The NFL season kicked off on Thursday with the Denver Broncos routing the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, 49-27. Below are five things to take away from the season opener.
1) Peyton Manning Is Back.
Despite a performance last season worthy of the MVP award, questions persisted about Manning's arm strength. Now almost two years removed from surgery and one year removed from his subsequent NFL hiatus, Thursday night showed the world Manning is back.
He admitted in a pre-game interview that his nerve regeneration had improved from last year and that doctors advised him time was his best friend in terms of healing. He looked like vintage Manning on Thursday, going 27-of-42 for 462 yards and a record-tying seven touchdowns. His deep ball also looked better than last year. While the cerebral aspect of his game never diminished last season, Thursday showed his arm strength has caught up.
2) Denver's Receiving Corps Might Be The NFL's Best.
Manning's stats will be insane this season. He has the best receiving group he's ever had, and the Broncos looked unstoppable through the air. Demaryius Thomas caught five passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns, Julius Thomas snagged five passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and Wes Welker transitioned smoothly into the new offense and netted nine receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns.
As the game showed, the Ravens didn't have an answer for the Broncos' passing attack. Welker and Julius worked the middle of the field. When the Ravens adjusted to shore up the middle, even putting Lardarius Webb on Welker, Manning started hitting Eric Decker and Demaryius on the outside.
3) Baltimore's Defense Has Questions.
The Ravens' revamped defense was supposed to be an improvement upon last year. It was only Week 1 and it takes time for new defenses to get in sync, but their performance on Thursday raised major questions - especially about their secondary, which chalked up 462 yards to Manning and looked like Swiss cheese most of the night.
4) What Happened To Ray Rice?
When the game began to turn into a blow out, the Ravens had to abandon their running game. But how do you explain, especially pre-blow out, your three-time Pro Bowl running back walking away with only 12 touches? Rice led the team in receptions, but the offense needs to find a way to get the running game more involved in the offense.
5) Denver's Defense Can Play.
With Champ Bailey injured, Von Miller suspended and Elvis Dumervil lost in free agency, there were questions about Denver's defense. They gave up 27 points, but proved they can pull their weight, which is made even easier when you have an efficient offense able to score a lot of points.
