Peyton Manning tied a league record with seven touchdowns as the Denver Broncos crushed the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens 49-27 in the NFL season opener on Thursday.
The four-time most valuable player became just the sixth player in history, and the first since 1969, to throw seven touchdowns in a game.
Manning looked like he is ready to guide Denver to the playoffs just as he did last year in his return from multiple neck surgeries.
The Broncos 22-point win on Thursday was the biggest opening night victory ever over the defending Super Bowl champs.
Five of Manning's TDs came in the second half of the contest at Sports Authority Field which was delayed 33 minutes before the opening kick off because of bad weather.
The Broncos turned a three-point halftime deficit into a comfortable 25-point cushion by scoring 28 consecutive points to begin the second half.
"Fortunately we figured it out after halftime," said John Fox, head coach of Denver.
"We got some new players. So just like every team on opening day there are some things to figure out as you go."
Wes Welker, Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas each caught two touchdown passes for the Broncos, who finished 13-3 last season and had the No.1 seed in the AFC before being ousted by the Ravens in the playoffs.
Welker finished with nine catches for 67 yards in his first game as a Bronco after spending the past half dozen seasons with New England.
"Our defence can answer the bell without some of their top guns," Manning said. "They were awesome and made a lot of plays."
The Ravens are still getting used to each other as they lost eight starters, including future Hall-of-Famer Ray Lewis, from last season.
Quarterback Joe Flacco, who signed a six-year, $US120.6 million ($A132.8 million) contract in March to make him the league's highest-paid player, finished 34-of-62 passing for 362 yards.
Flacco also had two touchdowns and two interceptions, while Ray Rice managed just 36 yards and a score on 12 carries for Baltimore.
"We made a number of mistakes," said John Harbaugh.
"That was the biggest issue. We gave them too many things. We can get better."
The strangest play of Thursday's contest saw Denver's Danny Trevathan pick off a Flacco pass and returned it 30 yards for what appeared to be a touchdown.
But a celebrating Trevathan accidently let go of the ball just before he reached the goal line and the ball rolled out of the end zone for a touchback to nullify the touchdown.
