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With Peyton Manning set to retire I like many others have spent some time thinking back on the 4 seasons he spent with the Broncos. It's pretty impressive that a QB in the twilight of his career pound for pound accomplished more for the Broncos as he did in 14 years with the Colts. That's a testament greatly to the genius of John Elway for building such a talented roster and bodes well for the future of this team. But Manning himself deserves a great deal of credit for this as well.
Think about his body of work with the Broncos:
- W-L record of 45-12 with a 5-3 playoff record including 1-1 in the Super Bowl.
- 17,112 passing yards, completion percentage of over 66%.
- 140 passing touchdowns
- Utter dominance of the AFC West: 19-2 in regular season starts vs AFC West opponents. 20-2 when playoffs are included.
And those are just some of the highlights that are easily quantified. It's hard to put a number on the value added in terms of how much fun it was to see Manning wear orange. So here I am going to recount some of my favorite moments with Manning as the Broncos QB. I'm sticking to regular season moments for this post though I'll probably add post season moments later. I just think it's hard to come up with a list that wouldn't be weighted entirely post-season moments so I'm keeping them separate. Here are my top-5 favorite Manning moments:
1. January 3, 2016 vs San Diego Chargers: This may be a curious pick for #1 because Manning didn't even start this game, nor did he pass for even 100 yards or a TD. But it was in this game I started to really believe this Broncos team was a team that could win it all. Manning comes off the bench and propels the Broncos to the #1 playoff seed. At 11-4 going into this game the Broncos had already punched their ticket to the playoffs. But the Kansas City Chiefs had already won their game to finish 11-5 and held tie breakers over the Broncos. With the Patriots losing the Broncos were at a crossroads: Win and get the #1 seed and HFA through the playoffs or lose and take the #5 seed and play on the road. No worry, the Broncos were playing a woeful Chargers team. Except the team, despite seeming to outplay the Chargers, gave up the ball on a few uncanny plays and a few more careless plays. Before they knew it they were in a dogfight, trailing 13-7. After the 5th turnover Kubiak "went with his gut" and pulled Osweiler for Manning. The team responded and went on to win 27-20. What was interesting to me is as that game wound to a close my wife and I just looked at each other and agreed this was going to be one special playoff run. The Broncos just had the feel of a team that was going to defy football logic and be the last team standing. NOTEWORTHY: If you still have this game in your DVR, watch and listen carefully to the post-game handshake between Rivers and Manning. I swear Rivers pats Manning on the helmet and says, "You got this, baby!" If I heard that right it's a pretty cool nod by Rivers.
2. October 15, 2015 @ San Diego Chargers: We all know this one. The Broncos entered the game 2-3 with Manning and the offense still searching for their traction. All offseason after the Broncos signed Manning Chargers fans gleefully reminded Broncos fans of Manning's struggles with the Chargers. Broncos fans countered it was an entirely different dynamic with the Broncos. As this game went to halftime it appeared the Chargers fans were well on their way to winning that argument as the Broncos trailed 24-0. I won't recount the events of the second half. Suffice to say given the intensity and precision in which the Broncos executed that opening possession of the 2nd half to cut the score to 24-7 then ended a Chargers 6+ minute drive with a fumble recovery run in for a 65 yard touchdown. At that point the score was 24-14. It was late in the 3rd quarter and I just knew the Broncos were going to pull it off. They would go on to win it 35-24 and even out their record at 3-3. Things were just getting started for Manning and the Broncos but this game may just represent the moment where it all came together for them.
