Peyton Manning dismantled the Ravens in Denver's 49-27 Week 1 win, completing 26-of-41 passes for 452 yards and an NFL-record seven touchdowns.

Updating an earlier item, Thursday evening's NFL Kickoff game between the Ravens and Broncos has been delayed until 9:10 ET because of lightning in the Denver area. The reality is, the game is an indefinite delay until the weather passes. Rocky Mountain storms are extremely unpredictable. The good news is, the game is in no danger of being canceled.

Demaryius Thomas says Peyton Manning's arm is much stronger than it was in 2012. "The biggest difference is his arm strength," Thomas said. "I never thought anything was wrong with him my first year, but coming back to OTAs and minicamp and seeing the strength he's got, the zip that's on the ball, it's a big difference. I think he got a lot of strength back that he didn't have last year." This isn't the first time we've heard a Broncos receiver note Manning's improved arm strength since last season ended. Peyton's locked in as a top-five fantasy passer.

Peyton Manning completed 25-of-34 passes for 234 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the Broncos' third preseason game versus St. Louis. Manning picked apart the Rams' soft shell, basic defense all night. The Rams gave him anything he wanted underneath and rarely, if ever, blitzed. Manning's touchdown was a nice pass to the back of the end zone to Demaryius Thomas from six yards out. The pick was on a seam route where Rams OLB Alec Ogletree tipped the ball up to himself. Manning finishes his second preseason in Denver 38-of-54 (70.4 percent) for 410 yards (7.6 YPA), two touchdowns, and one interception. Peyton is currently penciled in as Rotoworld's No. 4 quarterback.

The Denver Post believes Peyton Manning appears "improved physically" on last season.

Per the Denver Post, there are still "small questions" about Peyton Manning's ability to grip the football with his right hand and the strength of his right triceps entering his age-37 season. Most fantasy websites rank Manning higher than Rotoworld -- we have him No. 4 among quarterbacks -- and one reason for caution is the way he was essentially unable to throw the ball late in Denver's playoff loss to Baltimore. The Post item alludes to that fact. Ultimately, Manning's body seems more likely to hold up than not, and he offers big upside with an improved receiver corps.

The Broncos averaged 65.5 snaps per week over their first 12 games last season, but 75.6 snaps over their final five contests. The Patriots led the NFL in average plays per game (74.4). It's no secret that Peyton Manning's offense is pushing to rip off more plays from scrimmage this year, a point of emphasis during OTAs. "We're trying to give him as many tools as possible," explained OC Adam Gase. "You want to give him the ability where, 'Hey, we can wear them out if we go really fast.' Or, 'Hey, we need to tone it down, they're playing us pretty good. Let me see what they're doing.'"

The Broncos receivers say Peyton Manning has more zip on his passes this season. Manning's arm was noticeably weaker last season as his neck continued to regenerate nerve. He still ranked sixth in yards (4,659), third in touchdowns (37) and second in passer rating (105.8). Now Manning is another year removed from his neck surgery and has gained Wes Welker, putting him in our top-5 fantasy quarterbacks.

Peyton Manning signed a renegotiated contract, but hasn't "(altered) the compensation in any way." In other words, he tweaked it. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the sides have added an insurance clause that would "both compensate the Broncos and provide a cap credit" were Manning to go down with major injury. Manning is due $20 million guaranteed each of the next two seasons.

Peyton Manning said he wants the Broncos to play faster this season. Last year, the Broncos averaged 68.1 plays per game. The Patriots led the league at 74.4. "For whatever reason, our offense plays better the faster we go," Manning said. With Wes Welker in town, the Broncos are certainly capable of running more three-wide sets and using the no-huddle as a base. Manning projects to top last year's 583 pass attempts, which ranked seventh in the NFL.