Brock Osweiler is reportedly being tabbed as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos for Sunday’s road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak told reporters he had not named a starter during a press conference on Monday and that he’d need to see how Peyton Manning’s rehab was going before doing so. But Mike Kliss of 9news.com reports that maneuver was just a bit of “gamesmanship” and that Osweiler will start.
“9NEWS has learned the Broncos are going forward with Osweiler as their starter. Manning may start practicing with the team on a limited basis Wednesday. But Manning is 39 and he has not practiced in a month. There is no way he’s getting thrown back in there against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.”
Manning did return to practice on Wednesday, but he’s nowhere near ready to play yet.
Denver’s defense is going to need a huge game Sunday to shut down Pittsburgh’s dynamic offense. Neither Manning nor Osweiler has been brilliant this year, and the offense has struggled to put points on the board consistently.
Osweiler’s performance has been trending down.
As the sample size grows, Brock Osweiler keeps getting worse. Checkdown QB playing in a panic. #Broncos still have no vertical pass game.
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) December 14, 2015
In his last three starts, the fourth-year pro has just two touchdowns and two interceptions, and Denver has scored just 29 points in the past two games.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh enters the game sporting the No. 5-ranked scoring offense in the league and has been on fire of late, scoring 30 or more in the last five games.
It could get ugly Sunday at Heinz Field when these two AFC powerhouses clash.