Storyline: If Peyton Manning retires he’ll finish with one of the best careers in NFL history … the very best (statistically speaking) at the QB position.
Peyton Manning likely finished his Hall of Fame career Sunday night as the Broncos cruised to victory over Cam Newton and the Panthers, 24-10, at Levi Stadium in Super Bowl 50.
The 2015 season saw Manning at his absolute worst. He finished with career lows in quarterback rating (67.9), completion percentage (59.8%) and passing yards (2,249). But luckily for Manning, he was backed by Von Miller and the League’s best defense.
Courtesy: New York Daily News.com
Manning, 39, did on Sunday what was necessary to secure the win. He finished the night 13 of 23 (56.5%) for 142 yards with 1 interception and a quarterback rating of 56.6.
Retirement has been the long-looming question surrounding Manning. But, after the game, he didn’t even hint about next steps. “I don’t know the answer to that,” Manning said. “I talked to Tony Dungy last week and he called me and said ‘I need to talk to you.’ He gave me some good advice about not making an emotional decision, one way or the other.”
This season proved that Father Time catches up with us all. Throughout the 2015 season Manning struggled to stay healthy–sitting out 7 weeks due to a nagging left foot injury. But Manning overcame the odds and successfully led the Broncos through the post season and, ultimately, to a captivating Super Bowl victory.
“I want to go kiss my wife, kiss my kids. I want to go celebrate with my family and teammates, and I’m going to drink a lot of beer…Von Miller is buying,” Manning said. “Those are my priorities at this point. I’ll take some time to reflect. And I’m going to say a prayer and a thank-you to the man upstairs for this opportunity as well.”
Courtesy: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
If he retires, Manning will finish with one of the best careers in NFL history. Statistical speaking he’s the best to ever do it at the quarterback position.
He’s a 7-time All Pro (no other QB has more than 3), 14-time Pro Bowler, 4-time touchdown leader, 3-time passing leader, the all-time passing leader with 71,940 yards (Drew Brees is the closest to the record, 11,000 yards away), the all-time touchdown pass leader (539), and a two-time Super Bowl champion.
After 18 years in the League it seems as if Manning is set to ride off into the sunset. If so, what a story book ending to a sensational career!
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