Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos Week 1 Preview/Prediction

As the Denver Broncos open not only a new season but a new era of sorts in the Mile High City—with Peyton Manning at the helm after John Elway and the front office shipped Tim Tebow to the Jets—excitement and anticipation surround a team that began the 2011 season 0-3 but finished with a playoff win against the team that comes to Denver to open the new NFL campaign.

Here's a look at Denver's Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, including a prediction for the outcome in the first Sunday Night Football game of the week.

Follow Manny Randhawa on Twitter: @MannyRand9

The Big Question: How Will Peyton Perform?

The next touchdown pass Peyton Manning throws will be the 400th of his brilliant career, and you can bet that he'll get that milestone out of the way early in the season opener.

With questions still lingering over whether Manning is the same elite quarterback that he was before undergoing surgical procedures on his neck, No. 18 has a lot to prove after an up-and-down preseason (16-of-23, two interceptions against Seattle, then 10-of-12, 122 yards and two TDs in the first half against San Francisco).

Manning is the consummate field general, and after his performance against the 49ers two weeks ago—which showed that he still has it in him to put up solid numbers—look for a stellar performance against the Steelers in front of the home crowd in Denver.

In the last season Manning played (2010), he threw for 4,700 yards and 33 TDs at age 34. Look for a great outing from the new Broncos QB on the national stage Sunday night, putting to rest conjecture and speculation that we aren't looking at the same player who dominated opponents with the Colts.

And while the Steelers led the NFL in pass defense in 2011, look for Manning to be efficient and exploit any opportunities he has, especially with Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison likely to miss the opener (h/t ESPN.com).

Manning Prediction for Sunday Night: 25-37, 313 yards, 3 TD.

The Steelers Will Be Missing Several Key Starters

The Steelers will be missing several key players on both sides of the ball Sunday in Denver.

Running back Rashard Mendenhall (knee) is listed as doubtful for the season opener (h/t ESPN).

The man who will likely start in the backfield behind QB Ben Roethlisberger will be Jonathan Dwyer, a fourth-year back out of Georgia Tech, who's only carried the ball 25 times in the NFL.

On defense, the Steelers will likely be without safety Ryan Clark (sickle cell trait preventing him from playing in high altitude games; h/t ESPN) and pass-rushing linebacker James Harrison (knee; h/t ESPN).

Any personnel shortages on the road in a season opener will make it tough on an NFL team, but these key absences could cost the Steelers in significant ways.

Offensively, an inexperienced back will have the task of establishing the run to open up the pass for Big Ben; while on defense, the pass rush will be more limited because of the absence of Harrison, giving Manning more opportunities to burn the Steelers through the air.

Excitement in Denver Will Be Palpable

The atmosphere of an NFL season opener—especially for a team like the Broncos, whose fanbase has so much to be excited about with the addition of Peyton Manning to the team—can't be underestimated.

Sports Authority Field will be rocking, and the Broncos will be able to feed off of that energy.

Prediction: Denver 44, Pittsburgh 16

While it won't be an absolute shocker if the Broncos pull off a win in the season opener against the Steelers, the margin by which they do it might be.

Look for fireworks from Manning and some Steeler turnovers in the Mile High electricity.

Broncos 44, Steelers 16.

 

Follow Manny Randhawa on Twitter: @MannyRand9