The end result was a 71-yard touchdown from Peyton Manning to Demaryius Thomas.
It gave the Broncos a 14-13 third-quarter lead. It made Manning the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 touchdowns and the fastest to ever do so. And it gave Denver the spark it needed to finish the game on top.
With the resounding significance of the play’s outcome, it would be a shame to overlook everything that made it possible.
Tight end Jacob Tamme was in the slot, next to Thomas who was out wide. As Thomas caught the short screen pass, Tamme laid a block on cornerback Ike Taylor, who was matched up on Thomas. The block took Taylor out of the play, and with his man sealed, Tamme was able to watch and listen, knowing his job was done.
“I had a block and then I got to watch it go all the way down the field,” Tamme said. “You’re blocking your guy and you hear the crowd. And that’s a good feeling. So, that was awesome.”
Left tackle Ryan Clady had little time to get out of his stance and make a block before the defense collapsed on the screen play. But the 6-foot-6-inch, 315-pound lineman got there just in time and did just enough to get his teammate to the next level. With seven-time Pro Bowler Troy Polamalu closing on Thomas, Clady dove in front of him. Though Polamalu remained on his feet, it re-routed him enough to keep the safety in Thomas’ rearview mirror the rest of the way.
With Polamalu trailing and Taylor sealed on the edge, left guard Zane Beadles emerged as the lead blocker, five yards ahead of Thomas near midfield. Safety Ryan Mundy had an angle, but Beadles made sure Mundy never got his hands on the receiver.
“That was awesome, wasn’t it?” wideout Brandon Stokley smiled as he recalled Beadles’ effort on the play. “I saw him leading the way.
That was a great block to spring it. It was a great team effort.”
But Thomas wasn’t yet in the clear. Thirty yards downfield, after he crossed midfield, cornerback Keenan Lewis was closing from the other side of the field. Luckily for Thomas, wide receiver Matthew Willis had also pursued from the opposite side. Willis stayed between Thomas and the chasing cornerback, using a stiff arm to keep Lewis from impeding the run.
Finally, Thomas was on his own.
“Don’t get caught,” were the words that echoed through his brain as he finished the 71-yard catch-and-run.
And though the actual throw didn’t travel many of the 71 yards, Manning played a much bigger role in the touchdown than just a flick of the wrist.
The play call was discussed in the halftime locker room as a counter to one of Pittsburgh’s defensive schemes. According to teammates, it was the quarterback who headed up that conversation.
“I think that was Peyton coming up with that, with the coaches,” Stokley said. “We went to it one time, the little screen out there, and it popped for 80.”
Manning explains.
“We were running the ball on a similar formation in the first half, and (Pittsburgh) kept blitzing off the back side — so it was a kind of halftime adjustment. We thought we could fake that run to the strong side and throw him a screen, but it showed up for a big play.”
After expecting “maybe a 9-yard gain” on the play, the quarterback said he was pleasantly surprised as he watched Thomas run his screen pass into the record books.
“Demaryius did the majority of the work and really turned it on with great speed,” Manning said. “Just a huge play.”
In many ways.
Tags: Demaryius Thomas, Peyton Manning, Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 1
DT is now officially the one player the steelers dont want to see ALL OUT SPEED
Everyone will point out the guys who made the big plays and with good reason but i want to point out the second oldest receiver in the nfl right now Stokley whenever manning needed him was open. And Unrein that guy was solid all night and one of the reasons their RBs had to keep bouncing outside he takes up alot of room inside
Mitch Unrein was fantastic!!
Who is going to tell Von that we are Broncos County!?!? LOL
Tracy Porter has now just made sure that Matt Ryan also throws towards Champ. Bowlen we need to pay this guy! We need him around for a long time!
Cat! What a game! Von did get it right on his blog though, we have to give him a pass based on how pumped he would have been after that game! This season is going to be amazing. ( This was my response a couple blogs ago to you, realized it wasnt on the most current blog!)
