NFL notebook: Peyton Manning out, Brock Osweilier in for Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning won’t suit up against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Broncos coach Gary Kubiak is going with backup Brock Osweiler as he tries to get his 39-year-old quarterback healthy.
“I’m disappointed that I’m injured,” a somber Manning said at his locker. “I’m disappointed in the game yesterday. I will try to take advantage of this week and try to get to feeling better and getting healthy.”
Kubiak said he met with Manning for an hour Monday morning and told him of his decision – which Manning didn’t like.
“I’ve never met a player who agreed to that,” Kubiak said. “I mean, no, he’s up there today and he wants to go, he wants to do everything he can for his football team and I knew that and I expected that.”
Manning won’t practice this week and rookie Trevor Siemian will be Osweiler’s backup, Kubiak said.
Kubiak wouldn’t speculate how long Manning might be out.
The only time Manning ever missed a start in his 18-year career came when he sat out the entire 2011 season following a series of neck surgeries that ultimately led to his departure from Indianapolis and his signing with the Broncos.
So, Osweiler’s first NFL start will come on his 25th birthday. He’s a fourth-year pro from Arizona State whom GM John Elway selected in the second round of the 2012 draft with the explicit intention of serving as Manning’s protege and eventual successor.
“First of all, it’s very exciting,” Osweiler said. “But at the same time, Peyton is still our guy. He’s one of the best ever to do it. He’s been extremely supportive of me ever since Day 1. He’s taught me so many things. So, I’m going to continue to support him.
“I’m the starter for this week at Chicago, but that’s all it is. We’re focused on this week, then we’ll re-evaluate next week”
Cardinals sky high
The victory in Seattle was as big a win as the Cardinals have had since Bruce Arians became their coach, and one of the biggest since the franchise moved to the desert 27 years ago.
Winning the game was one thing, but it was the way the Cardinals did it, Arians said Monday, that will help the team in its challenges ahead.
“If it had been a coaster all the way, who knows if we could handle adversity down the road,” he said, “Now that you’ve done it on the road, it proves that you can.”
Ravens should have won
The way John Harbaugh sees it, Elvis Dumervil’s face mask penalty that prolonged the Ravens’ 22-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday should have never happened because the game should have already been over. And the NFL agrees.
League spokesman Michael Signora said that the Jaguars should have been called for a false start on quarterback Blake Bortles’ final snap of the game because not all of their offensive linemen were set before the snap.
Per league rules, all offensive players are required to come to a complete stop and be in a set position simultaneously for at least one second prior to the snap.
“The correct call in this case would have been to penalize the offense for a false start because all 11 players were not set, and whistle to stop the play,” Signora said. “The ensuing 10-second runoff should have ended the game.”
Instead, Dumervil’s face mask penalty was assessed on the Ravens, putting the Jaguars in position for Jason Myers to kick the game-winning 53-yard field goal. The loss dropped the Ravens to 2-7.
Quick kicks
San Francisco’s starting quarterback might be a week-by-week decision for coach Jim Tomsula but for now Blaine Gabbert will get his second straight start in Seattle on Sunday, a place that former starter Colin Kaepernick has struggled. … Victor Cruz’s much-heralded return will not take place this year. And there is some doubt that it ever will at all. The Giants wide receiver will require season-ending surgery on his left calf. … New England receiver Julian Edelman has a broken bone in his foot and could be out six weeks. … The New York Jets are going to play it by ear with Ryan Fitzpatrick’s left thumb, hoping he will play Sunday after surgery last week.