Peyton Manning returns and Broncos fans went nuts

Veteran Peyton Manning, who hadn’t played since November 15 because of a torn plantar fascia in his right foot, entered Sunday’s game against the Chargers for Brock Osweiler and led the team on an 80-yard scoring drive to take the lead in the third quarter. Tyler went in. I turned to [offensive line coach] Clancy [Barone], I said, ‘You okay?’ He said, ‘Yeah, give him a chance, ‘ and he went in and played well. “I have no timeline”.

“I can’t take credit for having a really good handoff and helping those guys hold onto the ball”, Manning said. Our players will not be in the dark.

Kubiak is playing coy, but the reality is it’s nearly impossible to imagine that Manning won’t get the start.

Still, Kubiak is insisting that he thinks he can win with both quarterbacks.

Before he went down with an injury, Manning was a shell of his old self. Even though he missed six games, Manning still managed to finish second in the league with 17 interceptions, and it’s hard to imagine this version of Peyton Manning starting for a Super Bowl victor.

Peyton Manning hits the field in Nike.

CLEVELAND – Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes, Pittsburgh’s defense dominated and the Steelers slipped into the AFC playoffs with the win over Cleveland, which fired coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer after the game. Denver nipped the Chiefs in KC the second week of the season 31-24, thanks to a rally and a seemingly miraculous late fumble recovery. But he struggled with the deep ball, just as he did throughout most of the season before he finally succumbed to injury.

Although Manning completed just 5 of 9 passes for 69 yards – including just 1 of 4 throws of more than 15 yards – the five-time MVP settled down the team, driving the Broncos to two TDs and two field goals. Manning was not among players receiving MRIs on Monday. One of his interceptions went through wide receiver ‘s hands, while the other was tipped when Osweiler was hit as he threw. Osweiler has also proved he can scramble for yards when given the opportunity, rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown on 21 attempts. But in a bottom-line business, is the future Hall of Famer the best bet after steering the Broncos back from the abyss of a wild-card date with the Texans?

“These fans were great that were cheering me, cheering loud, but I’m pretty sure everybody was in the same seats when they were booing my butt off against Kansas City six weeks ago”, Manning said.

But only one quarterback will be under center when the game starts on Sunday, January 17, and that quarterback will nearly certainly be Manning.

When Kubiak said “Brock is our quarterback” earlier in the week, no one thought twice about it. Manning’s poor play earlier in the season had justified the decision.

Despite their acrid loss to the Dolphins, the Patriots are still Super Bowl favorites at +350, but that could change in the weeks to come.

Rivers, for one, was surprised to see Osweiler get the hook. The quarterback posted a passer rating of less than 70.0 in five of his nine starts, and he’s bound to cost the Broncos if he starts three games against quality opponents. The Giants finished a third-straight losing season and a fourth-straight year out of the playoffs.

If Kubiak were to choose Manning over Osweiler, he likely does so due to the fact that Manning is a better game manager and better in pressure situations. Otherwise, Osweiler deserves to be named the starter.