The Denver Broncos have a week off to prepare and get healthy for the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, but the team is trying to get the biggest piece of drama out of the way so everyone can focus. In the final game of the regular season, the Broncos stirred up controversy by benching Brock Osweiler and putting back in Peyton Manning who led the team to a win. Now with everyone wondering who will be the starting quarterback next week, head coach Gary Kubiak is making the decision early.
According to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, Kubiak has named Manning the starter for the division round of the playoffs which he had hinted would be a likely scenario. Manning has been injured with a partially torn plantar fascia which gave Osweiler the starting spot and the chance to win games. However, Kubiak had been clear in saying that if healthy, Manning would get the nod in the playoffs and now that is the case.
"Looking forward to Peyton leading our football team, feel very good about that," Kubiak said, via ESPN.com. "Best for our football team, but I also know Brock will be ready to play."
An interesting factor in the decision making could have been injuries as the Denver Post reported Osweiler has a sprained MCL injury sustained in the win over the San Diego Chargers. The quarterback did not practice on Thursday and his health could be a factor as to why Manning was named the starter. Osweiler told the media that he was disappointed, but would continue to prepare for the game like usual.
It's a bit of a disappointment," Osweiler said, via ESPN.com. "It's hard to hear you're not going to be the one playing. ... However, I'm a big team player. You're going to see the same exact guy out of me that you've seen, you know, the whole season. Bottom line: I just care about this football team winning games. And if Coach thinks Peyton gives the team the best chance, then I fully support that."
For the Broncos, the quarterback position will succeed if the run game succeeds. In the win over the Chargers, CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman took over and thrived in the role. Both players have been the x-factor in the rise or fall of the Broncos this season. If they are running well in the playoffs, Manning should have no issues.
One player confident that Manning should have no issues on the field is Demaryius Thomas who told the media, "I knew he still had it. It was a matter of giving him an opportunity to get healthy." Now the Broncos will see if that really is the case as he prepares to take over.