Here we go again - Manning played with a torn quad for a month
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| AP Photo/Jack Dempsey |
Broncos QB Peyton Manning played Sunday’s Divisional Playoff loss and the past month of the season with a torn right quad, per two sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2015
It was only a matter of time before ESPN found something to justify how bad he looked against Indianapolis. I get it - it stinks trying to play through injury, and not everyone can be Curt Schilling with his bloody sock. But it makes me wonder what Peyton Manning told John Fox and the Broncos medical staff that kept Manning on the field if this injury is supposedly a month old. It also makes me question the game plan during the game. Manning threw the ball 46 times (25 completions for 211 yards) and the Broncos only ran for 88 (C.J. Anderson had 80 of those). So, it what world is that a good game plan if you know your quarterback is hurt?
Unless Manning convinced John Fox that it was nothing serious. This is just speculation, of course. Sunday's game looked like a pretty typical Broncos game plan - run the ball just enough and throw it with Manning and all his weapons a lot. You have to give credit to Indy's defense, who made some big plays (the strip sack for one), but the Broncos should've adjusted the game plan with Manning's injury (assuming they knew about it). They didn't, though, and it cost them big time.
In all seriousness, though, it might be a sign for Peyton to hang it up. He got owned by Seattle's defense in the Super Bowl last year, and this year it's another one-and-done, which racks his impressive total up to 9 in his illustrious postseason career (cough Brady's better cough, cough). It's enough to make me wonder.