3. September 17, 2015 @ Kansas City Chiefs: While this may not resonate with too many fans as one of Manning's signature games with the Broncos it will be a sentimental favorite of mine for a long time to come. In the months following the disappointing loss to the Colts, the ensuing changes at Dove Valley, the new coaches, system, and so on the Broncos were heading for an 8-8 season at best to hear many say it. The Chiefs were a popular pick to win the AFC West. In the weeks leading up to the season's beginning Chiefs fans had a lot of venom for the Broncos, claiming this would be the year they beat the Broncos asses and finally get the upper hand in a rivalry in which they had been on the losing end for years. In the days leading up to this game the hype was palpable. The Broncos were not supposed to win this game. The Chiefs had everything going for them: Home opener (after winning on the road), Broncos first road game, Berry's cancer comeback (a great story in it's own right no matter who you cheer for), Broncos on the road on TNF: usually a death sentence for a road team. So many things lined up in the Chiefs favor. And their fans were not simply expecting a win but a blood letting that would see Manning's career end on a vicious hit by one of their players. And in the early action it appeared well on its way to being just that. The game was scoreless in the first quarter but the Chiefs paired a TD drive with a pick-6 for a 14-0 lead in the second. The Broncos snapped out of it and under 6:30 to go in the first half started playing football, evening the score to 14-14 at halftime. But it got better. With 2:27 to go the Chiefs had the lead 24-17. Manning, for all his struggles led the Broncos on a brilliant drive to tie the game. Then came the scoop and score to put the Broncos up 31-24 as the games final seconds wound down. Arrowhead Stadium had never been more dumbfounded. Chiefs fans still claim they outplayed the Broncos in that game and I say let them. 5 turnovers doesn't sound like outplaying to me, but they can have their moral victories. I'll take the wins. Given the lead-in to this game and the manner in which the Broncos won it, I will consider this one of the most satisfying regular season wins I've ever witnessed.
4. September 5, 2013 vs Baltimore Ravens: The loss to the Ravens in the 2OT game was pretty hard. And despite there being some calls in that game that were downright mystifying, the most mystifying calls were made by John Fox at the end of regulation. Still, the Ravens took their opportunities in that one and the Broncos passed on theirs. End of story. Except that due to scheduling conflicts the Ravens were unable to host their traditional TNF Kickoff Special as reigning Champs. It wasn't the Ravens fault, but the league really dissed the city of Denver by forcing them to hang those giant Flacco posters on the stadium. No matter, by time the Broncos got done utterly dominating the Ravens all was forgiven. Manning's 7 TDs and no picks to go with his 462 passing yards. It was pretty satisfying given the way I felt the Broncos partly got boned in the playoff game, though ultimately I am a savvy enough fan to know better than blame the referees. A regular season win never fully avenges a playoff loss, but the manner in which the Broncos won this one came pretty close.
5. September 9, 2012 vs Pittsburg Steelers: Manning's first regular season game with the Broncos. Looking back I think most of us had a nervous confidence that Manning would be okay, but truthfully had no clue what to expect. Enter the defending Steelers coming off a 12-4 season with the #1 defense and looking for revenge on the Broncos for the way they got Tebow'd out of the 2011 playoffs in Denver and this game was by no means going to be a walk in the park. Manning didn't light up the stat sheet in this one. Subtract a pick-6 by Tracy Porter and the Broncos offense accounted for 24 points. Not bad, but not impressive by modern NFL standards for one game. None of that mattered. We were watching Peyton Manning play QB for the Denver Broncos. All off season we heard he was one hard hit away from a lifetime of eating from a tube. He got blasted in that game and jumped right back on his feat. In this first game with the Broncos we had no clue what to expect but the possibilities certainly seemed wide open. Even though other games and performances would far surpass this one, this game started it all with Manning and the Broncos and will remain a favorite for a long time.
It was hard to avoid picking all AFC West rivalry games. Both 2013 games against the Chiefs came close to making this list. No 2014 games did. I consider 2014 a lost season for the Broncos really. But you don't get 2015 without 2014 so it all happened for a reason.
I'll add a couple playoff games later. I may have to go playoff moments instead of games because there are only 8 playoff games to choose from. With Manning and the Broncos 5-3 in the playoffs it would be too easy to rank my top five games, and way to easy to pick the Super Bowl win as my favorite game. So I may try to isolate individual moments. Even then it's likely to heavily weight the 2015 playoffs. For obvious reasons.
