For those who doubted the Denver Broncos when they fell behind the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, you should have taken solace in the Broncos 38-19-1 (.664) all-time opening-game record or the 44-13-1 (.767) all-time record in home openers. They got this!

Go ahead and chalk up another win in each of those categories after the Broncos victory on Sunday.

It wasn’t dominant, nor predestined, but it was a solid Broncos win to build on. At different points of the game, each of the three phases were cause for celebration and concern. Case Keenum looked both exceptional and then ordinary (then less so). The defense looked looked immovable, and then allowed huge plays. Marquette King did well, but was overshadowed by the booming punts of Seahawks rookie kicker Michael Dickson.

Demaryius Thomas overcame early struggles to show that, despite the drafting of two stud receivers this offseason, he’s not going to allow the Broncos to replace him without a fight.

Philip Lindsay looks like a natural wearing Terrell Davis’ #30. He’s a grinder and a threat any time he touches the ball. Buckle up Broncos fans, keep your hands inside the ride at all times, and button your valuables in your cargo shorts, Philip Lindsay s just getting going and 2018 looks to be one hell of a ride.

Case Keenum? Well, the jury is still deliberating after his three interception day. Standards for quarterback play are high in Denver and what fans saw on Sunday was discouraging, but not yet cause for panic.

Defensively, Von Miller showed that he hasn’t missed a step. Chris Harris is a bona fide threat. Bradley Chubb? Although he didn’t disrupt the Seahawks game all that much, it appears he has all the support he needs to grow into the player everyone hopes he will be.

In his KOA postgame interview, Miller reminded everyone that he didn’t have a sack in his first game as a rookie against the Raiders... but then went on to have a string of sacks in the games that followed. You can tell that Bradley Chubb’s biggest supporter is wearing #58.

Special teams didn’t negatively draw attention to themselves like they did so many times last season. Consider that an improvement. Marquette King did well at positioning the ball inside the 20 when the Broncos needed it most. Seriously though, the Seahawks Michael Dickson is going the be a beast. It’s been some time since I’ve seen a game with those kinds of punts.

As home opening wins go, Sunday’s against the Seahawks was hard fought. The 2017 iteration of this team would have folded and failed. Be emboldened and excited by the ‘kicking and screaming’ that compelled this team to their first victory. Make no mistake, Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks was one to build on. Next up? A rivalry game against the Oakland Raiders in Denver. Delicious.

HORSE TRACKS

Broncos Defeat Seahawks In Season Opener, 27-24 « CBS Denver
The Denver Broncos started off their season with a big win. Von Miller had three sacks in the game, to go along with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Earl Thomas proves he doesn't need training camp, gets a pick on first drive of the season - CBSSports.com
Thomas intercepted Case Keenum on a seam route on his first drive back with the team

Emmanuel Sanders’ big day lifts Broncos over Seahawks – ProFootballTalk
New Broncos quarterback Case Keenum had an up-and-down game in his Denver debut, but whenever he threw to an old reliable receiver, he was up. Emmanuel Sanders had a huge game today, catching 10 passes from Keenum for 135 yards, and the Broncos held on for a hard-fought 27-24 victory.

Watch: Colorado-born Phillip Lindsay scores Broncos first TD of season | FOX31 Denver
DENVER -- Broncos rookie Phillip Lindsay scored the Broncos first touchdown of the season on Sunday. Off of a wheel route, Lindsay caught a 29-yard pass from Case Keenum for the touchdown. It's the first time in Broncos history that an undrafted rookie scored a touchdown in the season opener.

WATCH: Broncos Defense Begins Season With A Sack « CBS Denver
The Broncos defense started the season with a bang as Darian Stewart sacked Russell Wilson on Denver's first defensive play on Sunday.

Seattle Seahawks suffer loss to the Denver Broncos in opener: Live updates recap, score, stats | OregonLive.com
Quarterback Russell Wilson throws three touchdown passes, but the defense gives up nearly 500 yards of offense to the Broncos Sunday in their 27-24 loss at Denver.

Cover 4: Broncos beat Seahawks 27-24 after fourth-quarter comeback
What was the turning point of Sunday's game against the Seahawks?

Demaryius Thomas hauls in go-ahead TD in double coverage
Quarterback Case Keenum squeezes the ball in between defenders to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas for a 4-yard touchdown completion, which gave the Broncos a late lead.

