The lingering injury has attributed to the worst season of the five-time NFL MVP’s career and triggered speculation that he’s contemplating retirement as he approaches his 40th birthday.
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Fantasy impact: It’s gotten to the point where it’s fair to wonder if Manning will play another down with the Denver Broncos after a poor showing for the nine games preceding his benching, despite a 7-2 record.
“When you walk in a meeting room Saturday night and Peyton’s not there, and Demarcus’ isn’t there”, said Broncos’ head coach Gary Kubiak. “He did a heck of a job”.
Osweiler was named the AFC’s Player of the Week, the first such honor of his career and the first offensive honor for a Broncos player this year. That’s disappointing. There are going to be things out there and things said, but I know what’s going on. Peyton’s been a great teammate and obviously I love having him around.
“I didn’t believe it at first”. Ronnie Hillman rushed for 102 yards in 21 attempts while CJ Anderson added 59 yards in 12 carries.
Their toughest game of the season may be coming up soon though. Fast-forward to Monday night against AFC East rival Buffalo, Brady took a beating and didn’t lead a touchdown drive until the final seconds of the second half.
Brady, 11-5 all-time against Manning including a split of four postseason matchups, continues to excel in his 16th season, though the 38-year-old didn’t have one of his best showings on Monday. He started 36 games for Minnesota but struggled to live up to expectations, throwing 38 TD passes and 36 interceptions while completing only 59.8 percent of his passes.
A victory for Denver this Sunday will be huge as it will make them the first team to beat the undefeated Patriots and will also solidify their hold of the top spot in the division.
Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler, left, talks to reporters after an NFL football practice at the team’s headquarters Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015, in Englewood, Colo.
“This defense that we’re playing is the best defense in the National Football League”, he said. “But we’ve been in some tight games like this and we haven’t got it done in the fourth quarter like we wanted to”.
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The game time was waning, yet Denver couldn’t drive 10 yards forward for a potential game clinching first down. So we’ve got to be ready. We’ve got to get open. “We keep going week-to-week with that, but yes, he’s doing everything he possibly can to get back”, Kubiak said.
