Have we seen the last of Peyton Manning in the NFL?

Suddenly, the Broncos – who just 10 days ago were one of the league’s last remaining undefeated teams – find themselves sputtering through a two-game losing streak. All of them would have been fun topics to dive into, but this week is all about Peyton Manning.

Osweiler finished 14-of-24 for 146 yards to go with a touchdown and an interception in relief of Manning in Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

At the moment, Manning is… not so great.

Kubiak said for this week, and however long it takes for Manning to heal, his message to Osweiler was that the Broncos “are all yours”.

Manning has been playing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, according to multiple reports, and seems to have aggravated the injury with additional small tearing against the Chiefs.

“I got emotional. I didn’t really punch him”, Ward said. Anderson opened the season as the starter, but he has been inconsistent this year and that has given Hillman the chance to step up.

The Broncos are in a unique situation with Peyton Manning.

Reid said after that game that the decision to make Davis inactive was because of the special-teams skills of defensive back Saalim Hakim, who was recently signed off the practice squad. He’s played hurt and played well before in his career.

Manning is in his age 39 season. Things just got worse from there for Manning and the Broncos.

For many of these breaking the record is unrealistic. Manning can still occasionally pull a big play out of nowhere and is physically very tough, but as a pure passer he clearly doesn’t have it anymore.

Others will have a tough time because of health issues. He can barely stay on the field now at 33. “I was anxious about him”, Kubiak said following the game.

An aging, oft-injured quarterback throws four interceptions. He has years of watching and most likely learning from one of the best. His career total is so close to Matt Ryan, but he’s a year older despite having spent less time on the field. Peyton looked as sharp and strong as he had all season, and his passes had a little extra zip compared to the floaters he had sent fluttering in previous weeks. And Rodgers has also missed time for injuries in his career, whereas Ryan hasn’t. “… So, I think it’s a combination of things”.

In the loss to the Cowboys, Broncos coach Red Miller showed understandable but unfortunate loyalty to Morton, who had delivered a superb season. It wasn’t until he was boarding a plane later that he finally noticed it. “I was like, ‘Oh, shoot!” Even national media members are starting to admit that it’s sad to see, but of course it’s easier to just pin it on the injury so people don’t have to accept the truth. Don’t worry if you can’t; we’re about to run through all of them. “The players will support him”.

It makes sense when you add it all up. Kansas City Chiefs defenders intercepted more of his passes that went beyond the line of scrimmage (four) than Broncos receivers caught (three). “Nameless and faceless – that’s how we look at guys”. But if you think that’s far… “I didn’t get a chance to see a lot of him, but when I did see him I liked what I saw”. And given the arm strength improvement, they should actually be better in a few areas with Osweiler. But most importantly, Peyton Manning hasn’t been himself. Denver needs to always watch him and put two men on him if necessary.