That point is why this Super Bowl is even more intriguing than most years. The Super Bowl is arguably the grandest stage of any that sports has to offer. And for one individual especially, Super Bowl XLVIII holds a little bit more weight. That individual is, of course, Peyton Manning.
Manning is, without question, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play. He already has 1 Super Bowl victory, and was named Super Bowl MVP. Throwing for 64,964 yards and 491 touchdowns (both second all-time) throughout his illustrious regular season career, Manning is already the all-time leader in regular season MVP awards with four, a record he will in all likelihood add to Saturday night when he is named MVP for a fifth time after his record-setting 2013 regular season. After throwing for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns (both single-season NFL records) and leading his Denver Broncos to the number 1 seed in the AFC with a 13-3 record, Manning is well-deserving of his fifth MVP award. He is a thirteen time Pro Bowler and a seven time first team All-Pro. He has played at a consistently high level from his rookie season in 1998 at age 22 to this past season at age 37 and constantly put his team in a position to succeed. However, the biggest knock on Manning was never what he could do from September through December. It was his performance in January and February over the years that provided critics with an endless supply of ammunition to shoot holes in Manning's legacy.
Manning is an “average” 11-11 in his career in the postseason, with 8 of those losses coming in a one-and-done fashion. Compared to Joe Montana and Tom Brady, who respectively have postseason records of 16-7, 4 one-and-done and 18-8, 2 one-and-done, Manning seems to fall short. Taking a closer look, 5 of Manning’s 11 postseason losses have come to the eventual Super Bowl Champion, compared to 2 of Montana’s 7 and 4 (potentially 5 if Manning and the Broncos win Super Bowl XLVIII) of Brady’s 8. Of Manning’s 8 one-and-done seasons, 4 came in the Divisional Round after clinching a first-round bye, whereas 1 of Brady’s 2 one-and-done postseasons came after clinching a first-round bye. Montana cannot accurately be portrayed in this category due to the NFL expanding the postseason from 5 teams in each conference to 6 starting in
| 1990-1991. The postseason stats of the three are even closer. Brady is the all-time leader in postseason passing yards, compiling 6,424 yards, compared to 6,309 for Manning (second) and 5,772 for Montana (fourth). However, Manning needs only 116 passing yards in Super Bowl XLVIII to pass Brady for the all-time lead. Montana holds the edge in terms of postseason touchdowns with 45 (first all-time). Brady ranks third with 43, and Manning ranks fourth with 36. The three’s interception numbers are virtually identical as well, with both Brady and Manning throwing 22 postseason picks (tied for fifth most all-time), and Montana throwing 21 (seventh). I know that was a lot of numbers in a short period of time. However, I present these numbers simply as facts. They’re another way to look at the win-loss records and postseason statistics of, in my opinion, the three greatest quarterbacks of all time. |
This Super Bowl, and what Peyton Manning is playing for, encompasses the reason we watch sports. To see greatness. We will always have our own rooting interests, whether based on the city that we're from or way we were raised. But the real reason we watch is because we want to see someone reach a level we’ve never seen before. Peyton Manning, despite the four neck surgeries and the countless detractors, has a chance to reset that level once again.
That's what I'll be rooting for come Super Bowl Sunday. For greatness. Because even when you play to win the game, sometimes, even winning isn’t enough.