Great game..exciting and we got the victory!
I’d say Manning looks like the Manning we all know when he was wearing a Colts uniform doing exactly that same stuff to our defense. He took a couple of hits, couple of sacks but got right back up. I don’t want him taking too many of those shots but looks like his neck won’t be an issue *knock on wood*.
I thought our defense play pretty well against the run. Always room for improvement but I think we’ve improved since last season. I thought we worked well rushing Big Ben, got a few sacks but also missed on some opportunities in key situations. I thought we did alright against the pass too. I know it seemed like we gave up some big ones but again when Big Ben scrambles he can just flat out make plays. Asking our CBs to cover that long is tough and someone is bound to get open. We still need to make plays though, had a few opportunities to make stops and came up short. I will say, I believe it was Moore who got flagged for helmet-helmet, that is the case of the defensive person going in to make the tackle and the receiver putting his head down. They’ll call it ever time, but it wasn’t intentional or flagrant, in my opinion. Porter…ahhh, Manning is saying “Thank you God” for him picking off Big Ben the same way he did to Manning in the SB. I do agree..long term contract after this season if Porter keeps it up.
Offense..what can I say looked decent. The no huddle definitely worked to our favor in the thin air on offense but hurt us some too on defense. I thought we had a balanced attack of passes, PA, and runs. Gotta hold on to the football though, uncharacteristic of MaGahee. I know it is only the first game, but all three of our backs looked decent. All of them had a couple of good rushes.
All in all I think it was a great exciting game and a great home opener win!
Atlanta looked angry playing the Chiefs…they’ll be a tough opponent on the road. They always seem to play well at home so we need to be ready and have our helmets strapped on tight and buckle down and get physical.
What an exciting game to watch, I’ve watched playoff games that weren’t as intense as this home opener. There were mistakes, which you expect some, by players and the coaching staff but the team over came them and brought home the victory. The mile high magic certainly appears to be back, the crowd really gave the Steelers problems and contributed to the win. It’s great to be a Bronco fan , nect challange , Atlanta. Go Broncos!
I love you guys!!!
Stokley had 2 catches for 26 yards… and Unrein assisted on 1 tackle so in a world that values participation and celebrates mediocrity then I guess yeah those guys weren’t game changers but they were darn sure in the game so for that I guess they deserve recognition?!? … Smh but smiling!!!
The whole league should look out for Von Miller! and as a good little Bronco Fan, I will give my first apology to PM for ever being hesitant to get excited! it doesn’t change my feelings toward that whole situation, as i’ve always maintained that anything short of a Superbowl Victory will be a failure do to the nature of the transactions and the fact that we won our division last year and a playoff game etc etc, but I’ve always been very clear about where I stand… However I still feel the need to apologize to Peyton for not picking up my Pom-Poms a few days earlier! It was a real pleasure watching you in Orange and Blue Mr. Manning!
imready, I and many others 100% agree with your assessment of the Rahim Moore penalty! Just don’t tell AB cause he will try to tell you that you don’t know how to use your own eyes!
I’m not much of a Twit, but can one of you hardcore Tweeters give us an update on whether or not TT acknowledged Von last night after the tribute pose? That was AWESOME by the way!
Loved my boys dominating the Steelers at home on Sunday night football. By far the best game of Week 1! Manning looks to be the MVP of the year if he keeps that performance up! A 126 QB rating and 257 passing yards with 2 TD against the top defense from last year is absolutely great!!!! I AM SOOOOO STOKED FOR MY BRONCOS TO FINALLY BE BACK BABY!!!!
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap1000000060326/Von-Miller-brings-Tebow-back?module=HP11_content_stream
Yeah Buddy!!! and to correct my previous post, it is Brian S who I agree with, my apologies for reading both posts as imready’s…
My Random Props of the Game goes to BEADLES!!! for getting down field and putting a hand of the DB from PIT on DMT’s big TD reception!
