Joe Flacco may have been the Super Bowl MVP last season and he might have made the biggest headlines with his massive new contract, but on Thursday night Peyton Manning served notice that he hasn't gone anywhere.
He also clearly hasn't forgotten the Ravens shocking win in the 2012 playoffs. Manning carved up Baltimore's defense last night with surgical precision, knifing through their secondary for seven passing touchdowns. The last man to throw for seven touchdowns in a single game was Joe Kapp, way back in 1969.
Manning became the sixth player in NFL history to accomplish the feat, joining Sid Luckman, Adrian Burk, George Blanda and Y.A. Tittle and Kapp. Even more impressive was that his rampage came after a few ineffective drives in which Baltimore's defense, which included ex-Bronco Elvis Dumervil, looked stout.
"Baltimore's got a great defense; we had to be patient," Manning said after the game. "We knew we could get some shots. We were great down in the red zone. That and inside the 30-35, we took some shots, got some space there and our receivers made some big plays."
Manning spread the ball around, hitting Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas for two touchdowns each and finished with 467 yards through the air. Demaryius Thomas led the Broncs with 161 receiving yards, and Welker topped the receiving corps with nine catches.
The breakout star of the night was Julius Thomas, however, who hauled in five balls for 110 yards and two scores. He is likely to be the hottest pickup in fantasy football this week.
Manning's efforts served to help Denver's depleted defense as well, which was without its top two players last night. Champ Bailey missed the opener with a sprained foot, while Von Miller, who had 18.5 sacks last season, is suspended for the first six games of the season for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.
The nonstop scoring forced Baltimore away from their preferred balance, and moved Flacco to hurl 62 passes. He racked up 362 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
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