The Denver Broncos lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday 29-13. On the first drive of the game, Peyton Manning broke Brett Favre’s record for the most passing yards in a career. After that it was all downhill. He finished 5 of 20 with 35 yards and 4 interceptions. Manning was pulled in the third quarter. Brock Osweiler finished the game.
Manning was off the whole time he was in the game. Listed on the injury report this week with a rib cage and foot injury, Manning also dealt with an aching right shoulder. Despite that he played. According to ESPN, Manning said, “By going out there and trying to help the team, I ended up hurting the team.”
The Denverpost.com stated that Head Coach Gary Kubiak said, “To be honest, I was protecting him because I was worried about him. I am disappointed in myself. This is on me. I should have probably made the decision not to play him.”
Hindsight is 20/20. Sure Kubiak now can say he shouldn’t have played Manning, but who knew he would perform so poorly. It might be time to let Brock Osweiler start after news came out that Manning is dealing with a partially torn plantar fascia in his foot.
Osweiler is the healthier quarterback and should be on the field this Sunday against the Chicago Bears. His contract expires at the end of the year and the Broncos haven’t seen enough of him in game action to know if he is their quarterback when Manning retires.
The Broncos have a three game lead in the AFC West over the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. They can afford to let Osweiler have his chance. This would allow Manning to rest and get healthy. All will depend on if Manning practices this week. The Broncos need him to be healthy in the playoffs in order to go far.
What do you think of the possibility of the Broncos starting Brock Osweiler this weekend?
Leave a Reply