After an absolute disaster of a game in which Peyton Manning had a stat line that you'd expect more out of a nightmare than an NFL game, it appears that age and wear-and-tear have taken too much of a toll on the 39-year-old quarterback. With Brock Osweiler as the heir apparent at the position and the team looking like it can win the AFC West and maybe more on the strength of their defense alone, the Denver Broncos need Manning to take on the role of mentor and let Osweiler be the team's quarterback moving forward.
Manning's game against the Kansas City Chiefs was one of the saddest games seen by an NFL quarterback in a long time. Manning went 5-20, for 35 yards, adding zero touchdowns and four interceptions. According to Pro Football Focus Manning's performance was the worst ever graded by an NFL quarterback. Any quarterback -- ever. Even scarier for Manning are his season stats, which prove more than any one specific game. Manning has the second-lowest passer rating among qualified quarterbacks, higher than only Ryan Mallett (who is not even on an NFL roster anymore).
Manning also has more interceptions than any quarterback, throwing five more picks than the next player, Matthew Stafford. Manning ranks 22nd in yards per game and 28th in touchdowns, throwing only nine so far. After his gaudy statistics from two seasons ago, this is beyond troubling.
Manning had the first 0.0 rated game since Chris Redman in 2007 and his interception total for the season is only one less than Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers had last year, who both led the league in intercepted passes.
Manning needs to step away, if for nothing else but out of respect for John Elway, Gary Kubiak and the rest of the franchise who gave him a second chance after his injuries in Indianapolis almost forced him into retirement. He needs to give them a chance to win right now and give them a chance to analyze their QB situation moving forward. The only way to do that would be for him to sit on the bench and let Osweiler lead the Broncos for the rest of this season.
He now has the record for most passing yards and touchdowns in a career, there's nothing left for the legend to prove. But he can add to his legacy by putting his team first and moving to the side. Osweiler gives the Broncos a better chance to win and the selfless move by Manning would be the right thing for him to do.
