Peyton Manning: Legendary QB Will Make Broncos Fans Forget About Tim Tebow

Some guy named Tim Tebow took the world and the Denver community by storm last season, racking up wins and inspiring plenty of controversy along the way.

He became a cult icon in Denver. Analysts commented about his accuracy, or lack thereof. Fans commented about his ability to do just enough to win ballgames (i.e. the thrilling overtime victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC wild-card round).

But none of that matters now with the legendary Peyton Manning under center. Even the most die-hard Tebow fans will be praising the offseason acquisition of Manning by season's end.

Manning showed in the Broncos' third preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers this year what a difference he can make. He went 10-of-12 for 122 yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers and even popped back up after taking some big hits.

Yes, it was the preseason, but he was also matched up against the 49ers' first-team defense, which allowed just 1.19 points per drive last season (best in the NFL), per FootballOutsiders.com.

Manning and the Broncos face a Steelers squad gunning for revenge on Sunday in Denver. The Steelers weren't far behind the 49ers in terms of defense last season, allowing 1.33 points per drive (third in the NFL) and conceding a league-best 14.2 points per game. They will undoubtedly be a challenge for Manning, even if they have aged a bit.

The 36-year-old last faced the Steelers in November 2008 when he was still with the Indianapolis Colts. He went 21-of-40 for 240 yards and three touchdowns in that game. His numbers could be even better this time around.

Manning doesn't have the veteran receivers in Denver that he had in Indianapolis (i.e. Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison), but we've seen how he can lift players who aren't stars throughout the years. We saw that with Pierre Garcon, Anthony Gonzalez and Austin Collie in Indy. 

In Denver, the benefactors could be promising youngsters Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas (Decker caught both touchdown passes from Manning against the 49ers).

Never underestimate a player of Manning's caliber. He wasn't invited to 11 Pro Bowls, collected a Super Bowl MVP and named an MVP four times for nothing.

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