In the game when he broke the NFL’s all-time passing record, Peyton Manning had to watch from the sideline as the final seconds of the clock ticked down on a loss that will surely send all of Broncos Country into a furor.

But Manning wasn’t standing on the sideline because Alex Smith was leading Kanas City on a final drive to close out the game. He was there because head coach Gary Kubiak benched him midway through the third quarter after Manning threw his fourth interception on the day.

It was a heartbreaking day for the all-time great as he watched the final quarter-and-a-half from the Broncos sideline after going 5-for-20 for just 35 yards and four interceptions. His passer rating on the day was, incredibly, 0.0 – the first time a quarterback had posted such a rating since 2007.

The MHS team and the media at-large catalogued Manning’s extensive struggles in the first half, and as the second half unfolded and Kubiak was forced to make a tough decision, they stayed with it.

Like the rest of Broncos Country, they were trying to make sense of a historically bad performance by one of the historically best players in the game.

Some were skeptical that Manning was going to have a good second half, especially playing from behind…


And offered some perspective on other ways Manning is comparing to Favre, although not in a good way…


So just how bad was Manning?

Why was Manning so bad? There was plenty of speculation.

And many wondered why not make the change earlier?

Now the speculation will ensue as to whether or not Osweiler will start Week 10 against Chicago. The answer is not so clear.

Perhaps the only truth that emerged on the day?