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Sunday, Aug 19, 2012 4:45 AM UTC

Manning’s home debut so-so in loss to Seattle

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Topics: From the Wires, ,

Manning's home debut so-so in loss to SeattleDenver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning reacts after his team scored a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)(Credit: AP)

DENVER (AP) — Peyton Manning bounced right back up.

Manning’s home debut for the Denver Broncos was a mixed bag in a 30-10 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night. He led two scoring drives but threw two more interceptions and watched his teammates drop plenty of passes and cough up the ball.

Manning played the first half and gave the Broncos (1-1) a 10-9 lead despite three turnovers, including an interception in the red zone for the second straight week.

He looked great on a 2-minute drive, but that stalled when tight end Jacob Tamme, his old pal from Indianapolis, dropped a wide-open touchdown pass 6 seconds before halftime.

The biggest positive for the four-time MVP who’s returning from a neck injury that required four surgeries and sidelined him all of last year is that he took his first big hit in 19 months and got right back up.

Blasted by defensive end Bruce Irvin with 1:28 left in the half, Manning shook it off and completed a 22-yard pass to Brandon Stokley on his next play.

Terrell Owens had a disappointing debut for the Seahawks (2-0), failing to catch any of the five passes thrown his way.

Owens is trying to show he’s fully recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of the NFL for the entire 2011 season, but in his first NFL game action since Week 15 of the 2010 season with Cincinnati, he was out of sync with quarterback Matt Flynn.

Flynn targeted him five times. The first was behind him, the second was over his head, the third was knocked away by Elvis Dumervil and then cornerback Champ Bailey broke up a slant pass.

The fifth incompletion was all on Owens.

He sped past cornerback Chris Harris on a deep post and was wide open to haul in a perfectly thrown 46-yard touchdown pass from Flynn but it slipped through his fingers just as he raced across the goal line.

Manning was sharp on an 11-play, 80-yard that ended with Willis McGahee’s 1-yard TD run and in the 2-minute drill at the end of the second quarter, when the Broncos (No. 10 in the AP Pro32) failed to capitalize.

Eric Decker dropped a slant pass, center J.D. Walton was whistled for a 15-yard penalty and Tamme, Manning’s old pal from Indianapolis, was all alone in the end zone with six seconds left and dropped a bulls-eye pass.

Coach John Fox sent in his field goal team on second-and-goal from the 8, and Matt Prater’s 32-yarder gave Denver a 10-9 halftime lead over the Seahawks (No. 22) despite Manning’s two interceptions and a fumble by Lance Ball.

“There’s obviously some things we need to work on, but all in all, to have three giveaways in the first half and have the lead, that’s a good sign,” Fox said at halftime.

In the most anticipated preseason home opener for the Broncos since his boss, John Elway, was the one directing Denver’s offense, Manning completed 16 of 23 passes for 177 yards with no TDs and two interceptions.

Even though he has completed 20 of 30 passes in the preseason, three of Manning’s seven drives this preseason have ended in interceptions.

On first-and-goal from the 9, defensive end Red Bryant tipped Manning’s pass into the arms of linebacker K.J. Wright at the line of scrimmage. On Manning’s other pickoff, the ball sailed on him and safety Jeron Johnson easily intercepted it.

Steven Hauschka kicked field goals of 43, 36 and 43 yards for Seattle. His first one came after Dumervil was held on three straight snaps but the replacement officiating crew didn’t call any of them.

Flynn finished 6 of 13 for 31 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

The second half was all Seahawks as they went ahead 16-10 on Kregg Lumpkin’s 16-yard run before rookie Russell Wilson (10 of 17 for 155 yards) threw TD passes of 34 yards to Tyrell Sutton and 8 yards to Cooper Helfet.

Notes: Broncos WR Andre Caldwell and LB Nate Irving both were knocked from the game with chest injuries in the second half. … Broncos S David Bruton blocked one punt and deflected another. … The Broncos hosted survivors of the Aurora theater shooting and their families, and they held a moment of silence for the 12 victims who were killed in the massacre.

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Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

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Online: http://bigstory.ap.org/NFL-Pro32 and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

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