Denver Broncos Face Identity Shift in Wake of Peyton Manning's Recent Struggles

This version of Peyton Manning is going to take some getting used to. If the Denver Broncos quarterback continues to perform like he did Sunday in a 19-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens, his team will have to shift its identity on the fly.

Manning uncharacteristically didn't throw a touchdown in his 2015 debut, only going for 175 yards. In what's a rare occurrence for any Manning-led team, the Broncos simply had to have a dominant showing from their defense to have any shot at winning their opener.

That may be an understatement, actually. Aqib Talib's pick-six with 10 seconds left in the third quarter propelled Denver to the win on an afternoon when Manning was unable to get his team in any sort of offensive groove.

The 39-year-old led Denver into position for four Brandon McManus field goals, but failing to scratch the end zone marked a feat not done since Manning's days in Indianapolis, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Manning could have talked down his offense in the postgame interview, and nobody would've blamed him. But he decided to take a more reserved route:

"

Media Q: Is a defensive win still a win? #Manning: "It's a team win. That's what I think." #BALvsDEN pic.twitter.com/gPzq4NsM9e

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 14, 2015"

Instead of taking his offensive line out to dinner, Manning might want to call the members of his defensive front over to his pad after their performance Sunday. The Ravens rushed for just 73 yards, making up for Denver's complete inability to run the ball (2.8 yards per carry).

Perhaps even more impressive is the job done by the Broncos secondary in shutting down Joe Flacco. The Ravens quarterback completed just 18 of 32 passes, throwing two costly interceptions to seal Baltimore's fate.

Following a season that was pedestrian at best for the defensive backs, the secondary is stepping up and allowing defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' pass-rushing scheme to work. Nabbing the defensive coordinator was head coach Gary Kubiak's biggest win in assembling this 2015 roster.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller liked what he saw from a much-improved defense overall with Phillips at the helm:

With Manning struggling late in the 2014 season and to start this one, it's nice timing for the Broncos, as NFL Network's Albert Breer observed:

The brunt of first-year coach Kubiak's focus is on the offensive side, so he—like Manning—can appreciate when the defense takes over like it did Sunday, as he told Troy Renck of the Denver Post:

This only begs the question that will make or break the Broncos' season—can the defense be stellar enough to carry a suddenly average offense (if it remains that way) all season?

It's impossible to say the potential isn't there to do just that. A nasty pass rush of Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Malik Jackson and other big contributors will wear down the elite AFC quarterbacks Denver's set to face.

Talib and Chris Harris Jr. looked ready to answer the call in Week 1, but the Ravens' wideouts aren't exactly the NFL's cream of the crop. Whether they can match it against the likes of Tom Brady, Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger is to be answered.

The corners will certainly need to continue making plays like this if they're going to continue running the AFC, as the NFL captured:

When it comes down to it, this defense hasn't proved itself capable of carrying the team like a Super Bowl defense has to. Until it does, Manning's resurgence will have to come for Denver to reach the promised land.

Unfortunately, the comparisons toward aging greats are surrounding Manning even this early in the season, including from Bill Simmons:

One area the Broncos will almost certainly improve upon regardless of Manning is on the ground, where Denver had nothing going against Baltimore. Defenses aren't going to suddenly discount Manning aerially, which means C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman will go for much more productive days in the coming games.

With Manning's struggles in mind, Denver should work to establish the ground game much more in Week 2. The Broncos threw it 25 times in the first half, which isn't a recipe for success.

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Of course, that game plan worked against this same Baltimore defense (with many of the same players) two years ago in a season debut. Remember that game when Manning threw for seven touchdowns?

Yeah, it feels like ages ago. It's been two years.

It's a good thing for the Mile High faithful the defense not only found a way to win the game, but looked so good in the process. That defense just had to hold on to keep the Broncos on top of the NFL in seasons past, but this time around, it will be doing the heavy lifting.

Just how much weight it's able to lift will end up deciding the Broncos' fate this season if Manning's struggles continue like they seem to be.