Backup QB Osweiler ‘felt the pressure’

Manning will travel with the team but it will end up being third string quarterback Trevor Siemian who will end up serving as backup to Broncos starter Brock Osweiler for the fifth straight game.

Coach Gary Kubiak ruled out Manning for the Denver Broncos’ showdown at Pittsburgh.

Manning has been sidelined since suffering a torn left plantar fascia. Manning threw during practice Wednesday and Thursday, including some work with the scout team against the Broncos’ starting defense.

Since being removed from a November 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, he hadn’t thrown with the team at all until returning to the practice field this week.

There was Peyton Manning, in his white No. 18 jersey, tossing passes at the start of practice Wednesday for the Denver Broncos.

“I’ve got to see where he’s at; we’ve got to talk through our situation and see where’s he at”, Kubiak said (via ESPN).

“It was a little unusual to see Peyton take those scout team reps today”, Osweiler told reporters at practice. The Broncos are 3-1 in games started by Osweiler, but he’s stalled at bit over the last two games.

“If you’re kicking field goals in the red area and you’re not getting touchdowns eventually it will come back to bite you and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday and that’s what we are working on fixing”.

Denver has struggled offensively no matter who’s at quarterback.

Osweiler is coming off his first 300-yard passing game, one that was ruined by Khalil Mack’s five sacks, his receivers’ buttery fingers and a leaky line in a 15-12 loss to the Raiders. The most historic meeting between these two teams was on December 24, 1977, when the Broncos defeated the Steelers 34-21 for their first playoff win in franchise history. The Broncos followed suit by not having him practice. “So, it’s something that we’ve been dealing with and trying to deal with it the right way to get him back to where he feels really good”. Broncos QB Brock Osweiler has been susceptible to edge rushes and A-gap blitzes since he became the starter, but the Steelers represent the post potent interior pass-rush threat that he has seen so far.

He has said his doctors can’t say when he’ll be able to return to action this season.

Blount left Sunday’s game against Houston in the first half with a hip injury and did not return.

It doesn’t help me sleep better at night, but after seeing the 12 point performance against the Raiders, it got me thinking.

The only certainty surrounding the league’s only five-time MVP is that he’ll have to make it back to practice before suiting up again for a game.