Denver quarterback Peyton Manning will spend the next week in a walking cast and is expected to miss at least two more NFL games with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot.
Manning missed the Broncos' 17-15 win at Chicago last week when his longtime backup Brock Osweiler won his first NFL start. Manning stayed in Denver to continue getting treatment.
On Monday, Manning flew to Charlotte, North Carolina, to seek a second opinion from renowned foot and ankle specialist Dr Robert Anderson, who recommended the five-time league MVP spend at least the next week in a walking cast before beginning additional rehab.
"We expect him to be unavailable for at least a couple of games," coach Gary Kubiak told the team's website on Tuesday.
That means Manning, who was benched after throwing his fourth interception against Kansas City on Nov. 15, will miss Denver's game against New England on Sunday, and the game at San Diego on December 6, at the very least.
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Kubiak had already said Osweiler was his starter this week when the Broncos host the unbeaten New England Patriots. That was both a reflection of Osweiler's performance and Manning's health.
Osweiler threw for 250 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions at Chicago - Denver's first game without a turnover all season.
Manning will be able to attend meetings and some workouts this week, Kubiak said. He excused Manning from practices and meetings last week although the quarterback did attend Friday's workout.
The Broncos have only one other quarterback on the roster, rookie Trevor Siemian. With Manning's absence being extended, they're planning to work out former Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder on Wednesday.
Manning has had a difficult season.
After taking a $U4 million pay cut over the winter, he and Kubiak spent all off-season and the first two months of the season trying to mesh offensive philosophies, and it usually wasn't very pretty.
He's thrown for just nine touchdowns with an NFL-high 17 interceptions. In his first three years in Denver, he totalled 136 touchdown throws and just 36 interceptions.
And his career-low 67.6 passer rating is lower than Tim Tebow's 72.9 in 2011 that forced general manager John Elway to go after Manning in free agency in 2012.
