He's come too far for that.

"I know how much hard work I've put in and how much help I've gotten along the way," he said. "I know once we get to Pittsburgh, it'll be all about the game. I'm not going to be too reflective."

His first preseason appearance with the Broncos was brief and a bit uneven. He hopes to have it ironed out by the opener Sept. 9.

Manning got intercepted near the goal line on the game's opening possession and watched from the sideline the rest of the way as Denver beat the Chicago Bears 31-3 Thursday night.

All eyes were on Manning and the results were mixed for the four-time MVP. Considering he missed all of last season with a nerve injury in his neck that weakened his throwing arm and led to his tearful farewell from the Indianapolis Colts, it was hardly a surprise.

Manning is trying to show he still has something left with Denver (No. 10 in the AP Pro32), and all things considered, coach John Fox was impressed.

"He's going to continue to improve," Fox said. "That's the whole challenge of our team. That was a good first start, good first outing, and it's what we do with it from here on out that's going to count."

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Manning got intercepted near the goal line on the game's opening possession and watched from the sideline the rest of the way as Denver beat the Chicago Bears 31-3 in the preseason opener on Thursday night.

All eyes were on Manning and the results were mixed for the four-time MVP. Considering he missed all of last season with a nerve injury in his neck that weakened his throwing arm and led to his tearful farewell from the Indianapolis Colts, it was hardly a surprise.

Manning is trying to show he still has something left with Denver (No. 10 in the AP Pro32), and all things considered, coach John Fox was impressed.

"He was remarkable," Fox said. "He came back, he's worked very hard. He hasn't played football in (almost) two years. I thought it was a good first drive in these conditions — it was sloppy. It was sloppy by the receivers as far as the conditions, but I thought it was a very good first outing."

On a cool and rainy night, Manning completed 4 of 7 passes for 44 yards, but didn't have to contend with Julius Peppers or Brian Urlacher. He had all the time he needed, too, so it remains to be seen how he'll handle a big hit.

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