ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — If Peyton Manning is edgy or emotional about his first real game in 20 months, he's hiding it well.

The ever-stoic four-time MVP, who's making a comeback from a nerve injury that required four neck operations and kept him off the field in 2011, makes his Denver debut Sunday night when the Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Asked Wednesday if he thinks he'll have butterflies for his first game in 611 days, Manning said it's "hard to give a prediction" about how he'd feel at kickoff.

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Receiver and close friend Brandon Stokley said that when he came back from a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2007, he had a newfound appreciation for the game, and he's sure Manning will have a similar reaction when he runs onto the field.

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