ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --For just the second time in his Broncos tenure, quarterback Peyton Manning wasn't on the practice field Wednesday.
He didn't participate in Wednesday's session and was listed on the injury report with an ankle injury. But Interim Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio said he is confident that Manning will play on Sunday against the Chiefs.
"No doubt in mind there," Del Rio said. "He participated a little bit in walkthrough today and then got some extra treatment and extra work. But no, he'll be ready to roll."
Manning said between the meetings he attended and the walkthrough he participated in, he's off to a good start in preparing for the Chiefs as far as the mental side of the game.
Physically, he used the practice off to "try to get ahead with treatment."
"You always like to be out there," the quarterback said of missing practice. "You like to be out there with your teammates. You're always working on timing with your own guys, certainly seeing all the different looks. Mentally, certainly (you can) be on top of things through the film and through the walkthroughs, I believe. But you certainly want to be out there, in my opinion, to keep your timing sharp with all your receivers."
For that reason, Manning said he didn't anticipate missing a full week of practice.
Del Rio described the quarterback as 'day-to-day," and Manning said that he could play if the game were today.
But he anticipates getting some practice in before the actual Sunday Night Football contest.
"I believe in practice, I believe there is a reason for it," Manning said. "So it's certainly my preference to be out there, but at the same time I'm trying to do what's best for the team and in order for me to get healthy."
In the meantime, he said he is "doing various treatments in order to try to get healthy."
The goal is to be as ready -- and healthy -- as possible for Sunday's battle between the teams with the AFC's top two records.
"It's a big game because it's a division game," Manning said. "I know there's a lot of other things that go into it, but it's an AFC West game. It's our first time playing the Chiefs and we play them two-out-of-three weeks, which is kind of unique from a scheduling standpoint. It's kind of different only playing our third division game this late in the season. That's why it's important, and that's why all of our players, including myself, are working as hard as we can to be ready to go."
