Peyton Manning out at least 2 weeks with foot injury

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – With Peyton Manning wearing a walking cast on his left foot, the Denver Broncos signed Christian Ponder on Wednesday to bolster the depth chart for the foreseeable future.

After visiting with Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, Manning was put in a foot cast and is on orders to sit out at least the next two games.

Manning will be able to attend meetings and some workouts this week, Kubiak said. Brock Osweiler will make his second consecutive start, and rookie Trevor Siemian will again be the Broncos’ backup.

A much anticipated quarterback matchup between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will not be witnessed this Sunday, as the Denver Broncos start Brock Osweiler when they take on the unbeaten defending champions New England Patriots.

“When you have games like this – [Tom] Brady knows everything about us, Belichick knows everything about us”, Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. Anunike appeared in just three games this season and had one tackle after undergoing knee surgery in August.

Given Manning’s current time frame, he will miss Sunday’s showdown against the New England Patriots and next week’s AFC West matchup with the San Diego Chargers.

Manning had been bothered by a sore left heel the past month, but it was while playing against the Indianapolis Colts on November 8 that he apparently suffered a partial tear.

A league spokesman said a review was begun after the game “to determine the facts of the injury… and why [Keenum] was not removed from the game for the necessary evaluation by a team physician or the unaffiliated neuro-trauma consultant, as required by our concussion protocols”.

Asked whether the expectation is that Manning will be back at some point, Kubiak said: “Absolutely”.

Buffalo’s LeSean McCoy did rush for 82 yards and a touchdown on Monday, though the Patriots limited the Bills to 3 for 15 on third downs to hold on for a 20-13 victory and move to 10-0. Now, it’s settled for at least two weeks.

“We’re off to a good start, but it really doesn’t mean anything”.

Osweiler is obviously more mobile than Manning, and is a better fit for what Kubiak likes to do on offense – the zone blocking scheme, stretch run play, and play-action rollouts. Head coach Gary Kubiak called the seventh-round pick “a very confident kid” when he made the 53-man roster this summer.

A few plays later with the Bears defense gassed and gashed, Osweiler threw a dart to Cody Latimer for the touchdown.