Much like 2015, the Broncos enter the playoffs as one of the top two seeds in the AFC. And much like 2015, they will exit in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Denver -- winners of the AFC West -- clinched the No. 1 seed with a 27-20 victory over the Chargers on Sunday. Peyton Manning (foot) returned from injury to replace a struggling Brock Osweiler under center.
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All signs point to him starting in favor of his 25-year-old counterpart in less than two weeks time.
"Peyton's our quarterback," head coach Gary Kubiak said following Sunday's game, per ESPN. "If he's healthy and ready to go, Peyton's our quarterback."
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Good luck with that.
Manning's Playoff History
This will be the 15th time Manning has qualified for the playoffs. He's been one-and-done in nine of them.
Admittedly, four of the nine came in his first six seasons with the Colts. The Patriots dynasty of the 2000s proved to be too much, but he hasn't fared any better in recent years. Manning's failed to win a playoff game in three of his previous four appearances.
Two of those came with the Broncos in the divisional round (2012 against the Ravens, 2014 against the Colts).
The Competition
As the No. 1 seed, the Broncos are guaranteed to face the lowest seed to survive the wild card round. The No. 6-seeded Steelers travel to Cincinnati to meet a Bengals team that is yet to win a playoff game under head coach Marvin Lewis (0-4).
A.J. McCarron is also likely to get his first playoff start. Highly an ideal situation, especially against a Steelers team that's won six of their last eight games.
Ben Roethlisberger and company were able to defeat the Broncos in Week 15. The divisional round should be no different.
This one is a gooden. @Steelers' Big Ben Roethlisberger & Mike Tomlin mic'd up against the @Broncos! https://t.co/2Dv5INRbiR
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) December 23, 2015
The No. 1 Seed
Simply put, the last No 1 seed in the AFC to win the Super Bowl was the 2003 Patriots.
Even in his prime, Manning was no Tom Brady. He's even less so at 39 years old.
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