Making his first career NFL start on his 25th birthday, Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler led his team to a narrow win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
With Peyton Manning still sidelined due to a foot injury, reports are indicating Osweiler will get the start next week against the defending champion New England Patriots:
This really shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Dealing with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, Manning is seeking a second opinion regarding the injury. This coupled with the fact that Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak wouldn't commit to an even healthy Manning moving forward could signal that Osweiler will be under center for the foreseeable future.
Manning, 39, was benched in lieu of Osweiler back in Week 10 after putting up a 5-of-20 stat line with zero touchdowns and four picks. With nine touchdowns compared to a league-leading 17 interceptions, Manning has been among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL this year.
Despite his recent struggles and the aforementioned injury concerns, reports surfaced on Sunday that Manning expects to play in 2016, even if it's not with the Broncos.
For Osweiler's part, he put up a solid outing in his first NFL start on Sunday, tallying 250 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 20-of-27 passes.