Peyton Manning No Longer Needs to Be Great for Denver Broncos to Be Contenders

During the Denver Broncos' Super Bowl run two years ago, Peyton Manning did everything a player at his position can do. He rewrote the single-season record books at the quarterback position.

However, in last year's playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the grumbles began to grow around the five-time NFL MVP. Perhaps age was catching up to Manning.

Those grumbles only got louder when Manning failed to throw a touchdown pass in Week 1's win over the Baltimore Ravens.

However, in Thursday night's stunning last-second victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead, we may just have learned something about the 2015 Denver Broncos.

Maybe, just maybe, the Broncos don't need Peyton Manning to be that Peyton Manning to win the AFC West—or to make it to the Super Bowl.

Mind you, the grumbles got even louder early in Thursday's matchup, after Manning threw his second pick-six in as many weeks—this time to rookie cornerback Marcus Peters:

Pro Football Talk wasn't the only one piling on the Papa John's pitchman:

That left the Broncos down 14-0 and most of the Mile High City in full-on panic mode.

But then something happened. Something wonderful. Something that had nothing to do with Manning.

The Denver defense, led by linebackers Von Miller, Danny Trevathan, Brandon Marshall and DeMarcus Ware, started making plays. Lots of plays.

Not only did Wade Phillips' defense limit the Chiefs to 10 more points the rest of the way, but the team also started taking the ball away—repeatedly.

Twice, the Broncos forced Kansas City turnovers inside the red zone, keeping Kansas City off the board and the game still in reach. Twice, the Broncos defense forced the Chiefs to turn the ball over inside the two-minute warning.

The first allowed Manning to find tight end Virgil Green for a one-yard touchdown that knotted the score at 14 just before the half.

The second, just nine seconds after Manning led the Broncos on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that tied the score at 24, was a scoop-and-score of a Jamaal Charles fumble that sealed the deal:

Manning admitted to ESPN the back-and-forth contest was a new one even for him.

"I'm not quite sure I'd ever been in one quite like that," Manning said. "That was a new one. ... I've been involved in a couple of pretty crazy games, but nothing quite like this."

It's the second straight game that the Broncos have won compliments of a defensive touchdown.

It isn't as if Manning didn't do his part. The 39-year-old went 26-of-45 on the night for 256 yards with three touchdowns and a pick, including that masterful last drive.

The thing is, during most of the times when Manning looked like, well, Peyton Manning, he was doing what he's always done. Being Peyton Manning. Lining up in the shotgun. Improvising at the line of scrimmage. Directing traffic. Not lining up under center and handing the ball off for a team that, to this point in the season, has shown very little ability to run the ball.

This, one day after Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post suggested that Kubiak should "lay down the law" with Manning:

In his first real test as coach of the Broncos, Kubiak must tell his Hall of Fame quarterback who's the boss around here. This is Kubiak's offense. If Denver is going to make a serious run at the Super Bowl, the team must run more and get truly serious about depending on Manning less.

It's time for Kubiak to lay down the law: Never trust Manning to throw the football more than 40 times in a game, starting in a crucial AFC West showdown Thursday night at Kansas City. If Manning attempts more than 40 passes against the Chiefs, Denver is in trouble.

Well, Manning threw 45 passes. And if he hadn't, the Broncos would be 1-1.

This isn't to say that Manning is as good as he was in 2013. He's not. But at some point it becomes fair to ask whether that's all on Manning or partly because Kubiak keeps slamming a round peg into a square hole.

Or, as Bleacher Report's own Rivers McCown put it:

This isn't Matt Schaub. Or Joe Flacco. This is Peyton freaking Manning.

And even Kubiak admitted to Jeff Legwold of ESPN that the team needs to pick spots to let Manning "do those things he's done better than anybody else in an offense."

Gee, Coach. Do ya think?

Manning doesn't have to throw for 5,000 yards for these Broncos to win games. Not if Phillips' defense keeps making big plays, giving Manning a short field.

If the run game ever gets off the ground, all the better.

Gary Kubiak is a good head coach. A fine offensive mind. But it doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out that when the chips are down, 80 percent of Peyton Manning is better than 100 percent of Gary Kubiak.

And while Manning may not have to be his 2013 self for the Broncos to make a deep playoff run, sometimes you just have to let the big dog eat.

Getting him some help on defense doesn't hurt either.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks.