As a fan of Peyton Manning, it was just hard to watch Sunday’s playoff debacle.
While the 38-year-old Manning tossed weak, frail passes, Indianapolis’ young gun, Andrew Luck, hurled laser beams as the Colts won 24-13 in convincing fashion in what may have been Manning’s last game.
I totally respect everything the veteran quarterback has meant to the NFL and to the game of football. He’s no doubt one of the best to ever play the position, but it’s time to bow out gracefully.
He is simply a shell of the dominant player he once was.
Confronted with his NFL mortality, Manning acknowledged afterward that the loss may have been the final game of his career. Given the chance to declare he intends to return for a 18th season, Manning didn’t do it.
“I’m disappointed,” Manning said. “I kind of need to process this game. We’ll meet tomorrow. . . . I guess I just can’t give a simple answer.”
Manning finished 26-of-46 passing against the Colts for 211 yards and a touchdown. That TD pass came on the Broncos’ first possession of the game. From there, he struggled mightily most of the time pushing the ball down the field.
It was obvious the Colts followed Seattle’s blueprint from last year’s Super Bowl of playing the outside receivers with tight man coverage, taking away the middle of the field and forcing Manning to make throws outside the numbers.
It worked because Manning just didn’t have enough zip on the ball to squeeze it into tight windows.
Using info from ESPN’s Stats and Information, ESPN.com reports that Manning was just 2-of-12 passing for 49 yards on pass attempts that traveled at least 15 yards and just 6-of-21 for 107 yards on passes that traveled more than 5 yards.
There have been reports that he played injured down the stretch. It sure looked like it, but it’s time for Manning to step down.
At 38, his body just couldn’t stand up to the rigors of a 16-game regular season. Nobody wants to watch him limp through another rough second half of a season.
It was Manning’s second home playoff loss in the AFC divisional round in three seasons in Denver — adding to the unfortunate reputation that he can’t win the big one. It’s a label he’s had to wrestle with for nearly two decades.
Manning’s career playoff record fell to 12-14, and his team lost as the higher-seeded squad for the sixth time.
It’s time for serious soul searching for Manning. I’m betting the five-time NFL MVP can see the writing on the wall.
We may have witnessed Manning passing the torch to Luck, who plays quarterback for the team Manning took to new heights before Indianapolis cut him loose.
Since Luck entered the league in 2012, he has been considered a star in the making with his every move measured against Manning’s early career. Luck collected his first playoff victory in less time than it took his predecessor, so maybe it’s true that every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
