DENVER -- Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos made their regular season debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night at Sports Authority Field.
In the third quarter, with the Steelers up 13-7, Manning hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas with a screen pass that he took all the way for the score.
It would be Peyton's 400th career passing touchdown, making him only the third player in NFL history to do so.
After Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh took a 19-14 lead but missed a two-point conversion.
Manning showed no rust going back to the field, and he gave the Broncos the lead on a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jacob Tamme on the next possession. They were able to convert the two-point conversion to make the score 22-19 Broncos.
Later in the fourth, after a Broncos field goal to go up 25-19, Roethlisberger would try to rally his team for one last drive but failed after he was picked off by Tracy Porter.
Porter puts the nail in the coffin by returning the interception for the touchdown.
The Broncos won 31-19.
Manning finishes the game 19 for 26 with 253 yards and two touchdowns.
Denver heads to Atlanta to face the Falcons next week on Monday Night Football.
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