added a nice little scramble just to let everyone know his legs are fine, capable of at least a few more scrambles over the course of the season.

This seven-yard scramble for a first down in the second quarter, one that kept an eventual touchdown drive moving forward, was only part of the story. His ghostly handoff to nobody was the real highlight.

Demaryius Thomas Injury: Thomas Injures Left Arm, Returns To Game

During the first quarter of the Broncos Sunday night opener versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas had to leave the field after injuring his arm.

Demaryius Thomas is getting his left arm examined by team medical personnel. #Broncos

— Broncos RapidReports (@CBSSportsNFLDEN) September 10, 2012

He'd be off the field for only a handful of plays, and he re-entered the game as Denver began their next drive pinned deep in their own end..

Demaryius Thomas was doing pushups on the sideline ... and now he comes back in as the Broncos start at their 1-yard-line.

— Broncos RapidReports (@CBSSportsNFLDEN) September 10, 2012

Thomas has a single reception for five yards so far this evening, but it looks as if he'll be fine to continue to play in this one.

For more news on the Steelers; please check out Behind the Steel Curtain. For more on the Broncos, please check in with Mile High Report.

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