No. 4: 2012 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The 2012 season kicked off for the Broncos on Sunday Night Football. The team was under the national television lights because it had signed Peyton Manning that offseason.
The Broncos had also ended the Steelers’ season the year before in the playoffs, just with Tim Tebow playing quarterback. Pittsburgh would certainly be looking for a little revenge.
What would the Broncos be getting in Manning? It was hard to say as he had missed the entire 2011 season following surgery on his neck and many thought he would never be the same again. He quickly answered those questions against the Steelers.
Manning completed 19-of-26 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns as the Broncos went on to beat the Steelers 31-19. It was a big win, but it brought forth a wave of promise as Broncos fans could not have been any happier than to have Manning as their quarterback going forward.
There have been few wins in team history that signaled good things were ahead more than this one.