Peyton Manning's benching leaves QB's future uncertain
DENVER – The Pro Football Hall of Fame will recognize Sunday as the day Peyton Manning surpassed Brett Favre to become the NFL’s all-time passing yardage leader.
But ultimately, NFL history will remember this day differently, because this was the day Manning got benched.
The moment came with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter, after Manning threw his fourth interception of the game, as the Broncos trailed the Kansas City Chiefs 22-0. He had been booed off the field after nearly every previous possession, and the crowd at Sports Authority Field roared as backup Brock Osweiler jogged to the huddle.
That Osweiler led several sustained drives, including one that ended with a touchdown in the fourth quarter, will only ignite controversy in Denver as the Broncos prepare for a road game against the Chicago Bears next week, against former head coach John Fox, and a home game in two weeks against the New England Patriots and Tom Brady.
When will be the right time to go back to Manning? Or will there even be a right time?
Manning has always said he’d continue playing as long as he enjoyed the grind of practices and meetings and as long as he could help his team win. The first issue, that’s up for Manning to consider internally. The second is up to head coach Gary Kubiak and general manager John Elway to decide.
On Sunday, the shocking decision to bench Manning was the right one, because even though this has been a mostly-ugly season for the 39-year-old quarterback, it was clear he had become a liability.
It started from the first series of the game, when Manning sailed his first pass attempt down the seam, into double coverage, where it was intercepted by Chiefs rookie cornerback Marcus Peters. He was sacked and fumbled early on the next possession – one play before his four-yard completion that broke Brett Favre’s record – and by halftime had thrown two more picks.
This was Manning at his worst.
There were no flashes of Manning’s former greatness, no near-misses on deep balls and few instances where you could say teammates had failed to help their quarterback.
And this time, there was no defensive magic to bail out Manning.
The Broncos issues right now appear to be bigger than just Manning, with a defense that continues to self-destruct (safety T.J. Ward was ejected in the fourth quarter after landing a blow to the head of receiver Jeremy Maclin), and a running game that has yet to truly find its spark. But now the Broncos can’t deny that Manning is indeed a problem, and one they must solve if they want to hold off the surging Chiefs or Oakland Raiders, who are both three games back of the Broncos in the AFC West.
If he’s at all injured – and missing all of one practice and part of two others this week with foot and rib cage injuries indicate he is – benching Manning for at least another week, if not longer, is something the Broncos must consider.
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones
PHOTOS: Peyton Manning's career