Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning played Sunday's Divisional Playoff loss and the past month of the season with a torn right quad, according to two sources.
Manning initially injured his thigh when he rolled out right to throw a 12-yard completion to Emmanuel Sanders late in the first half of Denver's Dec. 14 win over the San Diego Chargers.
Following the game, Manning said he injured his leg on a throw to Sanders. There was some thought that he had hurt it on an 8-yard completion to Sanders with 2:43 to play in the first half or three plays before he left the field and went up the tunnel to the visitors' locker room. But after the 12-yard completion with 5:39 left, Manning can be seen flexing his leg and grimacing as he moves to call the next play.
Broncos doctors knew about the injury, and Manning did what he could to intentionally conceal the injury from as many people as he could, sources said.
Manning averaged just 240 yards and 0.8 TD (against 1.2 INT) in his last five games, so the quad injury explains a lot. He's mulling his future, and his potential retirement would drastically change the fantasy landscape in Denver.
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