One day after Peyton Manning was sent to the bench during the worst game of his NFL career, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Denver Broncos quarterback suffered a torn plantar fascia in his left foot. On Monday, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak told reporters that Manning will sit in Week 11 and Brock Osweiler will get his first career start against the Chicago Bears.
Peyton Manning out with torn plantar fascia, Brock Osweiler will start vs. Bears
Manning may be sidelined with a foot injury, which could open the door for Brock Osweiler to take over as the Broncos full-time starting quarterback.
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With Manning out, Trevor Siemian will serve as Osweiler’s backup. Manning will be re-evaluated next Monday.
Manning, 39, was reportedly dealing with plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the ligament that connects the heel bone to the toes, before eventually tearing the plantar fascia. His brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, fully tore his plantar fascia in 2009, according to Schefter, which he says is less painful than the partial tear that Peyton Manning is currently attempting to play through. So much so that Manning reportedly had difficulty walking prior to Week 10 after aggravating the injury in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates dealt with the injury for 2010 and 2011, while Red Bryant, Zach Miller and Cliff Avril have also had it in recent years. Players in other sports, like MLB’s Albert Pujols and Evan Longoria, as well as Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah of the NBA, have also dealt with the pain of plantar fasciitis.
After a 29-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak told reporters that Manning would resume his place as the team's starting quarterback as long as "he's healthy and ready to go." But with the foot injury, the Broncos will now give Brock Osweiler a chance to lead the struggling Broncos offense.
A second-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Osweiler has spent his entire NFL career as Manning's backup, but threw a career-high 24 passes in place of the benched starter on Sunday. He finished 14-of-24 passing for 146 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Broncos haven't yet announced if he will make his first career start against the Chicago Bears in Week 11 or if Manning will be given the chance to take the reins again, despite his injury.
Manning, who was also dealing with a rib cage injury, finished with just five completions against the Chiefs on Sunday with only 35 passing yards and four interceptions. It was the first 0.0 passer rating of his career and his previous lowest mark was 35.0, which happened back in 2001.
In nine starts in 2015, Manning has nine touchdowns and an NFL-leading 17 interceptions, tying the most interceptions he’s thrown in a season since 2002. If Osweiler is given the opportunity to start beyond Week 11, the 24-year-old passer would presumably have the chance to take over the job full-time, which could spell the end of Manning’s career.
The 14-time Pro Bowler became the NFL's all-time leading passer on Sunday, but needs just one more win as a starter to pass Brett Favre and become the winningest starting quarterback ever.
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