I really like Beadles and that was a 10 Point effort by the big fella!!!
BT like I said last night what you all saw isn’t correct by any means as many including former head of officiating knows more than you or I even said that the receiver was being taken down. Not that he lowered his head but was being tackled. It’s like I’m your head you don’t get the concept of being tackled. Well when it happens your bady is Fallon to the ground and your hea is part of your body and goes to the ground as well. So in a way he did lower his head. But I was just by being tackled. And then Moore and in leading with his helmet. Not his shoulder because he didn’t turn right or left to lead with his shoulder. And even if he did it is still an illegal hit. So no matter the case Moore was going for an illegal hit as soon as Sanders started to fall due to the tackle being made by Harris. But I know how you always have to be right and refuse to admit when your wrong and will even argue with someone who knows more than you (not me but Mike Peirra) because everything I have said has been said by him. Sorry but I’m not blind to the fact Sanders was being tackled or that Moore was leading with his helmet. But because you always have to be right and refuse to say your wrong (which in this case you are) then I’ll say your right. Just because you always have to be.
Btw your petty insults towards people on this blog have become rather repetitive old annoying and petty. You insulted me twice last night albeit in a clever way so it can come off as not an insult but also blatantly threw a backhanded insult towards SEC for what he was saying to DB. So insult me all you want I don’t care I will e skipping by everything you say because all your posts insult someone or you talk down towards them and like your better or know more than anyone on here. You also make comments like you know more then people who get paid big bucks to know the game and have been involved with it for longer than you’ve been born.
As for Unrein and Stokes they had a bigger impact on the game then their stats show.
Stokes made Pitt put a solid defender on him an to take him seriously where they couldn’t but four DBs on Decker and Thomas because one had to be on Stokes and also when he did get the ball he fought hard for extra yards and didn’t go down easily. That is a big deal having that fight and toughness and can really psych up a team. As it seemed to have done for that Denver offense.
Unrein Plugged the middle. He closed holes forcing the RB to bounce outside or get trapped in the middle. He also took up space and blocker to get a LB to the ball carrier. Another good performance and proof stats don’t tell the fu story.
Great first win, but I personally wasn’t as excited as some of the rest. We lost the time of possession battle, as well as the turnover battle, until Porter’s INT. I feel we got a little lucky, but I’ll take it. Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh, given it was only week 1, but we’re not going to win many games if we can’t control the ball IMO (I think we will, just need to make some corrections).
It was GREAT to see Peyton run that no huddle, and DT is a beast – just get him the ball in space! I echo Beadles effort, as he got down the field several times to block. The pass rush wasn’t great, but good enough. I’m glad Wolfe got his first sack, but I still think we need to draft another pure pass rusher early next year. I can’t wait for DJ to get back.
Porter was great, no doubt we would’ve lost if Goodman was out there instead. He’s only on a one year deal, I hope we lock him up, as he only turned 26 years old in August. Mike Adams also plays well, and was a solid addition IMO.
So we all saw our stars shine last night, But I want to call attention to someone you may have all overlooked. Wesley Woodyard was a stud out there. He made tackle after tackle and played his posistion very well… including wrapping up Raplisburger on the last play. 12 tackles… 2 for a loss and a sack and 2 qb hits. Now where is that guy that said we needed DJ? Our offense was sharp wasn’t it? I feel really good about saying, bring on anyone. When is that New England game…. I want to beat the best so we can be the best.
This is the last time I will comment on the NY Jets, as this is a Denver Broncos blog, but I’m happy for Mark Sanchez. He has been getting zero respect out here, and it must have felt nice to have some success. I guess it’s true when they say – “even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.” I’m not sure if the Jets are good yet, or if the Bills are just that bad.. Fitzpatrick was horrible, and Mario Williams had one tackle yesterday…. Yikes……..
