After being deprived of Peyton Manning's laser-guided passes last season due to a neck injury, football fans from coast-to-coast tuned in to make NBC's Sunday Night Football telecast the highest-rated regular season game in the network's history according to Pro Football Talk.
Sunday night's game, which drew a 18.0 overnight rating, marked a significant improvement over last year's season opener between the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys which registered a 16.9. Manning's debut also toppled NBC's previous record of 17.7 from the 2010 NFL opener between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings.
Considering how quickly a player like Tim Tebow ascended to the role of media juggernaut last season, a true signal caller like Manning should seemingly take things to the next level and make a bid to reclaim his throne atop the sport. Manning's performance against the Steelers proved that he is indeed 100 percent, and it's hard to believe the future Hall of Famer won't continue to reel in viewers when he's on television.
Head over to Mile High Report for more on the Broncos, and be sure to visit Behind the Steel Curtain for more Steelers news. Also check out SB Nation's NFL hub for more coverage from around the league.