Was this any way to cure a Super Bowl hangover? The high anxiety of the Broncos’ 31-24 victory against Indianapolis could drive a Broncomaniac to drink.
With 76,939 nervous fans in Sports Authority Field at Mile High waiting to exhale, Denver held on to beat the Colts on Sunday night behind the timeless brilliance of Peyton Manning. He outlasted Andrew Luck, the quarterback who kicked Manning out of Indianapolis and now wants to steal his crown as best QB in the game.
The NFL does not award rings in September, and even the most optimistic Denver fans might want to delay making hotel reservations for the last week of January 2015 in the Arizona desert, where the next Super Bowl will be staged. In a championship-or-bust season for the Broncos, this was a big first step, but not without stumbles by coach John Fox and a gassed defense that was running on empty late in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve got to find a way to play all four quarters on offense,” said Manning, after Denver gave away nearly all of a 24-7 halftime lead. “Thank goodness our defense picked us up.”
Welcome to the club, Mr. Luck. You’re the newest name on a long list of quarterbacks who have fallen victim to everything that has made Manning a five-time MVP. By defeating an Indianapolis franchise he once led to a league championship, Manning now owns the distinction of beating all 32 NFL teams.
“I think that means you have to be old,” the 38-year-old Manning said, dismissing the honor with self-deprecating humor. “I don’t think I’ll have that one up on my mantel.”
Way back in 1998, Manning earned his first victory of his professional career against Ryan Leaf, one of the worst draft picks in league history. From Leaf to Luck, 82 starting quarterbacks have tried to get the best of Manning, only to trudge off to an NFL locker room in defeat. You cannot write recent football history without the dejection in the eyes of those 82 quarterbacks.
From the hint-of-autumn weather to a classy video tribute that honored ailing franchise owner Pat Bowlen — who missed his first game since buying the team in 1984 — much of what was seen on opening night in Denver looked fabulous, with one minor exception. In a state known for grass, the turf in Sports Authority Field at Mile High was an embarrassment. What do they use to mow the field? Goats? It might be time for a new groundskeeper. Is Carl Spackler available?
There’s no question the Broncos are talented enough to win a championship. But is Denver tough enough? The best arguments on behalf of an expensively revamped defense: 1) The speed new defensive end DeMarcus Ware brought on a lightning-strike sack of Luck, and 2) The big bucket of orange paint that drenched Luck when the Indy quarterback tried to sneak it in the end zone from a yard out on fourth down.
Odds are Denver will not match the league-record 606 points it scored a year ago. When needed, Fox wants to win more slowly and more conventionally with an effective running attack. Manning, however, appeared to be in a big hurry, hurry during the first half, when the Broncos dropped 24 points on Indianapolis. If you have tight end Julius Thomas on your fantasy team, talk a little smack at the water cooler. He can be such a mismatch in the red zone that his three scoring catches against the Colts figure to be only the beginning of a dream-come-true season in which Thomas could well lead the NFL in touchdowns.
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Although what counts in the standings is the team’s 1-0 record, the Broncos are not perfect. They sat on the lead a little too much in the second half, as Fox milked the clock in favor of stomping the Colts. Luck rallied the visitors when he found holes in a defense still waiting for linebacker Von Miller to become the Vonster again. It required rookie Bradley Roby to break up a fourth-down pass intended for Indy’s Reggie Wayne deep in Denver territory to preserve the victory during the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
“We want to keep the fans excited, but we don’t want to end games like that,” Ware said.
“We’re not exactly where we want to be, but we’re on the right track.”
While no AFC team looked stronger than Denver during the opening week of NFL action, the image lingers of Seattle loudmouth Richard Sherman talking smack at Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Thursday during the Seahawks’ dismantling of the Packers.
Manning is the king of NFL quarterbacks past. Luck is the future of the game, in a hurry to push the onset of his time to rule. Do not be surprised if the once and future QB kings meet again this season, in the playoffs, when legacies are written and the stakes are much higher.
Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or