Lemme hear yours!
Think about his body of work with the Broncos:
- W-L record of 45-12 with a 5-3 playoff record including 1-1 in the Super Bowl.
- 17,112 passing yards, completion percentage of over 66%.
- 140 passing touchdowns
- Utter dominance of the AFC West: 19-2 in regular season starts vs AFC West opponents. 20-2 when playoffs are included.
And those are just some of the highlights that are easily quantified. It's hard to put a number on the value added in terms of how much fun it was to see Manning wear orange. So here I am going to recount some of my favorite moments with Manning as the Broncos QB. I'm sticking to regular season moments for this post though I'll probably add post season moments later. I just think it's hard to come up with a list that wouldn't be weighted entirely post-season moments so I'm keeping them separate. Here are my top-5 favorite Manning moments:
1. January 3, 2016 vs San Diego Chargers: This may be a curious pick for #1 because Manning didn't even start this game, nor did he pass for even 100 yards or a TD. But it was in this game I started to really believe this Broncos team was a team that could win it all. Manning comes off the bench and propels the Broncos to the #1 playoff seed. At 11-4 going into this game the Broncos had already punched their ticket to the playoffs. But the Kansas City Chiefs had already won their game to finish 11-5 and held tie breakers over the Broncos. With the Patriots losing the Broncos were at a crossroads: Win and get the #1 seed and HFA through the playoffs or lose and take the #5 seed and play on the road. No worry, the Broncos were playing a woeful Chargers team. Except the team, despite seeming to outplay the Chargers, gave up the ball on a few uncanny plays and a few more careless plays. Before they knew it they were in a dogfight, trailing 13-7. After the 5th turnover Kubiak "went with his gut" and pulled Osweiler for Manning. The team responded and went on to win 27-20. What was interesting to me is as that game wound to a close my wife and I just looked at each other and agreed this was going to be one special playoff run. The Broncos just had the feel of a team that was going to defy football logic and be the last team standing. NOTEWORTHY: If you still have this game in your DVR, watch and listen carefully to the post-game handshake between Rivers and Manning. I swear Rivers pats Manning on the helmet and says, "You got this, baby!" If I heard that right it's a pretty cool nod by Rivers.
2. October 15, 2015 @ San Diego Chargers: We all know this one. The Broncos entered the game 2-3 with Manning and the offense still searching for their traction. All offseason after the Broncos signed Manning Chargers fans gleefully reminded Broncos fans of Manning's struggles with the Chargers. Broncos fans countered it was an entirely different dynamic with the Broncos. As this game went to halftime it appeared the Chargers fans were well on their way to winning that argument as the Broncos trailed 24-0. I won't recount the events of the second half. Suffice to say given the intensity and precision in which the Broncos executed that opening possession of the 2nd half to cut the score to 24-7 then ended a Chargers 6+ minute drive with a fumble recovery run in for a 65 yard touchdown. At that point the score was 24-14. It was late in the 3rd quarter and I just knew the Broncos were going to pull it off. They would go on to win it 35-24 and even out their record at 3-3. Things were just getting started for Manning and the Broncos but this game may just represent the moment where it all came together for them.
