A cure for what ails Peyton Manning: In his most recent performance, Manning was 5-of-20 for 35 yards in a four-interception performance against the Kansas City Chiefs before being replaced by Brock Osweiler. It's hard to fathom that could be his last time on the field. With a partially torn plantar fascia in his left foot, Manning has charged headlong into injury rehab and coach Gary Kubiak has said if Manning is “healthy and ready to go" he is the Denver Broncos starter. And any potential quarterback circus aside, a player of Manning’s stature deserves a better exit than that four-interception day.

Incense: The Broncos defense is currently No. 1 in the league in total defense, pass defense and sacks while it is No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 7 in rushing defense. But the Broncos need to find the line between the aggressiveness needed to do the job and a little more zen once the whistle blows. They lead the league in personal-foul penalties -- that includes eight unnecessary-roughness calls and five roughing-the-passer calls. They have had four games with at least 90 yards worth of penalties and two games where they topped 100 yards worth of penalties. In a two-point win over the Chicago Bears last Sunday the Broncos committed eight penalties for 118 yards, while the Bears had none.

Discount double check: If the Broncos could simply recreate their effort against the Green Bay Packers -- 340 yards passing and 160 yards rushing while limiting Green Bay to 140 total yards -- they are in the Super Bowl conversation. The team’s defense, save for some issues in losses to the Colts and Chiefs, has provided the Broncos plenty of insurance to overcome their offensive struggles. But November is set to turn to December and December to the postseason, so Denver’s offense has to be more than ornamental down the stretch.