Dungy made his comments Sunday evening on Football Night in America, hours after coach Gary Kubiak took the blame for Manning’s storybook-turned-horror story performance against the Chiefs.
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“I would not start him [at Chicago],” Dungy said (via SI.com). “No, not off of this performance that I saw. This is not the Peyton Manning we’re used to seeing.”
Kubiak pulled Manning, 39, on Sunday and afterward described that move as a form of injury prevention not necessarily related to Manning’s 5-for-20 effort with four interceptions, the Denver Post reported. Brock Osweiler replaced Manning with 6:34 to play in the third quarter.
“To be honest, I was protecting [Manning] because I was worried about him,” Kubiak said. “I am disappointed in myself. This is on me. I should have probably made the decision not to play him.”
Still, Kubiak said that Manning — who is hobbled by rib and foot injuries — remains the team’s starter and will play at Chicago if he is healthy.
