Peyton had injury for past month
— -- Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning played Sunday's Divisional Playoff loss and the past month of the season with a torn right quad, according to two sources.
Manning initially injured his thigh when he rolled out right to throw a 12-yard completion to Emmanuel Sanders late in the first half of Denver's Dec. 14 win over the San Diego Chargers.
Following the game, Manning said he injured his leg on a throw to Sanders. There was some thought that he had hurt it on an 8-yard completion to Sanders with 2:43 to play in the first half or three plays before he left the field and went up the tunnel to the visitors' locker room. But after the 12-yard completion with 5:39 left, Manning can be seen flexing his leg and grimacing as he moves to call the next play.
Broncos doctors knew about the injury, and Manning did what he could to intentionally conceal the injury from as many people as he could, sources said.
Manning and the Broncos lost 24-13 to the Colts Sunday night in Denver. Manning finished 26-of-46 passing for 211 yards and a touchdown.
The touchdown pass, however, came on the Broncos' first possession of the game and Manning struggled mightily at times to push the ball down the field.
According to ESPN's Stats & Information, Manning was just 2-of-12 passing for 49 yards on pass attempts that traveled at least 15 yards and just 6-of-21 for 107 yards on passes that traveled more than 5 yards.
Sunday's game was Manning's fourth-lowest yardage total in a postseason game in his career and it left the quarterback mulling his future after the game.
"My mindset right now is just disappointment after [Sunday's] game," Manning said following the loss. "I'm disappointed, I kind of need to process this game, we'll meet [Monday]. I'm disappointed I need to process this game.''
Asked if he could definitely say he was still planning to return to the Broncos next season, Manning said, after a short pause:
"Uh, yeah, I guess I just can't give that simple answer. I'm processing it. I can't say that. I could not say that.'' Information from ESPN.com Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold is included in this report.
