With every game that goes by, the Denver Broncos are learning just how close the end is for Peyton Manning, making them think long and hard as Brock Osweiler, the highly rated backup quarterback, is approaching the end of his contract.
Manning, in two games (both wins with the defense getting a lot of the credit), has completed just 58.8% of his passes, throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions, posting a 74.2 passer rating. These are just two games, but they coincide with his ability in the second half of last season. No injury, no illness. Simply Manning, the oldest quarterback in the league, playing like an almost 40-year old man would.
The thing about Osweiler waiting on the sidelines is that he hasn’t had any chances to prove how good he is. He looked great in preseason, but in the regular season he has just 30 career throws. You can’t judge and determine anything by that. Planning for the future is difficult when there’s such a huge unknown standing at the center of that plan.
Truthfully, there’s not much to do. The Broncos aren’t going to bench Manning all of a sudden. Even if he isn’t good as before, his ability is far from benching-worthy. It’s just that the standards he has set are incredibly high. From here, it’s just riding what ever it is that he has left and hope that’s it is finally good enough to get them into the Super Bowl. It’s hard to believe there’s one more run left after this one.