Broncos' Manning Is Sharp, Spoiling 49ers' Housewarming
Peyton Manning threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Julius Thomas and dominated in his two series, leading the Denver Broncos past the San Francisco 49ers, 34-0, on Sunday to spoil the N.F.L. debut at the $1.2 billion Levi's Stadium.
Manning, 38, beginning his 17th season after throwing for an N.F.L.-record 55 touchdowns last year, completed 12 of 14 passes for 102 yards and a 120.8 rating. He was 8 for 8 on Denver's second drive, then the backup Brock Osweiler took over and threw for a score and led another touchdown drive in a preseason matchup of the past two Super Bowl losers.
Demaryius Thomas had three catches on Denver's opening drive, including a 20-yard gain. That gives Thomas 10 receptions for 89 yards in Denver's two victories against the N.F.C. West's powerhouses, the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco.
Colin Kaepernick went 5 for 9 for 39 yards in his two series in front of a sellout crowd at the team's new stadium in the heart of Silicon Valley. Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes beat the Seattle Sounders in the stadium's first sporting event Aug. 1.
FALCONS LOSE LINEMAN Atlanta's revamped offensive line had a major setback when left tackle Sam Baker was ruled out for the year after injuring his right knee in a preseason game. The Falcons announced Sunday that the injury-prone Baker sustained a torn patellar tendon in a 32-7 loss to the Houston Texans.
Jake Matthews, a first-round pick, could move from right to left tackle to replace Baker. The Falcons ranked last in the league in rushing yards last season, and quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked a career-high 44 times, in addition to being pressured 203 times, most in the N.F.L.
Baker played in four games because of a left knee injury that required surgery in November. The Falcons were counting on improvement with Baker's return, the drafting of Matthews with the No. 6 overall pick, and the signing of the free-agent guard Jon Asamoah, another instant starter.
JAGUARS RECEIVER RETURNS Cecil Shorts III, a Jacksonville receiver, has returned to practice and could play in Friday's preseason game at Detroit. Shorts was back working with the first-team offense a little more than three weeks after straining his right hamstring in the team's opening training camp practice.
Shorts made it through the session without any issues, a positive sign for a receiver who has not been able to stay on the field in 2014.
Shorts, a fourth-year pro, said: 'It felt good just to be back out there with the guys. I'm definitely rusty, so I've got to come out here, continue to work, not get frustrated and understand this is really my first practice since April or something like that.'
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