Peyton Manning silences critics with hybrid offense

Sep 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) throws a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Denver won the game 31-24. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Gary Kubiak said it well to the team after the team’s 31-24 win against the Kansas City Chiefs when he was presenting Peyton Manning with one of the two game balls.

“This guy took some [explicit] this week. And he’s been doing it for a long time.”

Peyton Manning went through quite a bit this week. A lot of people were saying that he is “washed up,” “too old,” “not capable of doing it anymore.” Quite a few people already wrote off his career after the Baltimore Ravens game.

However, Peyton Manning walked onto the field after Kansas City took a 14-0 lead, which happened on a pick six by Manning, and got to work. He led the team down on a ten play, 80 yard drive that lasted a little under four minutes.

What made the drive that much more interesting was that Peyton Manning was more in shotgun formation than under center. He looked more relaxed in the formation and perhaps there was something there.

It appears that Kubiak allowed Manning to run a hybrid between his offense and Manning’s shotgun “hurry-up” offense. And with both coach and quarterback putting their heads together, they seemed to have found something.

The offensive line has been struggling as well, so having him in the shotgun formation will keep Peyton Manning on his feet. And it appears that Gary Kubiak saw that and is open to this new hybrid offense.

“We’re trying to help him by running the football and do some things, but we also know what he is comfortable doing. So, we are trying to somehow find a medium.”

This new breed of offense will be something to watch. And for multiple reasons. Having Peyton Manning in his original offense and the offensive line/running backs struggling, this may not be the worst thing for the Broncos offense at this point in time.

This new up-tempo offense that Peyton Manning ran when down 14-0 was probably what set the tone for the entire game, perhaps the entire season. It will be something to see if the Broncos decide to go with this brand new offense.

However, one thing is for sure. Thanks to Peyton Manning returning to his old ways, he has silenced the critics, at least for one week.

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