Peyton Manning wasn’t Peyton Manning on Sunday, as he was a walking disaster in the Denver Broncos’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. With Denver on a two-game skid, the suddenly slumping Broncos will head to Soldier Field looking to jumpstart their season against the Chicago Bears. That should be easier said than done, as the Bears have been showing signs of life lately.
For more Week 11 game previews, you can also read our breakdown of Raiders vs. Lions.
[sc:NFL240banner ]How’s that for irony? On a day he broke Brett Favre’s record for the most career passing yards, Peyton Manning had one of the worst performances in his NFL career in the Broncos’ 29-13 loss to Kansas City Sunday.
Manning hardly looked like a future Hall of Famer in this one, as he passed for only 35 yards with four interceptions on five of 20 attempts. All told, he had an unholy zero passer rating before being benched for backup Brock Osweiler. The 39-year-old quarterback, however, was obviously slowed down by injuries to his right foot and rib.
And with the news that Manning would sit out the Bears game because of a plantar fascia injury, the Broncos have no option but to call on the number of Osweiler. Osweiler had 146 passing yards and a touchdown with a pick on 14 of 24 passes.
Apart from issues in the quarterback position, the Broncos’ passing game also has to worry about Emmanuel Sander’s availability for next week’s game in Windy City. Sanders, who’s already dealing with an ankle injury, left the third quarter of the Kansas City tilt after getting hit in the head.
Someone has to step up from the receiving corps should Sanders misses any time, and among the top candidates to get an increase in targets are Bennie Fowler and Jordan Norwood. Denver is going to need all hands on deck against Chicago’s defense that allows just 217.0 passing yards per contest.
The backfield, meanwhile, provides optimism for Denver, as Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson could have their way against Chicago’s problematic run defense, one that surrenders 118.6 rushing yards per game.
Speaking of defense, Denver should get better on the other side of the ball, as cornerback Aqib Talib is bound to be back following a one-game suspension.
Denver is 4-1 SU and 3-1-1 ATS in its last five road games.
Jeremy Langford is making Matt Forte look more and more tradeable the more snaps he plays in. Case in point: the Bears’ 37-13 upset victory over favored St. Louis. With the win, the Bears are now 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
Langford bullied his way through the Rams’ vaunted defense, as the former Michigan State standout compiled 73 rushing yards and a touchdown. He was also involved lots of times in the passing game, as he finished with 109 receiving yards and a score on seven receptions. That’s four more catches than Alshon Jeffery, who had to contend with the tremendous focus St. Louis put on him.
Denver poses another big threat to the Bears’ offense that averages 352.7 total yards and 22.1 points per game, but with Langford getting more confident, the expected return of Matt Forte, and a suddenly resilient Jay Cutler, Chicago may fare better against the Broncos than what most people expect.
Cutler has been playing well of late, racking up 603 passing yards and five touchdowns over Chicago’s last two games. With the help of the offensive line that allowed just two sacks against St. Louis, Cutler managed to carve up the Rams’ defense for 258 passing yards and three touchdowns. Cutler’s protection unit needs to be ironclad again this Sunday, as Denver leads the league in sacks with 32. Conversely, Chicago quarterbacks have been sacked just 16 times this season, ninth fewest in the NFL.
Chicago allows 26.0 points and 335.6 total yards per game thus far this season.