3. September 17, 2015 @ Kansas City Chiefs: While this may not resonate with too many fans as one of Manning's signature games with the Broncos it will be a sentimental favorite of mine for a long time to come. In the months following the disappointing loss to the Colts, the ensuing changes at Dove Valley, the new coaches, system, and so on the Broncos were heading for an 8-8 season at best to hear many say it. The Chiefs were a popular pick to win the AFC West. In the weeks leading up to the season's beginning Chiefs fans had a lot of venom for the Broncos, claiming this would be the year they beat the Broncos asses and finally get the upper hand in a rivalry in which they had been on the losing end for years. In the days leading up to this game the hype was palpable. The Broncos were not supposed to win this game. The Chiefs had everything going for them: Home opener (after winning on the road), Broncos first road game, Berry's cancer comeback (a great story in it's own right no matter who you cheer for), Broncos on the road on TNF: usually a death sentence for a road team. So many things lined up in the Chiefs favor. And their fans were not simply expecting a win but a blood letting that would see Manning's career end on a vicious hit by one of their players. And in the early action it appeared well on its way to being just that. The game was scoreless in the first quarter but the Chiefs paired a TD drive with a pick-6 for a 14-0 lead in the second. The Broncos snapped out of it and under 6:30 to go in the first half started playing football, evening the score to 14-14 at halftime. But it got better. With 2:27 to go the Chiefs had the lead 24-17. Manning, for all his struggles led the Broncos on a brilliant drive to tie the game. Then came the scoop and score to put the Broncos up 31-24 as the games final seconds wound down. Arrowhead Stadium had never been more dumbfounded. Chiefs fans still claim they outplayed the Broncos in that game and I say let them. 5 turnovers doesn't sound like outplaying to me, but they can have their moral victories. I'll take the wins. Given the lead-in to this game and the manner in which the Broncos won it, I will consider this one of the most satisfying regular season wins I've ever witnessed.
4. September 5, 2013 vs Baltimore Ravens: The loss to the Ravens in the 2OT game was pretty hard. And despite there being some calls in that game that were downright mystifying, the most mystifying calls were made by John Fox at the end of regulation. Still, the Ravens took their opportunities in that one and the Broncos passed on theirs. End of story. Except that due to scheduling conflicts the Ravens were unable to host their traditional TNF Kickoff Special as reigning Champs. It wasn't the Ravens fault, but the league really dissed the city of Denver by forcing them to hang those giant Flacco posters on the stadium. No matter, by time the Broncos got done utterly dominating the Ravens all was forgiven. Manning's 7 TDs and no picks to go with his 462 passing yards. It was pretty satisfying given the way I felt the Broncos partly got boned in the playoff game, though ultimately I am a savvy enough fan to know better than blame the referees. A regular season win never fully avenges a playoff loss, but the manner in which the Broncos won this one came pretty close.
5. September 9, 2012 vs Pittsburg Steelers: Manning's first regular season game with the Broncos. Looking back I think most of us had a nervous confidence that Manning would be okay, but truthfully had no clue what to expect. Enter the defending Steelers coming off a 12-4 season with the #1 defense and looking for revenge on the Broncos for the way they got Tebow'd out of the 2011 playoffs in Denver and this game was by no means going to be a walk in the park. Manning didn't light up the stat sheet in this one. Subtract a pick-6 by Tracy Porter and the Broncos offense accounted for 24 points. Not bad, but not impressive by modern NFL standards for one game. None of that mattered. We were watching Peyton Manning play QB for the Denver Broncos. All off season we heard he was one hard hit away from a lifetime of eating from a tube. He got blasted in that game and jumped right back on his feat. In this first game with the Broncos we had no clue what to expect but the possibilities certainly seemed wide open. Even though other games and performances would far surpass this one, this game started it all with Manning and the Broncos and will remain a favorite for a long time.
It was hard to avoid picking all AFC West rivalry games. Both 2013 games against the Chiefs came close to making this list. No 2014 games did. I consider 2014 a lost season for the Broncos really. But you don't get 2015 without 2014 so it all happened for a reason.
I'll add a couple playoff games later. I may have to go playoff moments instead of games because there are only 8 playoff games to choose from. With Manning and the Broncos 5-3 in the playoffs it would be too easy to rank my top five games, and way to easy to pick the Super Bowl win as my favorite game. So I may try to isolate individual moments. Even then it's likely to heavily weight the 2015 playoffs. For obvious reasons.
Lemme hear yours!
