The season ended with his name once again chiseled into the record books, but Peyton Manning’s statistical feats were overshadowed by the 43-8 drubbing his Denver Broncos suffered at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks last weekend in the Super Bowl. Over the course of the game, Manning completed 34 passes, the most ever on the NFL’s most watched Sunday but also threw two interceptions and was at the center of a miscommunication that led to a botched snap and safety on his opening play. Entering the championship game, it seemed like an opportunity with no downside for Manning: a second ring would further pad an already iron-clad Hall of Fame resume, while a loss would not greatly affect the way he is remembered by posterity. But the Seahawks’ complete and utter dismantling of the Broncos contradicts this latter assumption because such a glaring blemish will steer attention away from Manning’s spectacular regular season.
During the 2013 regular season, 37-year-old Manning turned in his best campaign as a pro, throwing for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns with a passer rating of 115.1. His yardage and touchdown totals set league records, and his team raced to a 13-3 record and the top seed in the AFC. After falling to the Baltimore Ravens in the final moments of last year’s AFC divisional playoff game, Denver did not seem content with simply another trip to the postseason. The organizational expectations for this season called for a trip to the Super Bowl and a ring as a parting gift. Unfortunately for Manning, each game in the NFL is an independent entity upon which prior success has no influence. As longtime rival Tom Brady knows, no matter how brilliant your statistics, at the end of the day a quarterback is judged on whether or not he won the last game of the season.
Six years ago, Brady had just completed what was, at the time, arguably the best statistical season for a quarterback in NFL history. He led the league, throwing for 4,806 yards and 50 touchdowns — an all-time record at the time — to accompany his 117.2 passer rating. The 2007 Patriots even secured the AFC’s top seed after going undefeated in regular season play. New England won two more games en route to the Super Bowl before ultimately losing to the New York Giants, 17-14. Brady did not set any records for completions in that game, but he did put up a more than respectable statistical line of 266 yards and one touchdown, even leading a drive to give his team the lead with under three minutes remaining in the contest. Despite this performance, the main storyline after the game concerned the Patriots quarterback’s inability to rise to the occasion in the big game and put the finishing touches on the perfect season. Brady had a great season, but it was ultimately for naught as he failed to bring home another ring. Manning’s failure on the biggest stage will similarly detract from the historical view of his season.
Sometimes a blowout loss can be attributed to lackluster tackling on defense, shoddy special teams play or poor receiver and running back ball security. Significant errors in each of these areas contributed to the final outcome, but Manning, who was named Most Valuable Player in the league this past year, was at the center of the problem. In addition to his early miscue, the Denver quarterback threw a pair of interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. His passer rating of 73.5 was the lowest in a Super Bowl since the immortal Rex Grossman posted a 68.3 in the 2006 season finale — ironically, falling to Manning’s Colts. Manning’s record-setting completions disguise a fact that was evident to anyone watching on Super Bowl Sunday: Manning looked old and ineffective. Even when trailing by 36 points late in the third quarter and in desperate need of a comeback, Manning continued to execute the same short, slant passes he had been attempting all game. These plays did not take on new effectiveness in the later stage of the contest, and a comeback was never in the cards.
Denver’s inability to put the finishing touches on the record-breaking campaign is all the more glaring when considering the assets at Manning’s disposal. In addition to talented wideout Eric Decker and running back Knowshon Moreno, Denver’s receiving corps featured reception-machine Wes Welker as well as pro-bowlers Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas. When facing the Seahawks, the NFL’s top defense, these weapons fell silently below the radar. All season long, Manning had racked up points by exploiting his opposition’s inability to account for all his receiving threats. When he finally came up against a capable adversary, he had no answer.
Ultimately, this one loss will not greatly affect the manner in which Manning’s overall resume is considered. He remains among the top-five men to have ever played the position and a first-ballot hall of famer. The loss does carry weight insofar as this individual season is concerned. Not only does it call into question to what degree his statistics were inflated by his ace team of receivers, but his inability to win the big game means that the season was ultimately a failure. Records are all eventually broken. Championship rings are the only source of permanent and untarnished glory.
Jack Blasberg ’16 can be reached at john_blasberg@brown.edu.
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