Denver Broncos Rumors: Emmanuel Sanders Injury Hurts Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Ronnie Hillman Defend QB as CJ Anderson, Owen Daniels Struggle

Oct 19, 2015 11:37 AM EDT

Peyton Manning's production continues to be the biggest issue for the Denver Broncos. The team might be undefeated, but an outsider might not know that as the quarterback was actually booed by fans in the Week 6 win. The Broncos beat the Cleveland Browns thanks to their dominating defense and not the quarterback play as fans let Manning know they are not thrilled about the stalling unit.

Manning tossed three interceptions in the win while finishing the day 26-of-48 for 290 yards and a touchdown for the win. The Broncos continued to remain undefeated on the season and yet fans booed his play. The quarterback's teammates were not thrilled by the reception of their leader as several players stepped up in his defense. Running back Ronnie Hillman took to Twitter to say, "Ya need to get off Peyton that's out QB bottom line. You fake fans don't say anything when he is winning us the game smh." Demaryius Thomas also spoke up in support.

"We don't really care what people say," Thomas said, via ESPN.com. "I know I just got to make more plays and make people be quiet on it. Me dropping a ball, they probably say something about Peyton after that. ... I bet there are people that blame Peyton when I dropped the ball. He's our quarterback. Our leader. I know I can make more plays for him."

The Broncos are getting a bye week at the right time. Manning gets a chance to rest while Emmanuel Sanders will be nursing a shoulder injury. According to the Denver Post, Sanders sprained his AC joint in the win as he had four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown on the day. Sanders will get time to rest the issue as the Broncos cannot afford to have that issue linger for the team.

The biggest concern for the Broncos right now could be their struggling run game. Manning is not getting the balanced offense he had last year as CJ Anderson continues to drop off the map this season. The running back was a big part of te why the Broncos had such success last year and yet he lost his starting job this season to Hillman. Both rushers combined for 152 yards on the ground against the Browns which was a huge improvement for the Broncos. Manning is hopeful that can continue while the passing game works itself out.

"We are still in transition," said Manning, via the Denver Post. "We started the season with a fullback/H-back in James Casey, and he's not with us anymore. And Ty's (Sambrailo's) injury has forced some shuffling. It has by no means been easy. Coach Kubiak and I are committed to getting on the same page where he and I have a good feel for each other. We are both committed to the cause."

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