The one guy who deserves respect that has been overlooked is Tamme. He looked really good and looked like hea going to be Mannings Clark in Denver. I really hope we can keep him around for a long while if he keeps playing like he does.
OT I agree about Sanchez. I don’t like him but he deserves respect and never gets it. Partially because hea under a huge microscope in NY. He came out and balled and balled hard.
@HandofDOOM: I agree with Woodyard playing well. If he can continue to improve and play consitently, I have not problems of him replacing DJ for the season.
“The pot calling the kettle black” , a saying I’m reminded of when reading some of these posts.
BT, at the moment the play with R. Moore “leading with the helmet” I was thinking exactly what brian_schnieder put into words a post before mine so I didn’t feel the need to repeat it and thought I might support his opinion at that time I was writing my post but didn’t. Cosidering the receiver was stumbling in the direction of Moore with Moore also looking out of control at that time it appeared to be more inadvertant than intentional. The angle that the impact took place made it hard for me to believe it was his intent for helmet to helmet contact. That being said, with concussions and player safty being at the forfront of NFL referee concerns I’m suprised they made the call.
Anybody else suprised that Fox did not throw the challenge flag when the ref’s missed the 12 men on the field call or when big ben appeared to come up short on his 4th down quarterback keeper? I was shocked and disappointed, both plays were challengable and could have made a difference in the outcome of the game.
I think Fox was a little off last night also. The play by Big Ben should have, no doubt, brought out the red flag. The twelve men on the field also. I know it wouldn’t have meant a first down, but third and seven is much better than third and twelve. What made it so bad was that it was obvious that Peyton was trying to catch them with twelve. Obvious to everyone except the refs and Fox. First game for him also, so we’ll give him a slide.
Hey Gang!
Well, I’m not gonna rehash all the stuff I just read through…….but just a few of my thoughts on the game.
Manning was amazing out there……..and what impressed me the most is that he was able to keep rhythm out there, after sitting on the bench for what seemed like forever. He picked apart a tough Steelers D and he made it look so easy at times. If he could put forth this sort of effort in game 1, you know this O is just going to keep getting better and better. How can you not get excited about this?
As for the D……….yeah, they had trouble getting off the field…….specially on the third and longs. They bent pretty hard at times, but they didn’t completely break. JDR has a lot of tape to review……and a lot of areas of improvement. But this was against Big Ben, and he is prob the best out there for extending the play and finding an open guy. This D will get better too……..and like they showed in the last series……..when they have the lead they can pin their ears back and get after the QB.
SUPER PROPS to Porter for making that huge game changing play.
Last night’s performance left me very proud and very optimistic about our season……..
Turtle………..it’s “era”, not “error” right? haha
That was a great game … if you were not a fan of either team it would have been great just to see that “chess match” … and kudos to ALL the players – Denver seemed to play a lot of guys, and so many of them have been getting accolades that maybe we do have a great roster … I’m not sure of our depth (heaven forbid a lot of injuries, when we’d be sure to find out) but with a lot of guys playing, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad … I have to say – looking forward to this game and this season is so much different than the last 2 years … I’ve been looking forward with optimistic anticipation – after the 1st quarter of the SF preseason game, I KNEW we had a good team … now I KNOW it … and – we’ve got a lot of room to improve – the offense is still learning with Manning … but isn’t he something? … you can see it in the swagger of the rest of the TEAM … the defense even shows their optimism … and – the telling thing for me – I WASN’T NERVOUS watching the game … I just sat there and enjoyed it … I KNEW we could score – it seemed like Manning had us at their 20 yard line before before I could even blink … this season is going to be a lot of fun … we won’t win them all, but I really feel we’ll make the playoffs … and then – who knows??? … GO BRONCOS …
Definitely some TNT! DYNAMITE!!!!!!!!!!!
imready: Agreed on both observations. R. Moore was going down to make the tackle as was the receiver to brace for impact. This was a inadvertant as both just tried to get lower than the other.
