Denver Broncos Turn to Peyton Manning, Victory Earns Top Seed in the AFC

Things did not go according to plan for the Denver Broncos against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. They came out on fire with a big strike from starting quarterback Brock Osweiler to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas on their opening drive. The pass play went for 72 yards and a touchdown, helping give the Broncos a 7-0 lead with only 31 seconds taken off the clock in the first quarter.

After that, things seemed to fall apart for the Broncos offense. It turned the ball over four times in the first half, with two of them being Osweiler interceptions. When the offense turned the ball over again near the start of the third quarter, the Broncos inserted backup quarterback Peyton Manning to spark the team.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak talked about making the switch.

“Sometimes you just—the feel is that the team is looking around for that guy or that tremendous leadership type of stuff. That’s what I felt.”

Kubiak continued, “I know Peyton—the last couple of weeks have been real good weeks. I knew he was ready to go. I don’t think Brock did anything wrong. I mean yeah, he had some turnovers, but a couple of them he had nothing to do with.”

The veteran coach admitted, “We could have helped him a lot. Just my gut told me to turn it over to [Manning] and let him lead the team. He’s worked really hard to stay there for us, and it couldn’t have been a bigger day to be there for us.”

The Broncos turned to Manning, and now they are the AFC's top seed to begin the playoffs. Their 27-20 victory over the Chargers puts them in the driver's seat as the postseason kicks off.

A Spark in the Stadium

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

As soon as Manning started warming up on the sidelines, there seemed to be a buzz generating throughout the stadium. The fans were upset with the way the first half had gone for the Broncos, and there was a smattering of boos as the team went into the tunnel before the break. When Manning was seen warming up, the crowd started to get excited about a potential switch.

Whispers turned into roars and cheers of approval as Manning came onto the field to relieve Osweiler.

Manning was candid when discussing the crowd's reaction.

“These fans were great. They were cheering loud, but I’m pretty sure everybody was in their same seats when they were booing my butt off against Kansas City back about six weeks ago.”

Manning continued, “I understand how this works. The biggest difference is we held onto the ball better, eliminated the penalties and mistakes that allows us to get some points.”

There’s something to be said for a team feeding off the crowd's energy. In years of covering this team, I’ve rarely seen this stadium as loud as it was on Sunday. From field level in the fourth quarter, the sound from the crazed fans at Mile High was deafening.

The team won the game on the field, but they most certainly had to feel this ecstatic fanbase's energy.

A Spark in the Huddle

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Manning came onto the field, and the Broncos started to play better. Gone were the turnovers that plagued the them in the first half. They started to move the ball on the ground more consistently, and they were able to set up play-action passing because of their rushing success.

Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas talked about how the switch at quarterback changed momentum in the game.

“We mainly took care of the ball, and [Manning] came in throwing the way he does, getting the defense to jump offside and helping make field position shorter. They thought we were going a certain way, and we were going the opposite way, so that kind of helped as well. We basically set it up that they thought we were going one way but were actually going another way.” Thomas succinctly concluded, “It helped our whole offense.”

Running back C.J. Anderson certainly felt a boost when Manning came into the game.

“[We felt] energy—and energy from the fans. We just executed, and he executed. It’s like we didn’t execute with Brock [Osweiler].” Anderson admitted, “Brock wasn’t the reason we were put in a bad position. It was on us. Kub [Kubiak] made the change, and it doesn’t matter who lines up under center—we just want to win.”

Who Is the Starter in the Playoffs?

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

With the AFC's No. 1 seed secured, who should start at quarterback for the Broncos in the playoffs? It’s not going to be an easy decision for Kubiak and company. However, it is a good problem to have.

Osweiler couldn’t answer whether he would be the starter in the playoffs or not.

“That is something that has not been discussed. I’m sure coach [Kubiak] will look at things over the next couple days. My belief is whether I’m the starter, whether I’m the backup, I’m going to show up the exact same way.” Osweiler concluded, “I’m going to prepare the same exact way, and I’ll always be ready to go.”

Summary

The Broncos responded with Manning in the lineup. The crowd certainly responded, and with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, their energy is something that won’t be overlooked.

Osweiler did not play a bad game, but the team was playing poorly. Something had to change. Unfortunately for Osweiler, that meant he’d have to watch the rest of the game from the sidelines as a future Hall of Fame quarterback supplanted him.

Going forward, the Broncos will have to decide which quarterback is their starter. Perhaps Kubiak will play things close to the vest, or perhaps he’ll just make an announcement to begin the week of preparation. We’ve got a week to debate which decision would be best for the Broncos. The team has a chance to win the Super Bowl, and whatever decision it makes at quarterback will obviously have a huge impact on its chances of advancing to—and winning—the big game.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.