Perhaps all those conspiracy theories about Peyton Manning suffering an injury in Sunday's loss to the Colts were right. Manning did not practice Wednesday, according to NFL Media's Steve Cyphers.
Manning was among a big group of Broncos players who didn't participate, like Wes Welker, Eric Decker and Orlando Franklin. Manning, of course, rarely misses practice. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports that Manning has an ankle injury, but he plans to be a full participant in practice on Thursday and will play Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
Coach John Fox said the injury isn't "serious," and they just want to "make sure it gets healed up properly."
Manning repeatedly was hit in his return to Indianapolis, and his performance appeared to dip after former Colts teammate Robert Mathiscreamed Manning for a safety. Manning underthrew a handful of passes after the hit, although he bounced back to make a number of difficult completions. Manning was asked when he suffered the injury.
"I know the government is shut down right now, but I still firmly believe in HIPAA," Manning said. (We'll forgive Manning for not keeping up with current events. Jim Irsay can be distracting.)
Jokes aside, Wednesday is the biggest practice day of the week because that's when the game plan for Sunday largely is installed. Manning, a preparation fiend, would not miss any work unless it absolutely was necessary. This helps explains why Manning's throws were a little wobblier than usual last week.
Luckily for Manning, he's only facing the Redskins' defense this week.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" recapped every Week 7 game.