I was very surprised that Fox did not challenge the twelve men when we could not get our defense off the field. We needed a little bit of help there.
Great first game of the season and I believe we will get better with each game. We definetly need to get better on getting off the field on 3rd down. Peyton could have lit up Pittsburgh if we would of had more time of possesion in the 2nd and 3rd quarter. That was Steelers plan to keep Manning off the field. Rottburger was taking advantage of something they saw on third down….ugh!
B. Stok proved why we needed him on this team. Key catches and good job Matt Willis when his name was called. Knowsho even ran pretty hard, but his blocking was suspect at times. Great win!!
Like I have before I will admit when I am wrong. With the Moore hit. Sanders didnt have his legs wrapped up. But he was tripped up by Porter and was going to the ground when Moore came in to make the hit. So Sanders falls under the defenseless receiver which will probably lead Moore to being fined. Nonetheless Moore led with his helmet.
I saw a lot of different things than some of you saw….maybe because I only read this response, but Wolfe was a monster in the middle and so was Vickerson. Our Linebackers, IMO played terribly and were responsible for a lot of the trouble we were having out there. They were undisciplined, missed a lot of tackles and horrible in coverage. I do think that they are playing at the height of their skill level though, and maybe a bit above it, we just need some better talent. This assessment has no bearing on Von Miller though as he is a certified MONSTER!!!
I think Moore was improperly called, as he was going to the ground and the receiver came to the ground…their helmets hitting was incidental in my opinion
And as far as the offense….it is great to have an offense that is not offensive!!! Man that was a treat to watch. When this team fully gels and understands all of the concepts that Manning is seeing as plays and games develop, we may be MORE potent than the teams in Indianapolis because of our serious running game. What a night…what a game and hears to a season I know will get better as we go along
Just watched the pressers and the coverage from the locker room…….
Too funny that McGahee apoligized for the fumble after Manning got the game ball……..they all booed him in fun. I’m sure he felt horrible about that fumble……….his last one against the Steelers almost cost us the game…..
Stupid media people ask stupid questions……..just wanting to get some sort of reaction. I mean, if PM decides he doesn’t want to answer a question, or gives a curt answer, it was a dumb question. Couldn’t hear the question, something about the screen to DMT and PM said he wanted to move on to the next question. Prob something about Tebow or something………PM will give you great detailed answers if you ask good football related questions.
Hey guys at the airport getting ready to fly back home. Lost my voice from the game. Best time ever. When thomas made that catch a bunch of us was yelling at the steeler fans”reminds u guys of last year” ha. It was fun. Manning moved up the field great. Defense needs to work on things but in the end came through. Especially porter. Good game.
Hello Carnage!!!
You’ve been MIA
Mays Adams Bailey and Moore were in for all 81 defensive snaps. Porter was in for 80.
kk. The question was “was that the called play or did you check into it?”
thanks raidr…………
Judging by Week 1 which team is likeliest to make the playoffs?
54%
Broncos
8%
Jets
21%
Cowboys
16%
Redskins
Haha – I like – Broncos getting some recognition!
Have the weekly score predictions been released?
Speaking of Stokley, did you guys notice the running of his routes? I was amazed at the quickness of his change of direction! Pretty dazzling for a guy his age.
Bill Williamson of ESPN was at the game, he has picked the Chiefs to win the division. After reading his analysis of his experience I’m wondering now if he is reconsidering his thinking. He had nothing but good things to say about the Broncos performance against the Steelers in all three phases of the game. Always glad when I can hear a guy singing the praises of a team that he didn’t think would be up to the challenge of playing against a team like the Steelers.
I have sometimes wondered why Big Ben is so highly rated as a QB but don’t feel that way anymore. The Broncos were constantly in the Steelers backfield creating havoc. Not only did we have trouble getting ahold on him for the sack , but amist all that was going on around hem he found the open receiver and most of the time put the ball on the money. He’s pretty darn good. I think the Broncos pass rush will fair better against other opponents.
