Peyton Manning: The Comeback
- Arjun Peroor
- Aug 16, 2024
- 6 min read
Peyton Manning is easily a top 5 QB in NFL history and is arguably the greatest ever to play the position. Similar to how Steph Curry revolutionized the 3-point shot in basketball, Manning revolutionized the QB position. He was the first QB to make audibles and call his own plays at the line of scrimmage consistently and now you see how common it is in the league today and it is because of him. Icon is one of many ways to describe him.
Peyton began his NFL career in 1998. The Indianapolis Colts, a struggling franchise at the time, drafted him. He was looked at to be their savior. Ultimately he was, but his first year was rocky, to put it nicely. Manning, in his rookie season, threw 26 TDs which was a record at the time until it was broken by Baker in 2018 when he tossed 27 and Herbert surpassed that record in 2020 when he threw 31. He also held the record for most completions by a rookie with 326 and passing yards with 3739. He also threw 28 interceptions that same year which to date, is the most a rookie has ever thrown. The Colts went 3-13 but it was evident that given time, Manning was going to be a franchise changer. Well, it wasn't long till that sentiment was proven right as in year 2 he led them to a 13-3 record with 26 TDs, 15 Ints, 4135 yards with 90.7 passer rating. He was selected to the Pro Bowl. He then went on to win 4 league MVPs 1 SB and while putting up 399 TDs, 198 interceptions, and 54,828 yards with a passer rating of 94.9 yards in his 14 years in Indianapolis. However, it racked up in 2011 putting a halt to his run in Indy. He suffered from a herniated Cervical disc. He had neck issues throughout his career as he had 4 surgeries but the one suffered in 2011 sidelined him for the entire year and the Colts finished the year 1-15. That was his first time missing action in the NFL. He had played all 16 games every year in his career up until that point. With this injury, there was no guarantee he would ever play again. The Colts released him in the 2012 offseason and drafted Andrew Luck with the 1st overall pick. It was certainly a shocking move at the moment but the Colts were looking toward the future and Peyton had become a free agent.
March 20, 2012. Peyton Manning signed with the Denver Broncos. The Broncos were coming off a roller coaster of a year with Tebow Mania at full form as they finished the year 8-8 and won a playoff game. But GM John Elway knew that the Broncos still needed to upgrade at QB to take the next step as a team. The Broncos were loaded with young talent. They had promising young wide receivers, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker along with a nice running back in Knowshon Moreno. Brandon Stokley was the veteran in the room and had played with Peyton in Indy. This team was on the cusp of taking that next step. Peyton and the Broncos finished the 2012 season with a 13-3 record after starting the season 2-3. They won 11 straight games to finish the season as Peyton put up 37 TDs to just 11 Ints, 4,659 yards with a 105.8 passer rating. He won Comeback Player of the Year. However, the Broncos fell short 38-35 to the Ravens in the divisional round in heartbreaking fashion. It was a great regular season for the Broncos but losing in the same round the year before was a bittersweet moment for sure. We now move to 2013, a year for the ages. The Broncos offense, according to the numbers, had the greatest statistical offensive year ever. They averaged 37.9 points per game which is the most ever to date. They are the only team ever to have 4 players each to have 4+ TDs. Demaryius had 14, Decker had 11, Julius Thomas had 12, and Wes Welker, who was acquired that offseason, had 10. Peyton Manning finished that season with 55 TDs, 10 Ints, and 5477 passing yards, with a passer rating of 115.1. The craziest part is no player has come close to breaking these stats even with the extra game today. The Broncos finished 13-3 and atop the AFC for the second straight year and this time made their run to the Super Bowl. However, they suffered one of their more embarrassing losses in franchise history as Seattle beat them 43-8 and the Legion of Boom clamped down on the high-powered offense.
So far it had been 2 great seasons in Denver. But the honeymoon period was over and the fans were expecting a Super Bowl. The 2014 offseason showed how influential Peyton was for free agency. Guys like him draw all the big names. The Broncos signed Aqib Talib, Demarcus Ware, TJ Ward, and Emmanuel Sanders. Guys want to play for teams that have Super Bowl aspirations. The 2014 season for Peyton was a little bit different than the first 2 years. in 2012 and 2013, Peyton's level of production was A+. In 2014, it started A+ but it dropped to a C in the latter part of the season. In the first 7 games of the season, Peyton had 22 TDs and 3 Ints. In the final 9 games, he had 17 TDs and 12 Ints. He wasn't awful in those 9 games but it was evident that there was some decline in his play and the team started to rely a bit more on the ground game and defense. The offense was no longer the air-raid offense like it was in his first 2 years in Denver. The Broncos finished 2014 with a 12-4 record were second in the AFC and lost 24-13 in the Divisional Round. Peyton was not very good in that game as he finished 26-46 for 211 yards with 1 TD and no picks. His decline accelerated in 2015. Peyton Manning through 9 games weeks in 2015 had 9 TDs and 17 int. In that 9th game, he was 5-20 for 35 yards and threw 0 TDs and 4 ints. His play was dropping and the week before his 4 Int game he suffered a plantar fasciitis injury. Despite that, the Broncos were 7-2 because the defense was historically great and bailed them out week after week. Brock Osweiler came in relief for Peyton and did an admirable job going 4-2 in the 6 games he started start to finish. Then came week 17. The Broncos were in a position where if they won in week 17, they clinch the top seed. Denver was playing the 4-11 Charger so it should be a fairly easy task right? Well, the team looked shaky as they turned the ball over 5 times in 2 and a half quarters and found themselves down 13-7, and Gary Kubiak, who was hired that offseason, went back to Peyton Manning as he believed this team was looking for a leader at the moment. Peyton came back in the game and the team around him instantly started playing better. They ended up winning 27-20 and clinched the top seed. The Broncos were 12-4 and were the top seed once again. The Broncos played 3 gritty games in the playoffs with their defense spearheading each one and they were world champs and Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset a Super Bowl Champion.
The 2016 playoffs showed that Peyton's value was more than just his arm. His high IQ was on full display. I believe his time off the field allowed him to see how good the defense was and he realized that all he needed to do was not lose the game. He didn't need to be spectacular, he just needed to be safe with the football and make plays when the team needed it and that was what he did in these playoffs. His self-awareness and the realization that he can't make the throws that he used to, prevented him from being a hindrance to the team like he was from weeks 1-10. He had 539 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 Int in the playoffs. He wasn't great but he was safe with the ball and allowed the defense to win the game. He was the perfect game manager.
Peyton Manning's Broncos tenure is very impressive considering that many thought he was done playing in the NFL. Peyton claimed to have lost some feeling in his fingertips in his throwing hand and despite all the setbacks, he put up 140 TDs, 53 Ints, and 17,112 yards. The team won the division every year, won the top seed 3 of 4 years, and had the best regular season record in the NFL during that span going 50-14. They went to 2 Super Bowls and won 1. I'd say that's a pretty good comeback story.
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As a patriot supporter i hated the Manning brothers but after his career i learnt to love payton and his slow southern drawl but Toms the man imo..