Peyton Manning To Start For Broncos In Playoffs

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Gary Kubiak stuck to his word in naming Peyton Manning his starter even after declaring that Brock Osweiler had done nothing to deserve a demotion.

“I’ll do what I think is best for the football team”.

During last Sunday’s regular season finale, Manning came off the bench and led Denver on four scoring dives during a 27-20 victory.

The Peyton Manning era in Denver may very well come to an end after this season, and if they don’t win the Super Bowl they’ll fall short of their biggest goal; the one they created when he originally committed to the Broncos back in March 2012.

“[Thomas] and I were teasing him a little bit, saying, ‘Man, we haven’t seen you smile like that in about five or six weeks, ‘” wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said.

The Broncos went 7-2 with Manning as their starter and 5-2 under Osweiler, including Sunday’s win over the Chargers.

Kubiak made it clear he also made the decision because Manning is healthier than he was in November, as in a lot healthier.

Peyton Manning won back his starting job after recovering from a left foot injury and rescuing the Denver Broncos. Asked about Osweiler’s health after he sat out practice Thursday, Kubiak sidestepped the topic: “I don’t have to reveal an injury report today, so I’m not going to do that”.

Favre, who finished his NFL career in 2010 with numerous league’s all-time passing marks, which have since been eclipsed by Manning is the only real lock to get in on his first ballot this year.

Manning himself, admitted that he had struggled to get over the issue that kept him sidelined for so long. He also threw 17 interceptions on the year. Firing off nine touchdowns to a woeful 17 interceptions, all told, Manning was completing his passes at his lowest rate since his rookie season in 1998 and was well on pace to exceed that year’s career-worst 28 interceptions. But don’t dismiss Brock Osweiler just yet, the Broncos might still need him. He’s played extremely well in some tough situations.

“You’re going to see the same guy out of me that you’ve seen the whole season, bottom line I just care about this football team winning games and if coach thinks Peyton gives the team the best chance then I fully support that”, Osweiler said.

“When you’re not out there playing, it does remind you how fortunate you are to be out there playing”, Manning said. They likely remember the ill-fated first play of Super Bowl XLVIII in which Peyton missed the hike from the center, resulting in a safety for the Seahawks.