Peyton Manning's first contest that counted in coach Gary Kubiak offense did not go swimmingly.
Last time the Denver Broncos kicked off the season against the Baltimore Ravens, Manning put on a historic performance, throwing seven touchdowns. Sunday, he threw zero and gained only 175 passing yards on 40 attempts.
After the 19-13 win, Manning dismissed any concerns moving forward. (Comments that he also preached to NFL Media columnist Michael Silver).
"Everybody is looking for these summaries of our offense and our team after Week 1 and I just don't think we're going to be able to do that," he said. "It's Week 1. We're a work in progress. If you need a catchy headline for your little article or whatever it is you might be doing, we're trying to get better every single week. What's another cliché I can think of? We're chipping away. Something along those lines."
If Manning is frazzled enough to get slightly testy with reporters after the game, imagine how the workaholic is battling himself internally. Manning's arm strength and velocity again looked diminished. When Baltimore defensive backs played tight, bump coverage in the second half, the quarterback couldn't find the zip to squeeze passes into tiny windows. His deep ball was also off target on the few attempts to unfurl it.
The Broncos' offense has a lot of improving to do, but Manning wanted to focus on the W.
"Sure, we're excited about the win," he said. "Great win. Beat Baltimore at home in Week 1 against a team that we just know is going to be in the postseason. They always are. They're always a Super Bowl contender. It's a tough team. You beat them at home. Like I said, the one thing that no matter how many times you ask it, this is not three different teams we have here. We don't have a Broncos offensive team, a Broncos defensive tea and a Broncos special teams. That's how you have to ask the question, right? But the Broncos beat the Ravens today. There's your summary right there."