Watching Manning play reminded me of the good old days with John Elway at the helm. It’s great having a QB that you know has the skills,knowledge and desire to get the job done. I can’t wait till next week to see how we do on the road against the Falcons in some Monday Night Football. We know the game won’t be too big for our Denver Broncos and I’m sure the Falcons know they better bring their A-game. Should be another exciting night of NFL football.
Ty Warren re tore his triceps.
Ty Warren will likely be done for the season and Caleb Hanie will be resigned. According to John Fox via Lindsay Jones
Bummer about Warren, but Unrein stepped up huge. I think we definitely have the depth at that position, we will be just fine.
What a game last night. Porter was outstanding and Manning was Manning. This is gonna be a great year!
Just think of the depth we’d have if we kept Bunk.
Ty Warren won’t be a huge loss because unfortunately he hasn’t done anything in Denver.
Bummer for Warren. Dad burn it! I don`t like to see anyone go down, but he`s had a a string of bad luck. Yikes!!
Random Monday musings:
It was a good win, establishing a calibration point for expectations for the season.
It’s not a fluke that Manning has won the league MVP 4 times. He gave still yet another demo as to why Sunday night.
I wonder if John Fox will insist on using the no-huddle as a “change of pace” next game. It definitely “changed the pace”, but is there a real need for that other pace?
The no huddle is not a hurry up offense unless you want it to be. You can stand there at the line resting for the entire play clock if you wish, just daring the defense to try to substitute a player.
Bronco’s secondary is still a work in progress. There were several outright breakdowns, with a receiver left alone and wide open. Ben didn’t see them or the pass was off. Even when they didn’t outright breakdown, receivers were wide open a lot, evidenced the long 3rd down completions on plays that were not the extended variety.
I’d further opine they are outright in need of a safety. Somebody, anybody, the understands the defenses they are running.
Knowshon can’t block. The scene of him ducking out of the way of the incoming blitzer is burned into my mind. Any back on the roster could have run the touchdown play, since the blocking was crisp. I’d favor the ones who can block the blitz in case they audible out of the called play. Outright ducking a blitzer is grounds for being shown the door. I’m guessing if Hillman ever actually plays a few games, Knowshon is tradebait. OTOH, Hillman may be one of those chronically injured types.
It was still a good win. Time to fix what needs fixing.
Carnage,
I tend to agree with you about the LB corp. Woodyard played well and had a ton of tackles but he had trouble when asked to be in coverage. Mays is great going nouth/south but can not cover and gets faked easily. He missed a few tackles. Von is pretty much not human (except his urine checks out, unlike D.J.). Don’t get me wrong, I still think they did decent but if something had to be chosen as a weak spot, it is LB coverage.
What will be nice is not playing against a QB that is so hard to bring down. If it wasn’t for his elusiveness in the pocket, Steelers don’t convert half of those third downs. I don’t see Matt Ryan extending plays like Big Ben, which means more sacks next week and probably even better defensive numbers. I trust baily and porter against jones and white. Just need to figure out how to cover Tony G.
I really like Manning using the 11 personnel and going no-hudle. He was playing cat and mouse with Polumolu and it was awesome.
It’s going to be a fun season.
New blog.
Hillman just hasn`t had enough time to jell yet because of the Hammie injury. Its far to early to make such a comment. Hillman still needs to learn the Offense and time to jell. Morenos days are numbered. Hillmans a much better blocker too. Bring back JJ!!
The only block I saw Moreno miss was when 2 defenders where coming on the same side and he had to chose one. This left the other wide open to make the play. This wasn’t so much a miss as a bad protection call. Moreno chose to block the inside defender which I see has a good choice cause it is the one that most effectively protects the “pocket”.
A GREAT season opener! Thank you Mr. Bowlen and Mr. Elway for putting such a fine team together.
‘drif