The Denver Broncos beat the San Diego Chargers to clinch the AFC West on Sunday, but it looked for a while like they might have to finish the game without Peyton Manning. The future Hall of Famer battled flu-like symptoms all day, and it nearly prevented him from playing in the second half.
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According to media reports, Manning was battling an illness all weekend prior to taking the field, which probably contributed to why he looked like a far cry from the precision passer than fans have grown accustomed to over the years.
Manning apparently spent Saturday night hugging a toilet seat, and he had to receive four bags of intravenous fluids before taking the field on Sunday.
"I don't remember ever having [intravenous fluids] before," said Manning. "It was a new experience. I felt bad. You want to play, but you don't know if you're going to hurt the team.
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Manning played well enough, although there was concern that he might be finished at halftime.
"Until Peyton made the cavalry entrance [out of the tunnel] at the start of the third quarter, we were prepared otherwise," said head coach John Fox. "But I think it's a tribute to the kind of toughness Peyton has and the kind of competitor he is that he got up and did a tremendous job in those conditions."
In the end, the Broncos did enough to earn the victory and seal the division yesterday, and the recent emergence of the running game and a dominant defense have surely helped. The Broncos have two games remaining this season and they will need to win both and get some help to win a tight battle with the New England Patriots for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
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