The Denver Broncos ended the New England Patriots win streak while remaining in playoff contention and it was all thanks to the arm of Brock Osweiler and not Peyton Manning. The backup quarterback continues to thrive as the starter in place of the injured veteran. That could leave the Broncos to make some tough decisions as Osweiler plays on an expiring contract while Manning aims to get his starting spot back.
Osweiler is just a few games away from being an unrestricted free agent this offseason as he plays out the final year of his rookie contract. Thanks to a few key wins as the starting quarterback, Osweiler could find himself being very popular come the summer. The quarterback is setting himself for a nice pay day, but it remains to be seen if it will come from the Broncos or another team in need of an upgrade at the position. The issue for Denver is whether or not they can afford to re-sign Osweiler.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Broncos are going to have contract issues. Von Miller will be free agent along with Osweiler. Manning is on the books for $19 million. With one franchise tag to burn, where does Denver go this offseason? Florio reports that the easiest thing to do is move on from Manning, but the quarterback has reportedly already told teammates he intends to return from this injury and play in 2016. The Broncos could be forced to decide between Manning and Osweiler in 2016 in order to also bring back Miller who will require a huge contract.
At the moment, Osweiler is not blowing anyone away with his stats, but he is proving he can stretch the defense while being clutch in key moments. His fourth quarterback touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell proved that. He also got something Manning could not get which was help in the run game as the tandem of CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman finally began producing. The running back duo combined for three touchdowns, something that has not happened all season.
For now the Broncos are thinking short-term and not long-term. Emmanuel Sanders and Owen Daniels were the best options for Osweiler while Demaryius Thomas struggled with just one catch off 13 targets. Caldwell also got more involved with four targets on the day. According to the quarterback, Manning was key in the win helping him make adjustments while Osweiler credits the veteran for his success.
"Peyton was fantastic at halftime. He came up to me and - you know Peyton - of course, he had a list of things ready to talk about that he saw out there. I'm not going to go into specifics, but he certainly did help me, and he helped this football team get a win today," Osweiler said, via ESPN.com.
