As the leaves change from green to Broncos orange, Peyton Manning's team is faced with a question that will define its season and perhaps the next decade: Is it time to move on from an all-time great?
The end is here for Manning as an elite quarterback. The Broncos surely see it. Every football fan sees it.
Week after week, Manning demonstrates he's no longer physically capable of excelling at the position he helped define. And week after week, the Broncos keep winning.
Therein lies the conundrum.
It was no different Sunday. Manning threw three interceptions, including a pick-six, but the Broncos scraped out a narrow victory to remain undefeated at 6-0.
With every pained throw, Manning's limitations became more evident. His arm strength is sapped, and he can no longer compensate for it with his footwork. He's scraping by on savvy and luck - and the latter has a funny way of running out when you need it most.
It was just two years ago that Manning tossed seven touchdowns in a single game. It took him six weeks to match that feat this season. He threw a league-worst 10 interceptions in that same stretch.
If he were anyone else, he would be benched.
Do Broncos general manager John Elway and head coach Gary Kubiak dare make the move to insert big-armed backup Brock Osweiler as starter?
It's a decision with a staggering degree of finality to it. Bench Manning now and you essentially end his Hall of Fame career.
There's no blueprint for such a decision, but Elway demonstrated a willingness to make difficult decisions in the past when he cut the cord on Tim Tebow at the height of Tebowmania because he saw his physical limitations.
But Tebow's exit paved the way for the start of the Manning era. A quarterback change now would put the unproven Osweiler at the reins.
The Broncos spent a second-round pick on Osweiler in 2012, anointing him as Manning's successor, but he's barely played since then. Osweiler's physical upside is immense, but he remains mostly an enigma.
Complicating matters, Osweiler will be a free agent after the season. If he's to be the future in Denver, the Broncos must decide soon.
The Broncos have a Super Bowl-caliber defense. They have Super Bowl-caliber offensive weapons.
What they don't have is a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback.
Unless they have one sitting on the bench.
If Osweiler is really the future, he must also be the present.