Broncos' Manning tough as horsehide

DENVER -- From near nightmare to near perfection, Peyton Manning provided a reminder Sunday night of why he just might be the league's most underrated tough guy.

There was a reason, after all, that for 13 straight seasons, Manning didn't miss a single game.

Manning banged his right thumb on a helmet late in the second quarter of the Broncos' 34-14 win over the Saints at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and spent the two-minute warning getting the digit examined by Broncos trainers. He threw two more passes before halftime, one incomplete, and neither impressive, and all across the Rocky Mountains, Broncos fans wondered if it would be a thumb -- and not the neck -- that could derail Manning's comeback season.

"Quarterbacks, probably the biggest fear is a thumb on a helmet of a defensive lineman," Manning said.

Turns out, it's nothing a manicurist can't fix. Manning cracked the nail on his thumb, but otherwise escaped injury.

"It'll be sore (Monday), but I'm probably a bit lucky," Manning said.

Though Manning was the final player to return to the field after halftime, just in time for a couple of warm-up tosses, he led the Broncos on an 11-play, 93-yard touchdown drive, the Broncos' second scoring drive of more than 90 yards in the game, and a score that gave Denver a 24-7 lead early in the third.

"The only thing that ever kept him out of a game was something where you've got to go have surgery, the most serious injury you can have," Denver tight end Jacob Tamme said. "He definitely is a tough guy. When he gets hit, he hops up, and that's the kind of guy you want as your quarterback."

By the time the Broncos wrapped up the blowout, Manning had put together his finest performance as Denver's QB -- 305 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a season-high passer rating of 138.9. It was his fifth straight 300-yard passing game, and he was allowed to watch the final two minutes of the game while rookie Brock Osweiler directed the Broncos' final possession.

"He feels good about himself, he feels confident in his body, that he can last and sustain hits, and play great football," said wide receiver Brandon Stokley, Manning's longtime friend and teammate.

That Manning is playing better now after seven games than he was in September is exactly what the Broncos need as they prepare for a playoff push. The Broncos (4-3, 2-0 AFC West) have a one-game lead in the AFC West over San Diego and Oakland, both 3-4, two teams the Broncos already have defeated head to head.

This game was supposed to be a shootout, yet only the Broncos seemed ready for one.

The Saints, who arrived in Denver with a two-game winning streak, received little boost, emotional or otherwise, from the return of interim head coach Joe Vitt after a six-game suspension for his role in the Bountygate.

"There's nothing I can do to put pixie dust on this team to make it play better, to make it play more emotional, and there's probably more hype than substance on my part," Vitt said.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees was flustered by the Broncos' pass rush and tight pass coverage. He had only 213 passing yards, his lowest total of the season.

-- USA Today

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 30, 2012 ??65532