Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has been playing with a torn quad for a month, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

The Broncos dispute the report, saying it was just a strain, not a full tear.

Schefter hit back by getting extra detailed, tweeting, “Specifically: Peyton Manning has a torn rectus femoris, which runs down center of thigh. Bruising was so severe it spread to back of his leg.”

Manning struggled in the last several weeks of the season. His slump culminated in a 24-13 playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts where he seemed to lack zip on the ball. 

The injury could explain why.

From Schefter:

“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.”

Schefter says Manning suffered the injury in the first half of a Week 15 game against San Diego. The next week he threw four interceptions in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Manning was listed in the injury report on Sunday as “probable” with a thigh injury. That doesn’t mean much. NFL teams will sometimes put guys on the injury reports who are seemingly perfectly healthy, like the Patriots did with Tom Brady for years. 

There were no reports that Manning had a major injury before the game.

At age 38, Manning has two years and $US38 million left on his contract.

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