Broncos vs. Chiefs: Peyton Manning Wasn’t the Only Former Vol to Shine

Peyton Manning was great in the Denver Broncos 31-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday. But other former Tennessee Volunteers also played well.

It was a thrilling victory for the Denver Broncos as Peyton Manning proved that he’s still got it.

Despite all the talk about him being washed up and clashing with new head coach Gary Kubiak, Manning’s Broncos are 2-0, and this time it was thanks to his passing. But he was just one of a few former Tennessee football players to have a great showing last night.

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We’ll start with Manning’s performance, since it is always the obvious when it comes to former Vols. He threw for three touchdowns and 256 yards while completing 26 of 45 passes. Yes, his 86.9 rating and 59.4 Total QBR along with three sacks were not great.

But without much of a running game and an offensive line still trying to gel, Manning took over the game with the help of his defense and his two weapons, DeMaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. The former Vol now has a record 42 fourth quarter comebacks, and he became the second quarterback to throw for more than 70,000 yards on the year.

Talk about a legend!

Moving onto other former Vols, defensive lineman Malik Jackson had a heck of a game with three tackles and a sack. He got pressure on Alex Smith all night and had another hurry as well.

The Colquitt family was also on display Thursday night for both teams. And older brother won the duel, even if his team lost. Dustin Colquitt punted four times for 210 yards, averaging 52.5 yards per punt and nailing a punt inside the 20-yard line.

Meanwhile, Britton Colquitt still had a nice night with seven punts for 314 yards, averaging 44.9 yards per punt. So both punters did play extremely well.

The final former Vol to really shine, though, was Eric Berry. Easing himself more into the rotation as he comes back from his cancer, the strong safety had four tackles Thursday. And then there was this epic introduction for him.

Berry gets some shine just for that. His story is a great story of inspiration, and for him to contribute significantly, even in a loss, he deserves recognition.

So it is evidently clear, Tennessee Vols have had players showing up for night games in primetime recently. Don’t forget Jason Witten Sunday night. And then you have so many players for the Broncos and Chiefs Thursday night.

Oh, and one of them was Peyton Manning, while another was Eric Berry.

Tennessee still loads the NFL with talent.

Next: Week Three College Football Game Picks and Score Predictions

Peyton Manning was great in the Denver Broncos 31-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday. But other former Tennessee Volunteers also played well.

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