OAKLAND, Calif. — This was it, the kid’s big moment, a chance to play in a real NFL game! Denver led Oakland 41-10 late in the third quarter Sunday, so backup quarterback Brock Osweiler , took off his ball cap and was about to put on his helmet … when he spotted Peyton Manning, jogging onto the field.
Really? Really?
Osweiler was reduced to throwing a hand into the air.
This is how good things had become for Manning — just yearning to get back out there and keep on stickin’ it to Charles Woodson and the Raiders, scoreboard, schmoreboard. (He’ll never say it, but I bet Peyton still holds a grudge against Woodson for swiping his Trophy.) In the third quarter, Manning was 11-for-12 for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
That makes you forget just how spectacularly mortal Manning had looked early in the game. He looked, dare I say, human. A week ago, Manning threw an untimely interception against New England but also notched 438 passing yards. After which, he said he “stunk.” Then what was this Sunday’s first half? Thunder the horse after a bucket of beans?
Manning threw two interceptions in the early going, received an intentional grounding penalty, botched some passes that forced Denver to settle for field goals, had four passes batted down and most bonkers of all, played so regularly that Raiders fans actually had reason to cheer.
Should we be worried that Manning actually stunk for a half against a terrible team? Or is it a testament to Manning and the coaching staff for figuring things out, finding a rhythm and burying the Raiders in the third quarter? I say the latter. It’s good to grow in moments like these, and Manning, teammates said afterward, remained even-keeled on the sideline. And the Broncos proved that on the road (I know it was just the Raiders), they could grind and thrive when Manning was mediocre.
Oh, and when Denver needed a big play, it didn’t have to come from Manning. On this day, it came from running back C.J. Anderson, who suddenly looked like former Raider Bo Jackson, running for a 51-yard score while flying past seven Oakland defenders, three Raiderettes and rapper .
“That play really gave us a spark,” Manning said after the 41-17 victory against the winless Raiders. “The whole sideline was fired up.”
We know what happened next. Perhaps receiver Emmanuel Sanders said it best: “We got back to the Broncos’ offense that I know. We just made adjustments. Obviously when you come out, you’ve got to wait and see what card they’re playing. It took us a little while to see it, and after we started making adjustments, things started clicking.”
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So, wait, what were the adjustments?
“Just the play-calling,” Sanders said. “I’m not saying he was calling bad plays, but their defensive coordinator was making some good checks, based off the calls we were doing. So we had to make an adjustment.”
What was happening early? Well, without blocking tight end Virgil Green playing, Denver was forced to often go with three wideouts. In addition, Manning had three offensive linemen playing in new spots, and there were numerous false starts. And, yes, Peyton Williams Manning actually made some poor decisions.
But then, he was back. Peyton’s third quarter reminded me of that Doug Williams second quarter in , when the Washington quarterback essentially ended the game by halftime. When Manning had tossed his fifth touchdown, this game was essentially over. But in the most-Peyton Manning thing ever, Peyton Manning trotted out to get some more snaps, late in the third quarter.
Mercifully, when the third quarter ended, Denver put in the kid.
Benjamin Hochman: bhochman@denverpost.com or
