Peyton Manning comes off bench to fire Denver Broncos to AFC West title

Peyton Manning came off the bench to seal the American Football Conference West title and a number one play-off seed for the Denver Broncos.

The 39-year-old quarterback had not played since a disastrous display against the Kansas City Chiefs on November 15 and was playing second fiddle to Brock Osweiler amid injury worries.

But with the Broncos struggling against the San Diego Chargers and facing the possibility of dropping into the wildcard round, they turned to their veteran quarterback on Sunday - and he did not disappoint.

Manning replaced Osweiler in the third quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High and rallied his team for a 27-20 win which locks up the number one seed in the AFC after New England's surprise 20-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins earlier in the day.

Manning, who missed seven weeks with a foot injury, received a thunderous ovation and promptly launched an 80-yard, eight-play drive capped by C.J. Anderson's one-yard touchdown that gave Denver a 14-13 lead.

With Manning at the helm, the Broncos also got a rushing touchdown from Ronnie Hillman and two field goals from Brandon McManus.

And Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak said: "My gut just told me to turn it over to him.

"I'm just very proud of him. He's worked really hard to stay there for us and it couldn't be a bigger day to be there for us."

Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib said Manning's entry into the contest "lifted the whole stadium". He said: "I don't know if it was just his presence, but it was just a little energy that came through the building."

Manning, a five-time NFL Most Valuable Player who had never previously appeared as a backup, admitted it was "different" but was pleased to make a solid contribution.

Manning said: "I think when I was in there, we ran the ball better. We held on to the ball, caught the ball better. That's just kind of how it worked out."