Peyton Manning was better, though certainly not back to his spectacular old self, in one half of play during Denver's 30-10 exhibition loss to Seattle. Manning went 16-of-23 passing for 177 yards and two interceptions in the game, struggling at times but excelling in the no-huddle offense. More importantly to both Manning and the Broncos, he took his first serious contact -- a hit after throwing an incompletion from Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin -- and bounced back to his feet.
Manning, though, was not particularly pleased (via Jason La Canfora):
"We can build on this," Manning said. "But there were some things we have to improve on, and some things I have to improve on."
As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports points out, Manning looked more comfortable when directing the hurry-up offense, but did not take many shots downfield:
[Manning] went heavy no huddle, again largely in the shotgun, running back and forth to the line of scrimmage to bark out instructions and make adjustments as we've seen over all these years.
"We want to play fast and use that to our advantage," Decker said. "That's our goal."
Manning looked good putting the ball right in Dreessen's arms for a 20-yard gain over the middle, and was 4 for 4 for 47 yards on that drive, which ended with a one-yard touchdown run from Willis McGahee. There were also a few times when Manning rolled left and really stepped into his throws, putting some extra oomph into the delivery.
But Manning was also restrained in his approach, not attempting many deep throws. Some balls were wobbly and he was clearly not pleased with the interceptions.
The Broncos return to preseason action on Aug. 26, hosting the San Francisco 49ers.
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