The Denver Broncos have battled to a 19-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens in a scrappy encounter at Mile High Stadium in week one of the 2015 NFL season.
Peyton Manning made a series of short passes to Emmanuel Sanders at the start of the first quarter as he tried to get the Broncos on the board early, but kicker Brandon McManus was left to boot the ball through from 57 yards out.
The home side had to turn to the kicker again after the Denver offense came up short later in the opening spell, and McManus was accurate with another long effort.
Joe Flacco struggled to get the Baltimore offense going, being sacked twice early on, including taking a heavy hit from DeMarcus Ware, but Justin Tucker got them off the mark with a 52-yard field goal.
Manning also came under pressure from the opposition defense as he took a couple of sacks towards the end of the second quarter, but McManus made it three out of three with another kick just before the break, ensuring that Denver took a lead into the third quarter.
The Ravens went ahead for the first time early in the third quarter, though, as a mistake from Manning allowed Jimmy Smith to pick off the struggling quarterback, before the cornerback ran it back 24 yards for the opening touchdown of the game.
Denver had a pick-six of their own later in the third quarter as Flacco threw a wayward pass near midfield, giving Aqib Talib a 51-yard interception return to restore the Broncos' advantage.
Baltimore's next possession came to nothing as Flacco threw three quick incompletions, forcing the visiting side to punt the ball back to their opponents, allowing Denver to get back into field goal range, with McManus kicking three more to put Denver six points ahead.
Knowing that a touchdown would still be enough for the AFC North side to secure the win, Flacco launched a deep pass towards Steve Smith Sr inside the final minute, and the receiver got his fingertips to it, but was unable to make the catch.
The quarterback went long again on the next play, attempting to pick out Crockett Gillmore, but former Ravens safety Darian Stewart leapt in front of the tight end, making the interception to allow the Broncos to hold on for the win.
