WASHINGTON — I’ve been posting these NFL recaps for聽six years, half of them here on聽. If you haven’t noticed, one of the聽recurring themes聽is my simultaneous respect for regular season Peyton Manning and complete disregard for playoff Peyton Manning (though, ironically,聽I聽actually聽picked Denver to return to the Super Bowl this year. *head slap*)
That formula has聽rarely let me down. It certainly didn’t聽Sunday, when Manning continued the trend he started in December, finishing聽26-of-46 for 211 yards and just one touchdown in Denver’s loss to Peyton’s old place, Indianapolis.
I could beat this dead horse some more, but I won’t. I don’t put a lot of stock in聽Manning’s 11-13 postseason record or his 9 one-and-done performances in the playoffs (even though聽the latter stat is pretty damning, since 5 of those 9 losses were at home).
I’m instead going to聽type two words I didn’t really think I would say at the conclusion of this season: he’s done.
I take no joy in writing this. Just to provide some context, I’ve been watching Peyton Manning throw a professional football聽all of my adult life. I was a high school senior when he made his NFL debut in 1998. So we’ve enjoyed his brilliance — and perhaps even taken his greatness for granted — for more than a decade and a half.
That’s why Sunday聽was so alarming. I’ve seen Manning stink in a playoff game before.聽Remember the聽41-0 loss to the Jets in 2002? Or the four-interception game against the Pats in ’03? Hell, the year he actually聽won聽the Super Bowl he played like crap in all but one of the Colts’ four playoff games.
But this loss to the Colts聽felt different. Peyton completed an epically awful聽2-of-12 passes for 49 yards on throws of 15 yards or greater. Even if you聽scale it back聽to throws of 5 yards downfield it’s still unacceptable: 6-of-21. His passes had no zip. He was throwing wounded ducks out there.
As I mentioned in the Week 17 recap,聽Manning threw for just three TDs in the season’s final four weeks, including a pair of 0 TD games. But the “Peyton is done” narrative never gained any momentum because Denver still went 3-1 and scored 30.2 points per game thanks to C.J. Anderson and the Broncos ground game.
When Denver got aggressive in the offseason, perhaps it had less to do with their blowout Super Bowl loss and more to do with preparing for a declining Peyton Manning. Yes, he聽was coming off an incredible 55 touchdown season. But he’s a 38-year-old quarterback who is three seasons removed from a pretty serious neck surgery. Though the results weren’t as catastrophic, it’s easy to see why the Broncos聽took a page out of the 2000 “Fortune .500 Redskins”聽playbook聽by loading up on big name veteran free agents in the all-out pursuit of a championship.
But I don’t fault Denver for going all in on 2014. The Broncos took their shot, and Manning just flat ran out of gas a month-and-a-half before reaching the finish line.
This much feels certain: Peyton Manning’s run as an elite, high volume passer is over. And as a result, the Broncos as currently constituted are probably done too.
After the game, Manning was non-committal about his future — as he should be after an emotional loss. The revelation that聽 doesn’t change my mind. My hope is that聽Manning does the right thing and calls it a career. He’s won a Super Bowl, he’s got nearly every meaningful passing record, and has made a compelling case for first-ballot enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. Dude has nothing left to prove.
Sunday night, he proved the last thing he possibly could: Father Time is undefeated and still champ.
Speaking of champs…let’s recap the divisional round with an eye toward Championship Sunday:
Ravens 31
Patriots 35
In the first half, Joe Flacco threw for a Ravens postseason-record four TDs (his league-record eighth straight playoff game with multiple TD passes) and聽everyone was ready to crown him聽as elite.聽But Tom Brady IS elite…. Thus, New England is in the AFC title game for a fourth straight year.
And Baltimore? Quit whining over聽. You got got. Plain and simple.
Panthers 17
Seahawks 31
It’s good to be Seattle: Eight straight home playoff wins. First defending Super Bowl champ to win a playoff game since 2005. On 3rd down alone, Russell Wilson completed all eight of his passes for 199 yards and three TDs, while聽. And聽. Damn, I wish I followed my gut and picked these guys to repeat…
颁辞飞产辞测蝉听21
Packers 26
Forget the Ice Bowl II talk. Forget the聽first postseason battle between an 8-0 home team and 8-0 road team. And definitely forget聽. The Cowboys聽 by a crappy rule, much like Detroit聽was in Dallas聽last week. The football gods are just.
Speaking of football gods…all Aaron Rodgers did was聽play a lights out second half after literally limping his way through the first half on a bad calf.聽聽but Seattle isn’t Dallas — he聽won’t be granted 30 minutes to get settled like he did Sunday.
Colts 24
Broncos 13
Whether he knew it or not, Peyton Manning officially passed the torch to Andrew Luck. The latter has now thrown for an NFL-record聽1,703 passing yards in his first five postseason games and won his first road playoff game.聽No need to wait around for Luck to join elite status. He’s arrived. Just like聽.
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