Broncos refocused if not refreshed heading into big finale

When the two teams faced off in Week 13, the Broncos won 17-3 on the road. After their success from three-wide receiver sets against the Bengals, the Broncos could continue using those packages to try to capitalize off the Chargers’ battered secondary. Peyton Manning, a five-time NFL MVP, has not been healthy enough to force a choice between the pair. Helton hurt his knee in that game, so Manning took the field, made his first start a week later and never again suited up as a reserve in a meaningful contest.

Osweiler said that thrilling win over New England was a lot like messing around as a kid back here in the Montana snow. “A coach once told me – no offense to anybody – ‘Close your ears to all of that and focus on your job'”.

Kubiak likes Osweiler’s mindset as the starter.

A combination of no-huddle and shotgun proved successful Monday night. As Week 17 of the NFL season approaches, Manning still leads the league in interceptions, despite playing in only nine games.

“I’m not really going to think about who the backup is this week”, Osweiler said. “He had four good days of work so we will sit down and talk about it and go from there”.

“I got to do whatever coach feels is best for the team”, Manning said. “We want to be the best”, said DeMarcus Ware, whose team is trying to lock up the AFC West title and a first-round bye. “And if everything goes, and I have no reason to think it should not go well this week, then he would be the backup to Brock in the game”.

That it seemed natural is easily explained.

Kubiak said he’s seen growth in Osweiler’s input since becoming the starter. In the seven games that Osweiler has played in (six starts) this season, he has completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,735 yards. “I haven’t had too much experience in the game, but it’s certainly something I very comfortable with”. It drains opposing linemen at altitude – something multiple Bengals acknowledged – and limits defensive substitutions.

There will be some big opportunities for Anderson in this game if the Broncos offensive line can execute the game plan properly. Rivers is second in the National Football League with 4,564 passing yards. He finished 4-for-6 on third-down conversions in the uptempo attack. Marshall, who has a team-high 101 total tackles for a top-rated defense yielding an average of 280.9 yards, did not practice Wednesday.

That said … If you somehow still believe that Manning is the answer for the Broncos, or that he is the quarterback that gives the Broncos the best chance to win, you need to accept that Kubiak – and presumably, John Elway and other members of the Broncos front office – does not agree with you. “The key about the no-huddle is getting first downs because if you are getting three and outs it kind of defeats the goal”.

Indeed, the difference in production for the Broncos’ offense has been hard to overlook.

It doesn’t mean Osweiler will no longer be under center. “He’s just tried to stay within himself and do his job”.

“It’s something we felt like we needed to do because we had no possessions”.

Regarding the news that he would be a backup for the first time in his career, Manning said, “I will do what I can to help Brock and the team”. His time with San Diego ended badly, as he was fined $10,000 for staying on the sideline at halftime of the December 20 home finale to watch his daughter dance in a program sponsored by the team’s cheerleaders.