The Pittsburgh Steelers will begin their 2012 season in the same place it ended last year as they take on the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium Sunday night.
The game is a rematch of last years AFC Division Round playoffs when the Broncos emerged victorious against the Steelers in overtime 29-23.
The Steelers will hope to erase the memories of last year when Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime to end the game.
Thomas had four catches for 204 yards in the game and was a stunning upset for the Steelers, who came into the game 12-4 against the Broncos' 8-8 record.
''We're not dwelling on the past,'' defensive end Brett Keisel told the Associated Press. ''We're focusing on the team that they have now and the things we do good, those are the things we want to bring to the table Sunday night.''
Denver will look very different from the last time the two teams faced off. In the off-season the Broncos traded Tebow to the New York Jets and signed former Indianapolis Colts star Peyton Manning to a five-year deal.
The 36-year-old quarterback missed all of last season due to spinal fusion surgery and hasn't played in a "real" season game since Jan. 8, 2011. He performed very well in the preseason, including in the third game against San Francisco, passing for 122 yards on 10 of 12 attempts.
If Manning throws a touchdown in this game he will reach 400 regular season scores for his career. He will have solid wide receivers to work with, including Thomas as well as young star Eric Decker.
Denver was ranked last in the league in passing offense last year will look to improve that unit with Manning leading the way. They did much better rushing the ball, where they were ranked first with a 164.5-yard rushing average.
The Steelers have dealt with a few issues this off-season and are looking forward to getting back to football once the season starts.
They hired Todd Haley as a new offensive coordinator to replace long-time coach Bruce Arians and had to deal with wide receiver Mike Wallace holding out for a new contract. The team also lost rookie placed guard David DeCastro to a knee injury.
Wallace returned and signed his one-year tender and joins Antonio Brown to make one of the most explosive and elusive wide receiver duos in the league.
Although the season ended in disappointment for the team, the Steelers defense was one of the best in the league, ranking first in overall defense and pass defense and fourth in rushing.
The overtime loss was a shock for most of the team and still lingers as they prepare to start a new season.
''You don't really wake up until you're on the plane saying 'what the heck just happened' and the trainers start going up and down the airplane talking about exit physicals,'' Foote said. ''Then you know it's real and the season is over with.''
The Steelers will be shorthanded on both sides of the ball, with running back Rashard Mendenhall doubtful with an ACL injury. The defense will be without safety Ryan Clark, who will sit out the game due to the high altitude of Denver's stadium. Clark suffers from a sickle cell blood disorder that can be aggravated from the high elevation.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is 4-1 in season openers while the Broncos have the best record of any NFL team in openers at 38-13-1.
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