Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning missed the first day of practice last week to get treatment on his thigh, but there were no other signs that Manning was being affected by an injury heading into Monday night’s game against the Bengals.
After the game, though, there were questions about how well he was feeling. Manning led the Broncos to the lead after the Bengals jumped ahead 20-7, but he wound up throwing a back-breaking interception to Dre Kirkpatrick in the fourth quarter. Manning threw the ball one way, Demaryius Thomas cut the other and Kirkpatrick waltzed into the end zone with a touchdown that put the Bengals up by the final margin of 39-27.
Manning blamed himself for “a bad throw” and wound up with four interceptions overall for the first time since he joined the Broncos. Manning labeled his performance “not good” and said, via ESPN.com, it was the product of poor play rather than injury.
Manning said no when asked if his thigh was affecting him on the field in Cincinnati, an answer that’s as comforting as it is worrisome with the playoffs right around the corner. Manning played well against the Chargers in Week 15, but it’s been a choppy stretch for him and an injury would at least suggest an explanation other than slowing down at the end of another long season.
Injuries get better, but there’s still a lot for the Broncos to do to get where they want to go and a team built around Manning’s particular set of skills isn’t going to get there if he’s off his game the way he was on Monday night.
