Governor wants Peyton Manning to start Broncos playoff game

Gov. John Hickenlooper is taking a bold stance on a major Colorado issue: He thinks quarterback Peyton Manning should start the Denver Broncos playoff game Jan. 17.

“Give him the ball, let him get out there and see what he can do. You know he’s going to play his heart out,” the Democrat said Tuesday in response to a reporter’s question at a media availability ahead of the 2016 legislative session.

The decision puts him in coach Gary Kubiak’s camp (and aligns him with The Denver Post’s Woody Paige).

Here’s how Hickenlooper, the former Denver mayor, sees it. “The Broncos have established once again they are a team blessed,” he said, citing four games that he thinks they should have lost “given…