Osweiler to start over injured Manning: Peyton Manning may have set an NFL record for career passing yards Sunday against the Chiefs, but he also endured the worst start of his NFL career after he finished just 5-of-20 for a meager 35 yards and four interceptions.
Manning struggled so mightily that head coach Gary Kubiak pulled the 39-year-old with six minutes left in the third quarter in favor of backup Brock Osweiler–who finished 14-of-24 for 146 yards to go along with one touchdown and one interception.
After the game, it was revealed that Manning had been dealing with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, which could've played a part in the quarterback's career-worst day. Due to the injury, Osweiler will start for the Broncos this Sunday against the Bears as Manning rests his foot.
"[I] told the team this week that Peyton is not going to play," Kubiak said, via ESPN. "That Brock is going to play this week and that all of our full attention is going to be to getting Peyton back and healthy. That decision has been made. I know that's the best decision for him, to get him back and healthy, and we need to know where we're heading this week."
The Broncos are 7-2 and hold sole possession of first place in the AFC West. But Manning leads the league with 17 interceptions and has completed just 59.9 percent of his passes. Injured or not, it's painfully clear that Manning is not the prolific passer he once was.
Foles benched for Keenum: After just nine games into his Rams tenure, former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles has been surpassed on the depth chart by Case Keenum.
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher announced the change Monday after the team's 37-13 loss to the Bears, where Foles finished 17-of-36 for 200 yards and one interception.
"We're going to go ahead and go with Case," Fisher said, via ESPN. "This is my decision. Nobody came down the hall and said, 'This is what we need to do.' The lack of offensive production is a collective effort and coaching. But we need more production, and it starts with that position."
Foles has not been the player that the Rams hoped they were getting when they traded for him during the off-season. Through nine games, the 26-year-old ranks dead last with a 56.6 completion percentage and has averaged just 186.4 passing yards per game.
"I don't expect Nick to like it," Fisher said. "He's competitive, but he understands, and we're gonna move forward here. I'm not saying this is week-to-week, but this is what's best right now for our team as we move forward, from a production standpoint offensively."
Keenum, 27, has started just 10 games since signing with the Texans in 2012. In those 10 starts, he has completed just 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,195 yards to go along with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
While Foles won't be the starter this week or for the next few games, Fisher acknowledged that this is not a permanent change.
"[Keenum's] going to play, we're going to use his legs and going to make some plays," Fisher said. "Nick also understands that he will eventually be under center for us again. But this is my decision, based on what I think is best for this team, offensively, is to go this direction."
The Rams' running game, behind rookie running back Todd Gurley, ranks fifth in the NFL with 130.9 yards per game. But the team's ineffective passing game has held the team back from being one of the better offenses in the NFL.
Saints fire Rob Ryan: After giving up 47 points in a pitiful effort against Washington last Sunday, the Saints fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Head coach Sean Payton said that the decision was made Monday afternoon and that senior defensive assistant Dennis Allen will assume duties as the team's defensive coordinator.
"I'm disappointed for Rob it didn't work out," Payton said, via ESPN. "I'll tell you one thing now: He's a fantastic staff guy, respected greatly, not only in the locker room but by his peers. And we just had to look closely at some point to at least give this an option because the direction we were heading wasn't good. We really struggled with substitutions, getting lined up, getting guys on the field and being able to function."
The Saints' defense has been on a historically bad pace this season. They rank last in yards allowed per game (424.7), last in points allowed per game (31.5), and are on pace to allow the highest opponent passer rating in NFL history (116.5) after Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins recorded a perfect passer rating of 158.3 last Sunday.
The Saints finished 2013 as the league's 11th-best defense in Ryan's first year. However, the unit dropped to 31st in the league during a 7-9 2014 season. Since 2006, Ryan has led just one NFL defense to a top-10 rating.
