LVP
Peyton Manning was once again the weakest link Sunday. In between some excellent passes with great velocity were poor decisions and inaccurate throws. Not only are they not coming as a surprise this season but they are a regular occurrence. Through six games he has seven touchdown throws to 10 interceptions. His 10 interceptions are the second most he has thrown in the first six games of a season in his entire career (had 14 in 1998). After the game he discussed his play and how lucky they are to come away with a win.
“Obviously, we’ve had a ton of breaks. I won’t be going to Vegas for my bye weekend. I’m not feeling lucky now. Tipped balls seem to be going to them. There were a couple of plays that I couldn’t quite connect. There are some times when obviously things aren’t going so well. The challenge you have is trying to avoid the pressure to do too much, which is certainly the case when you go into overtime.”
Manning will have a bye week to study the film and come back against the Green Bay Packers, who are also undefeated.
Runner-up: Demaryius Thomas dropped several big passes Sunday and continues to play with the same inconsistency that Manning is struggling with. Two drops came in the fourth quarter and overtime that could have won the game but left the door open for the Browns. He did finish the day with 10 receptions for 111 receiving yards.
Defensive LVP
The defense played well once again but they were also highly penalized. The defense were flagged for five of the team’s eight penalties of the day. One penalty in particular stands out.
With 3:35 left in the game the Broncos defense had to make potentially one last stand. On 1-and-10 McCown dropped back, rolled right and couldn’t find an open target. After releasing the ball out of bounds Derek Wolfe hit the quarterback late and in the head and neck area. The referee made the easy roughing the passer call and gave the Browns a first down and 15 yards. The penalty moved the Browns into Broncos’ territory and the drive ended in a Coons field goal that tied the game at 23-23.
The stupidity of the play alone gets Wolfe the “least valuable player” of the game. He finished the game with two tackles.