How can one team have a -4 turnover ratio and still come out as the top seed of the AFC? Kicking and screaming I suppose, even if one of the players doing the kicking only has one good foot.
The Denver Broncos were scoreboard watching the entire afternoon knowing they could end up as the 1,2,3,5, or even 6 seed in the AFC playoffs depending on the outcome certain games. Secretly wearing the colors of the Miami Dolphins under the orange and blue, Denver watched as everything fell into place for them to take over as the No. 1 seed with a win. That is exactly what they did.
An ugly win against division rival San Diego launched the Mile High crew to the head of the class, even though for most of the contest Denver played as like they wanted to travel to Houston for wild card weekend; did head coach Gary Kubiak leave something there? Then, it happened.
Enter Peyton Manning.
Like a bolt of lightning (see what I did there) shot into the stadium, Manning gave new light into a team who had committed five turnovers in the contest. After the QB change, Denver looked like a whole new team. Manning went 5-9 for 69 total yards and no turnovers but gave credit to the running game, who added 3.1 yards to their average on the day after “The Sheriff” took the helm. Joking with Denver media, Manning said, “I can’t take credit for a good handoff, even though I’d like too.”
Going into a bye during the Wildcard Weekend, the Broncos have some sort of a quarterback controversy. Do you stay with young Brock Osweiler? Or do you keep the 18-year veteran in and see if he has one more shot in him to claim Super Bowl glory? The answer, I believe, rides on how well Manning’s foot feels after the bye. Getting the one seed was pivotal.
“It held up okay,” Manning stated after the win Sunday. “I didn’t have to move a ton. I tried to throw the ball on time. Of course, we ran the ball a decent amount. I’ve been patient; I’ve worked hard in that rehab. It’s been a frustrating injury. You get better a little bit and then you start practicing and then it’s not feeling well, but I’ve really pushed it hard the past couple of weeks and it’s held up. I would certainly anticipate it feeling good tomorrow.”
When asked how it felt after playing after being benched for six weeks, Manning was somber but honest.
“I’ve just never been through anything like that before. I’ve never,” he said. “Four years ago, I missed an entire season and thought, at one point, that I might get back out there and play in the month of December and the doctors said to shut that idea down. I was kind of out that whole year. This has been different because I’ve never missed one game and then played the next week or missed two games.”
“I’ve played every single game that I’ve been in football except for four years ago,” Manning went on to add. “I don’t really know what can prepare you for something like this. It felt like I hadn’t played in a little bit and get out there, but it’s kind of like I say in the preseason, you kind of want to have a throw versus press coverage. You kind of want to be relaxed. That happened for sure. I got hit hard. You like to have some of those things happen to kind of get you back in the feel of things.”
Fans and staff of the Denver Broncos just want what’s best for the hometown team; does that mean go with the veteran? Or go with the potential future of the franchise? It all falls on the foot of one of the all-time greats. Osweiler did nothing to lose trust in the team and we can all just sit and watch as Denver uses this crucial bye week to rest and get healthy.
