Pittsburgh Steelers Lead Denver Broncos, 10-7, At Halftime

September 9 2012; Denver, CO, USA;Pittsburgh Steelers running back Isaac Redman (33) carries the football during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

It was a slow start to the Sunday Night Football showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. The first quarter ended in a scoreless tie before the offenses started to get the ball moving in the second half.

Taking the field in the second quarter after a Shaun Suisham field goal, new Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning conducted a beautiful 12 play, 80 yard no-huddle drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown run by Knowshon Moreno. Manning’s work was absolutely brilliant and he showed us the Peyton Manning of old.

The touchdown run from Moreno gave Denver the 7-3 lead.

It was time for the Steelers to answer before the half and they did just that. Roethlisberger put together a 14 play, 89-yard drive that spanned 4 minutes and 17 seconds. Roethlisberger extended multiple plays on the drive to keep the Steelers moving the ball down the field. The drive was finally capped off with a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller.

The Steelers head into the half with a 10-7 lead.

Roethlisberger ended the first-half on 9-for-16 passing with 118 yards and a touchdown. He racked up a 100.5 passer rating. For Manning, he went 10-for-14 in his return to the NFL regular season. Manning threw for 98 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. His passer rating for the first-half was 90.8.

Both offenses have started to find their rhythm and it is setting up to be an exciting second-half. It is up to the defenses to step up and stop the surgical style of Manning and the backyard free-for-all of Roethlisberger if they want to find their way to victory.

Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen.