Broncos name Peyton Manning their starter for playoffs

Because the Broncos earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye with their win over the Chargers, they will, as Corry writes, essentially work for free this week.

For Manning and the Broncos, they will face the lowest seeded team to advance out of the Wild Card round.

If the opponents defense are going to penetrate the offensive line, Osweiler will keep the play alive and Manning will go down easily. Osweiler is expected to be able to play, if needed in the Broncos’ playoff game next week. Manning entered the Broncos’ Week 17 game when the team was trailing the Chargers.

Osweiler may be the best quarterback on Denver’s roster right now, but Manning is the best option.

Few people expect Manning to be back in the orange and blue next year, and John Elway will have to decide this offseason whether to commit to Osweiler long term, so rarely has a simple playoff appearance meant so much to a seasoned contender’s long-term fortunes.

Coach Gary Kubiak told the team of his decision at a meeting Thursday morning. “I’m very proud of our football team”.

When the Denver Broncos came to Heinz Field in Week 15, it was Brock Osweiler who was the quarterback. He completed five of his nine passes for a total of 69 yards. He knows exactly what we think of him.

The Broncos were trailing, 13-7, at the time and had committed five turnovers.

Perhaps Denver feels that the struggle of Manning this season was related to his foot and other assorted ailments and he is felling better headed toward the postseason.

“The great thing about it is it’s taken everybody on our team to get to this point — everybody — and it’s going to take everybody we have the rest of the way”, Kubiak said. To this day, though, many Bears from the 1986 team – the team that opened at home against Washington in the NFC playoffs the year after the Super Bowl win – blame Ditka for choosing Flutie, whom the Bears signed in December, over Mike Tomczak for the playoffs.

The Broncos will start their postseason when they host a divisional-round playoff game on January 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans or Kansas City Chiefs. “If he’s healthy and ready to go, Peyton’s our quarterback”. It was not until an injury to Montana’s elbow in the 1990 NFC Championship game (which led to him missing the entire 1991 season) until Young definitively received his shot as the 49ers quarterback. They’ll be eager to atone for their mistakes after their fumbling and bumbling led to Osweiler’s benching Sunday, which was akin to a hockey coach pulling his goaltender because everyone around him stunk.