NFL News: Will Quarterback Peyton Manning Return to Form? Gary Kubiak

Certainly not a 6-0 team with the NFL’s all-time leading touchdown passer and an all-pro receiver.

Can it last? Can the Broncos continue to play so well with such poor quarterback play?

The Denver defense clearly appears capable of doing its part and handling the heavy lifting. But like Peyton Manning being Peyton Manning – albeit a 39-year-old with diminishing skills – Josh McCown is still Josh McCown. The games aren’t so much about watching Peyton throw a perfectly placed, tight spiral anymore. The staff is comfortable allowing McCown a few freedom in changing protections and play calls, something they were not at ease with when Johnny Manziel was in at quarterback. He has been one of the players to lift the team. The other one had Manning. He accepted a pay cut to stay.

Watching QB Peyton Manning play up to this point you know something is just off with him.

Washington was hoping to build continuity behind quarterback Kirk Cousins after he beat out Robert Griffin III for the starting job this season. Whether the Browns can keep things rolling on the offensive side of the ball will be an interesting storyline against a Broncos defense that has been downright dominating this season. The blending of the two has been far from seamless.

– Manning has been picked off 10 times through six games. He threw one interception that was returned for a touchdown by Cleveland’s Karlos Dansby in the fourth quarter. McCown will need to be as close to 100 percent as possible against the Broncos (5-0), who lead the league with 22 sacks and have forced 17 turnovers.

Manning’s numbers also are down.

The six touchdown passes is the shocking number on Manning’s stat sheet.

-Broncos WRs Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders vs. Browns CBs Joe Haden and Tramon Williams. Sanders ended with four receptions for 109-yards and the score. On second down, quarterback Josh McCown looked to his right for wide receiver Travis Benjamin, but Denver cornerback Aqib Talib jumped the route and sprinted 63 yards to the end zone with the Broncos’ eighth interception of the season. They are giving up 192 passing yards per game, which is good for fifth in the NFL. Especially against defenses as good as Denver’s.

Even without DeMarcus Ware and Shane Ray, the Broncos had enough pass-rush punch from their remaining edge rushers, with Shaquil Barrett and Von Miller consistently rattling McCown.

Sunday was an very bad day for Marcus Mariota, who was hit repeatedly by Miami defenders, was intercepted twice and injured his knee at one point, though he finished the game. What the Broncos have done to compensate for that is build a defense capable of challenging for a championship. Sometimes it seems that their best chance to score is when their defense is on the field. The most historic meeting between these two teams was on January 11, 1987, when John Elway led the Broncos to a 23-20 overtime win in the AFC Championship that was set up by “The Drive”, a 98-yard march in the last minutes of regulation to the game-tying touchdown pass. Two seasons ago, he had 55 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.