Quick takes: Baltimore Ravens vs. Denver Broncos

It was nice to get back to football. Although the thirty-three minute weather delay impeded NBC's pre-game momentum to build up to the official start of the season, it was football. And it was good.

I've been off this blog for over a year now, but I'm going to pick-up here and see where it takes me. Let's get into what I saw tonight.

1. When Peyton Manning's teammates said he looked better this offseason, boy did they mean it. Of course, Manning also added Wes Welker, which could be the reason for his Thursday night success. That inside threat adds something that no other team have: two legit outside receivers and a inside threat to complement the two studs on the outside. Or maybe he looked so great because he's all that we've seen. But, wow, Peyton was Peyton. What a coming out party he has with seven touchdowns against a defense that really isn't all that bad. Manning now posses the fourth most points ever scored by a quarterback in a single game since the merger with his seven touchdowns on Thursday.

2. Julius Thomas is exactly who we thought he was. The six-foot five-inch, 247-pound specimen is just that: a specimen. The former basketball player from Portland State is owned in just 4.7 percent of NFL.com leagues despite his stellar preseason. That number should take a gargantuan leap after next week's waiver period after, essentially, Thomas' first game of his career. The guy is talented and, in this pass-first offense, has the potential to be a top-10 tight end this season.

Fun fact: Thomas rocked a fro in high school.

3. Knowshon Moreno is the man in the Broncos tripod backfield... for now. However, here were glimpses of great running from all three backs. Ronnie Hillman was the clear-cut pass catcher out of the backfield, as he caught two passes for 27 yards. Moreno caught three passes for 37 yards.

But rookie Montee Ball was the most surprising performer out of this backfield. His nine-yard cut-back run in the third quarter is what really impressed me. He showed great balance and better acceleration than what I saw (for the most part) in college. Other than the late fourth-quarter blunder where he ran to the wrong side of Manning, I liked what I saw overall. Once Ball learns pass pro, he will be the starting back. But that could be a while. This is going to be a three-headed mess all year with no winners except for the Broncos; stay away in fantasy.

4. The Broncos defense looks absolutely scary, and they were missing their premier player, Von Miller.  Offseason pick-up Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie shut down his side of the field all night; he allowed no catches on just one target. Wesley Woodyard jumped off the screen, as did Nate Irving at times, as well as Derek Wolfe. This front seven is outstanding, and a running back matchup to avoid in fantasy football.

5. Small sample size, but based on this game, it appears that Bernard Pierce may in for more of a timeshare with Ray Rice than most experts expected -- myself included. Ray Rice carried the ball 12 times while Pierce carried it nine times. Both struggled mightily against that ferocious defense of the Broncos, but this seems notable. Pierce was continuously worked in throughout the game. It's something to keep your eye on going forward. But it's no surprise to me, as I believe Pierce is just as talented as Rice