Peyton Manning is expected to miss at least the next two weeks as he continues his recovery from a plantar fascia tear, as Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com writes. Manning will spend at least the next week in a walking cast before beginning additional rehabilitation.
“Peyton and I had a good visit today, and we’ve got a plan in place for his recovery,” head coach Gary Kubiak said. “His foot will be in a cast for at least a week, but he’ll be able to be part of meetings and do some workouts with the rest of the team. We expect him to be unavailable for at least a couple of games. We’ll proceed from there and will continue to support him as he does everything he can to get healthy.”
Manning became the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yardage in his Week 10 start, but the milestone was the lone bright spot in a dreadful performance that included four interceptions and just five completions on 20 passing attempts. Frankly, Manning hasn’t looked right for most of the 2015 season, and he has also been dealing with a rib issue. With Manning ailing, the Broncos will continue to ride with backup Brock Osweiler.
Osweiler, 25, has an opportunity to boost his stock on the open market this winter, since the former second-round pick is in a contract year. More immediately, Osweiler will be tasked with keeping the Broncos atop the AFC West. If Manning’s injury keeps him out for an extended period, he could conceivably be Denver’s playoff starter.
The Broncos are also expected to expected to work out former Vikings starter Christian Ponder on Wednesday, per the report.
Following the Patriots game, the schedule lines up for this extended delay, with the Broncos facing the Chargers and Raiders next. Neither defense is imposing, which will allow more low-responsibility game plans like the one Osweiler executed to beat the Bears. Should Osweiler go 2-1 in this slate and get the Broncos to 10 wins, then it would still be hard for Kubiak to go back to Manning. Manning’s probably still the team’s best chance to beat a good defense, assuming he returns to relative health. This gives Denver the chance it might not have had — to gauge Osweiler’s value in games that count — if Manning had continued his run of starts.