DEFENSE CARRIES DAY, MANNING
Tough season for veteran QB ends with ultimate win
Saved by the defense.
That’s the gist of a Super Bowl 50 that allowed Peyton Manning to, most expect, ride off into the sunset as a champion.
Manning, the most prolific passer in NFL history, is the first quarterback to win Super Bowls with two franchises. He’s the first quarterback to post 200 career victories, surpassing freshly minted Hall of Famer Brett Favre. And at 39, he’s the oldest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, too. Those are the facts, ma’am. But the reality is Manning, no longer the dominant force who wrote so many NFL records, looked a lot like a man with one foot into retirement.
The Denver Broncos won this new Lombardi Trophy in spite of Manning, who had what might have been one last tough night at the office.
Denver’s first touchdown in the 24-10 triumph of the Carolina Panthers came from the defense, fittingly, as Von Miller ripped the football out of Cam Newton’s hands and Malik Jackson recovered it in the end zone. The other one, a 1-yard push by C.J. Anderson, was set up after Miller’s strip of Newton deep in Panthers territory in the fourth quarter.
Manning had two turnovers himself, an interception and a fumble. Third downs were quite the challenge. He had a 42.7 passer rating at halftime and a 56.6 mark for the game. The Broncos offense tallied all of 11 first downs. Those are facts, too. But you can’t knock Manning for winning what many expect was the final game — or “last rodeo,” as Manning told New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick after the AFC title game — of his illustrious career.
“It’s a gratifying feeling,” said Manning, who had lost in two of his three previous Super Bowl appearances. “I definitely know how hard it is to get here. It’s a grind to get here. And when you get here, there are no guarantees. Everybody did their part.”
Manning’s play did not lose the game, and that can be quite the recipe for winning.
Especially when you’re rolling with the NFL’s best defense.
Manning, whose difficult season has included a six-week layoff because of injury as well as allegations (which he has strongly denied) linking him to HGH shipments, caught a break for the milestone showdown at Levi’s Stadium.
He had the better defense on his side, the Wade Phillips-coordinated, No. 1-ranked defense.
Maybe the most fitting image of the night came with about a minute to play, as Manning stood in the middle of the bench area, beaming.
He was standing next to two teammates — defensive stars DeMarcus Ware and Miller, who was named the game’s MVP. They were beaming, too.
The torch of NFL quarterbacking is being passed from one generation to another as emerging young stars such as Newton and Russell Wilson are poised to become the face of a league that for so long revolved around the likes of Manning and Tom Brady.
But for the moment, the old veteran Manning — with a lot of help from his friends — got the better of it. Is he done? For real? Of course, Manning wouldn’t reveal what’s next in that regard.
During a postgame interview, he told CBS, “I’ll take some time to reflect.”
When he does, he’ll realize it’s been one hell of a rodeo ride.