Kubiak has 2 QBs, 1 tough call to make now

The Denver Broncos are in the playoffs.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, right, passes against the San Diego Chargers during the second half in an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Denver.

Peyton Manning’s stint as a backup didn’t last very long as he replaced Brock Osweiler in the third quarter Sunday and led the Broncos to a 27-20 win over San Diego. If the Broncos lost to the Chargers in the last game of the season, the Chiefs would win the AFC West and knock the Broncos down to the 6th seed.

Coach Gary Kubiak said he played a hunch but refused to reveal who will be his starter in the playoffs – or even acknowledge he has quite the puzzle at the position.

“If that game doesn’t summarize our season, I don’t know what does”, said coach Mike McCoy, whose team finished 4-12 and wound up winless in the AFC West.

Instead, they will have a week off along with the New England Patriots (12-4), who were relegated to second seeds after losing 20-10 to the Miami Dolphins.

“I don’t think Brock did anything wrong”, Kubiak said. We’ve shown we can play with the top teams. Denver has earned the number one seed in the AFC once again.

The Chargers were handed five turnovers – basically handed the game – and couldn’t figure out how to win on Sunday.

Keo was in because starter Darian Stewart aggravated a pulled hamstring, one of two big injuries for Denver. With Polumbus in, running backs Ronnie Hillman (117 yards) and Anderson (95) did most of their damage, including Hillman’s 23-yard burst for the winning score. That was good for a 13-7 lead with 8:18 left in the third quarter. That’s not to say the 39-year-old Manning was Peytonesque in his first appearance since Week 10: He was only 5 of 9 for 69 yards and no scoring passes.

If you’ve ever seen Manning after a regular-season game, he’s usually pretty emotionless whether his team wins or loses. However, just one of those could be directly attributed to Osweiler.

Relying more on his leadership and steadying influence than his passing arm in his first action in seven weeks, Manning drove the Broncos (12-4) to a pair of field goals by kicker Brandon McManus and on marches that ended in touchdown runs by C.J. But the league’s best defense frittered it away when Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib let Tyrell Williams race past him for an 80-yard touchdown catch that put San Diego back on top 20-17 early in the fourth quarter.

In his first possession the Broncos scored but it was a rushing touchdown, although just having Peyton on the field made the Broncos better and more explosive.

Osweiler hit Demaryius Thomas for a 72-yard TD just 31 seconds into the game. But he was victimized by five Denver turnovers, including two interceptions that weren’t his fault and fumbles by two other players. And it could be argued that his two interceptions, one of which hit receiver Jordan Norwood in the hands before being picked, weren’t either.

While Rivers was driving the Chargers to their first lead of the night, Manning was warming up on the sideline. Osweiler also fumbled once.

The Broncos do not want anything to do with the Chiefs, winners of 10 straight and the team that hounded the injured Manning into four interceptions in a 29-13 romp in Denver on November 15.