The Denver Broncos saw Brock Osweiler win his second straight start on Sunday against the Patriots and the quarterback will continue starting for Peyton Manning while Manning is injured. Manning reportedly will be out for at least one or two more games and if Osweiler keeps playing well, there is a chance he could remain the starter for Gary Kubiak.
Manning has been dealing with a foot injury that has kept him on the sidelines for the last two games and according to Chris Mortensen at ESPN, Manning may not be back "anytime soon." Manning is in a walking cast and will continue to wear it this week and after that, Manning still will have to rehab his partially-torn plantar fascia tendon, according to Pro Football Talk. The team could determine a timetable for Manning's return after that, but right now there is not set date for him to come back.
Heading into the game against the Patriots, Ian Rapoport at NFL Media reported that Manning will miss "at least three weeks" and that Week 15 is a "realistic" option for Manning to return. Osweiler has played well over his two starts and now he has two wins under his belt for the Broncos after leading wins over the Bears and the Pats. Osweiler has thrown three touchdowns and one interception in the past two games and if he continues to lead the team to victories, there is a chance he could force the Broncos to keep starting him.
It would be a tough situation if Denver wants to keep Manning on the sidelines if he is healthy and able to play, but the Broncos fortunately do not have to cross that bridge yet. John Elway knows what it's like to be a quarterback at the end of a career and he may not want Manning to finish things off like that. The Broncos likely will do what they feel gives the team the best chance to win and a healthy Manning likely will get back on the field if he can recover.
Having Osweiler at quarterback has helped spark the running game and both CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman were productive against the Patriots. Anderson finally showed the burst that the team had been looking for all season and he finished with 113 yards and scored the winning touchdown in the game. Anderson had two scores, while Hillman finished with 59 yards rushing and a touchdown.
The Broncos also dealt with some injuries in the game against the Patriots, as Mike Klis of KUSA reports that TJ Ward and Sylvester Williams both could be out "for a while." Both players suffered high ankle sprains Sunday night and they were carted to the locker room with injuries. The players were injured while making a tackle together and got "rolled on," according to Ward. DeMarcus Ware has already been out with a back injury and now Ward and Williams also will miss time. Pro Football Talk reports that Ware could miss a "couple more weeks" after aggravating his back injury and after missing time already, he could be out until close to the end of the regular season.
