Photo of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning by Jeffrey Beall/Flickr Creative Commons.
Peyton Manning has more or less seen it all in his famous career, but he’s never had a season like this one. The Denver Broncos’ quarterback has battled injuries and poor play that made him the team’s backup on Sunday for the first time in his NFL career. Brock Osweiler has performed well this season in Manning’s absence, going 4–2 as a starter. But when Osweiler struggled Sunday, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak turned to the five-time MVP Manning on the bench. Osweiler had thrown two interceptions and lost a fumble, and the Broncos were losing to the San Diego Chargers in the second half. That’s when Manning ran onto the field to the roar of the home crowd. He threw for just 69 yards, but he led the Broncos on four scoring drives as they came back to beat the Chargers 27–20. The win locked up the first seed in the AFC for the Broncos, meaning home field advantage throughout the playoffs. That gives Kubiak an extra week to decide whether Osweiler or Manning will get the start.
Read more about Peyton Manning coming off the bench against the Chargers.
