Denver Broncos Struggle, Peyton Manning Benched
The Denver Broncos suffered their second consecutive loss, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in week 10.
The Denver Broncos lost to the Indianapolis Colts in week nine by a score of 27-24. Peyton Manning threw for 281 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. With the two interceptions, Manning led the NFL in interceptions heading into their week 10 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Also, against the Colts, the Denver Broncos failed to get the ball going on the ground, a problem they faced for most of this season.
-= Related: Peyton Manning: To Break All-Time Passing Yards Record =-
Last week, Denver Broncos’ cornerback Aqib Talib had an eye-poking incident on Colts’ tight end Dwayne Allen. The NFL reviewed the play and deemed that Talib deserved a one-game suspension for his actions. Thus, Talib was forced to miss the week 10 matchup against the Chiefs. Also, an injury forced Demarcus Ware to miss week 10, so the Broncos entered their matchup against the Chiefs without two of their best defenders. Kayvon Webster and Bradley Roby filled the void that Talib left in week 10.
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Despite the injuries on defense, Peyton Manning looked to carry the Denver Broncos back into the win column; moreover, Manning entered this week’s contest just two yards behind Brett Favre for the All-Time passing yards record. Manning hoped to put together a strong contest to make for a memorable game; however, that was not the case right from the beginning. Manning struggled to throw the ball for the duration of the first half.
Peyton Manning completed a short four yard gain to Ronnie Hillman to eclipse the passing yards record, and the game was halted to recognize Manning’s monumental achievement. This short pass would be the highlight of Manning’s horrendous night. Manning went on to complete just five passes for 35 yards. To top off his poor completion percentage, Manning threw four interceptions. He nearly matched his completions to Denver Broncos receivers with passes that ended up in the Chiefs’ hands.
Gary Kubiak saw enough of Manning’s struggles; thus, he chose to put Brock Osweiler into the game. Osweiler rejuvenated the offense; however, in his opening drive, he threw an interception, marking the fifth interception by the Denver Broncos in the game. With Osweiler at quarterback, the Denver Broncos managed to score 13 points to make the game look closer than it appeared. Osweiler finished the game with 146 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. Also, he added 18 rushing yards on the day.
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Denver Broncos’ fans sarcastically applauded Brock Osweiler each time the team got a first down because of Manning’s terrible performance. Hillman added a one-yard touchdown run for the other score of the game, but the Broncos failed on the two-point conversion. For the second consecutive week, the Denver Broncos’ offense looked weak and incapable. Also, an injury forced Emmanuel Sanders to leave the game, and he did not return.
While the Denver Broncos’ offense did not look good, their defense struggled as well. Alex Smith connected on an 80-yard touchdown pass with Charcandrick West. After the play, T.J. Ward was ejected for a blow to the head following the touchdown score. West finished the game with 24 rushes for 69 yards and one touchdown; additionally, he added three receptions for 92 yards and another touchdown, finishing the day with two touchdowns. Smith threw for 204 yards with one touchdown and added 33 rushing yards. The Chiefs waltzed into Denver and won 29-13.
Next: Vernon Davis: Larger Work-Load in Week 10?
The Denver Broncos continue to trend in the wrong direction, and Gary Kubiak must answer tough questions following the blowout loss to the Chiefs at home. With Kubiak benching Peyton Manning, who will start in week 11 against the Chicago Bears? Also, the Broncos have to address their defensive struggles of late, because this is the third straight game that they failed to force a turnover. With the Broncos’ defense unable to carry the team to victory, the Broncos need to figure out what they will do moving forward.