Colts vs. Broncos: Score and Twitter Reaction from Sunday Night Football

Peyton Manning was bested by the Indianapolis Colts last season at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Denver Broncos quarterback had a chance to avenge that loss during Sunday's 2014 NFL season opener on prime time, and Manning didn't disappoint.

Although it wasn't the seven-touchdown explosion Manning put on a year ago in Week 1, he still did just enough early to stave off a furious rally by his Indianapolis successor, Andrew Luck, in a 31-24 victory.

Manning was 22-of-36 for 269 yards and three touchdown passes, with all of those coming in the opening half and contributing to a monster 24-0 Denver lead. Luck threw a whopping 53 passes, completing 35 of them for 370 yards and two scores, though he also gave away two interceptions.

To the Colts' credit, their seemingly outmatched defense made a game of things in the second half after entering the locker room facing a 24-7 deficit with Manning getting the ball back to start the third quarter. Sports Illustrated's Aaron Nagler praised the effort:

Trailing 31-10 after Broncos running back Montee Ball fought his way into the end zone with 9:54 remaining, Luck found tight end Dwayne Allen near the sideline, and he tight-roped his way to paydirt on a 41-yard catch-and-run.

Then, the Colts recovered an onside kick and were driving, but a high Luck pass was tipped and intercepted by safety Rahim Moore. Again, Indianapolis stood strong and forced a rare three-and-out for the Manning-led offense, and Luck found Hakeem Nicks for a nine-yard touchdown strike to cut it to 31-24.

The NFL on ESPN highlighted a pertinent fact amid Luck's ambitious comeback bid:

A 4th-and-6 pass to Reggie Wayne, who had a game-high nine receptions in his first game since last year's contest against the Broncos, fell incomplete, broken up by Denver first-round pick Bradley Roby.

Luck's efforts may have been in vain but were nevertheless impressive. As for the endless comparisons to Manning, Luck reiterated before the game that he wouldn't let that impact him, per STATS LLC (via ESPN.com):

"

To be honest, even since Day 1 here, it hasn't been an issue. I never came in saying, 'Oh, I have to replace a legend, one of the greatest of all-time.' Professional sports people, they come and they go. Someone's going to replace me eventually, hopefully later rather than sooner.

"

Nothing was going Indianapolis' way to start, either. Manning, who was hardly under any duress in the opening half, knocked off some early rust to catch fire in the second quarter, when he led Denver on three touchdown drives.

Tight end Julius Thomas was a one-man wrecking crew, creating matchup nightmares for the slow Colts linebacker corps. ESPN Stats & Info compared Thomas' dominance to another celebrated Bronco:

The best attempts of D'Qwell Jackson and the other Indianapolis players who dropped back in coverage couldn't quell Thomas' perpetual pursuit of the end zone.

All three of Manning's second-quarter TD tosses went to Thomas, and The Associated Press highlighted the fantasy implications for those fortunate enough to have Thomas:

NFC director of football communications Randall Liu pointed out how prolific Manning had been dating back to last year's opener:

Luck breathed life into the Colts on their last possession of the opening half. He made like Superman in stretching to the pylon on a nine-yard touchdown scamper to make the score more respectable.

But this graphic illustrated the disparity between the two signal-callers that put the Colts in an ultimately insurmountable hole out of which Luck couldn't dig:

A strong goal-line stand by the Broncos defense prevented Indianapolis from cutting the deficit early in the third quarter. Without a viable running game to support him, it was on Luck to generate magic to get the Colts back in this one.

It very nearly happened.

Indianapolis had a tall task to beat a Broncos team that not only was seeking to avenge its loss to the Colts last year but had also been embarrassed in the Super Bowl its last time out. In turn, the Colts can regroup and look forward to returning home to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.

The only problem is, Philadelphia has its own uptempo, high-octane offense that Indianapolis will have to gear up for.

Facing Manning and Co. may actually help to adjust to that type of opponent, but to have better control of time of possession, the Colts need far better offensive balance. Trent Richardson or Ahmad Bradshaw must step up in the backfield to offer Luck a competent complement.

As for Denver, it appears there's no sign of a Super Bowl hangover—and it comes as no shock, because Manning wouldn't let that happen as the leader of the team. The Broncos look every bit as capable of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy this year through Week 1, but it's still early, and the end of Sunday's game was a bit shaky.

A matchup against the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs at home, as they are coming off a demoralizing defeat to Tennessee, bodes well for Denver's chances to improve to 2-0.