Endurance hasn't been a problem for Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos. They have outscored opponents 45-6 in the fourth quarter.
The rest of the game has been the issue: The opposition has outscored Denver 71-32 in the other three quarters. Manning isn't sure why the Broncos have started slow.
"I don't think I know enough yet to call something a pattern," Manning said Wednesday. "In the first and third quarters, we're not scoring enough points. We're all looking at that. Seeing what it is that we can do as players, the coaches are looking at it. We'd sort of like to find the answer.
"I don't think there's a special secret formula as far as changing the pregame routine, I think it's more sound football. We're capable of playing it. We've shown in some critical times in the game. We just need to show it more consistently."
Manning appears to be more comfortable in the no huddle, although that hasn't always been a fix for their problems. Denver is middle of the road in most offensive categories, but they have been mistake-prone. They need to eliminate that this week against the similarly desperate 1-2 Oakland Raiders.
Only four teams have given the ball away more than Denver on offense. Manning has contributed to that. Only seven teams have incurred more penalty yards. Right now, the Broncos offense is sloppy. Manning and the passing attack haven't been good enough to make up for all their mistakes.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
