ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --Tight end Jeff Heuerman was back at practice as the Broncos had their final full-scale session of the week in advance of their season-opening showdown with the Carolina Panthers.
Heuerman had been struggling with a hamstring injury suffered Aug. 17, although he was on the practice field and in uniform for the two ballcaps-and-shorts sessions last week. He saw limited work Tuesday.
Despite the lack of on-field work this year because of two hamstring injuries, Head Coach Gary Kubiak is confident that Heuerman can handle the workload if he is physically capable of playing Thursday.
The Broncos and Panthers have only played four times before in the regular season (the Broncos lead 3-1), though Denver did beat Carolina in Super Bowl 50.
Running back Terrell Davis ran for 104 yards in the Broncos' first-ever meeting with the Carolina Panthers. Punt returner Darrien Gordon exploded for two punt return touchdowns, Jason Elam added two field goals, quarterback John Elway found wide receiver Rod Smith for a touchdown and cornerback Tyrone Braxton returned a Kerry Collins interception for a touchdown as the Broncos pitched a shutout.
In the season after the Panthers' first Super Bowl appearance, the Broncos got their second win over the Panthers, helmed by quarterback Jake Delhomme.
RB Rueben Droughns had a huge day, racking up 193 rushing yards and one receiving touchdown.
As the Broncos marched down the field in the third quarter to Carolina's 1-yard line, a promising drive turned disastrous when defensive end Julius Peppers picked off a pass intended for Rod Smith and ran 97 yards before being tackled by Smith at the 3-yard line. The Panthers would scored three plays laters on a quarterback sneak touchdown by Jake Delhomme.
The Broncos scored a go-ahead touchdown with 9:42 left in regular with a touchdown from quarterback Jake Plummer to wide receiver Ashley Lelie. The defense would shut the Panthers down to ensure the three-point win.
The Panthers finally got their first win against the Broncos after dropping their first two games. Denver's offense mustered just 158 passing yards and 15 total first downs with two turnovers in the loss.
Quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked three times by Panthers defenders and was forced into an interception.
Running back P.J. Pope had some success on the ground with 51 yards rushing, and combined with Tatum Bell's 43 yards, Selvin Young's 19 yards and Jay Cutler's two scrambles for nine yards, the Broncos had a solid rushing total of 121 rushing yards.
Though you might not have known it then, one of the marquee matchups was future second-team All-Pro cornerback Chris Harris Jr. against five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.
Demaryius Thomas was practically impossible to cover that day, catching nine passes for 135 yards.
In Peyton Manning's second game in Charlotte, he threw for 301 yards and one touchdown. On the other side in this photo, linebacker Luke Kuechly was still in his rookie season but would become the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his next season
It was a tough day for Cam Newton against the Broncos defense, who recorded seven sacks, but a great day for outside linebacker Von Miller, who had one of those sacks and six tackles.
Part of Miller's great day was forcing a fumble on running back Jonathan Stewart.
The hits just kept on coming for Cam Newton, who was sacked here by Robert Ayers for a loss of 12 yards. On the following play from the Panthers' 2-yard line, safety Mike Adams sacked Newton again, this time for a safety.
Cornerback Champ Bailey helped the Broncos have a dominant defensive day with seven sacks and two interceptions, punctuated by a interception returned for a touchdown by Tony Carter.
RB Ronnie Hillman scampered for one touchdown, escaping two would-be tacklers to find the end zone.
"If he can play, if he's 100 percent, he's fine as far as his assignments and all those things," Kubiak said. "I think the move today gives us a chance. We'll see."
With Heuerman returning, wide receiver Bennie Fowler was the only Bronco sidelined for the day's work. He was at practice in a jersey, but was not wearing his helmet and had a brace on the right elbow he injured at Chicago Aug. 11.
Offensive linemen Ty Sambrailo and James Ferentz practiced for a third consecutive day on a limited basis as they recover from elbow and knee injuries, respectively.