Justin Simmons makes leaping grab to pick off Russell Wilson
Safety Justin Simmons intercepts Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Von Miller forces fumble during sack of Russell Wilson
Outside linebacker Von Miller sacks Russell Wilson to force a fumble, but the Seattle Seahawks recover the ball.

Emmanuel Sanders turns on the jets, flips into the end zone for 43-yard score vs. Seattle
Quarterback Case Keenum finds wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who uses his speed to find the end zone on a 43-yard touchdown.

Browns rookie picks off Ben Roethlisberger twice in the first half of his debut - CBSSports.com
Denzel Ward leads the NFL in interceptions

Andrew Luck's return to football is getting kind of crazy against the Bengals - CBSSports.com
Things are getting crazy in Indianapolis

Officials use new personal foul rule to eject a Bengals player on obvious dirty hit - CBSSports.com
Shawn Williams was tossed from the Bengals-Colts game for hitting Andrew Luck with his helmet

Patriots reportedly gave Josh McDaniels a monstrous contract to stay in New England - CBSSports.com
Apparently, the Patriots really, really, wanted to make sure that Josh McDaniels stayed in New England

Texans blew it not calling timeout after Rob Gronkowski’s catch – ProFootballTalk
Texans coach Bill O'Brien was defensive in his postgame interview when asked why he didn't call a timeout after Rob Gronkowski's questionable catch late in the first half.

Ryan Fitzpatrick not surprised by 48-point outburst – ProFootballTalk
Few would have expected the Buccaneers to score 48 points this month. Instead, they scored 48 this afternoon. That surprised many. It didn't surprise the guy who threw four touchdown passes and ran for another.

Alex Smith, Chris Thompson shine in 24-6 win – ProFootballTalk
An Alex Smith-Adrian Peterson pairing wasn't the plan on offense in Washington until after Derrius Guice tore his ACL in the first preseason game of the summer, but it worked out well for them on Sunday.

Steelers tie, Le’Veon Bell tweets – ProFootballTalk
Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell hasn't said much on social media since all hell broke loose with inflammatory comments from multiple teammates. After Sunday's game without him, Bell took to Twitter.

Deshaun Watson: I was terrible, put the “L” on me – ProFootballTalk
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson made his long-awaited return to the starting lineup on Sunday afternoon in New England, but the result wasn't the one that Houston hoped to see.

Chiefs make the big plays, beat Chargers – ProFootballTalk
The Chiefs said all offseason they were willing to live with some mistakes from Patrick Mahomes, because they were convinced he'd make enough plays to make it worthwhile.

Blaine Gabbert replaces Marcus Mariota for Titans – ProFootballTalk
Four hours later, Blaine Gabbert is back in the game. The Titans had to turn to their backup quarterback after the second lightning delay (total elapsed time: three hours and 59 minutes), with Marcus Mariota leaving the game with an elbow injury.

Adrian Peterson, Washington Redskins running back, sets two career marks vs. Arizona Cardinals
Adrian Peterson, in his first game with the Redskins, scored his 100th career rushing touchdown in the first half at Arizona on Sunday. Earlier in the half, he surpassed Jim Brown for 10th on the all-time rushing list.

Patrick Mahomes propels Kansas City Chiefs with 256 yards, 4 touchdowns
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, after starting just one game last season as a rookie, led the Chiefs to a win over the Chargers in convincing fashion.

Browns don't lose but can't get a win either
The Browns snapped a 17-game losing streak but didn't get a win, earning a tie with the Steelers in the season opener.

Saquon Barkley has long TD in Giants debut
Saquon Barkley broke off a 68-yard run for a touchdown in his debut with the Giants.

Nathan Peterman benched for Josh Allen in Bills' loss - NFL.com
The Buffalo Bills benched Nathan Peterman after a dismal performance against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Will Josh Allen start Week 2?

Adrian Peterson scores 100th career rushing TD - NFL.com
Adrian Peterson just passed Jim Brown and Barry Sanders. Not a bad first half with his new team. AD scored his 100th rushing touchdown and went over 12,300 career rushing yards.

James Conner excels in first career start for Steelers - NFL.com
Le'Veon Bell's absence dominated headlines during the week, but his replacement owned Sunday. James Conner rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the Steelers' Week 1 tie with the Browns.

Panthers TE Greg Olsen (foot) ruled out vs. Cowboys - NFL.com
The Panthers won their season-opener for a second consecutive season, but they might have lost starting tight end Greg Olsen for an extended period.