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Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning may be writing final chapter

By The Sports Xchange
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning surrounded by photographers and media waits for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to arrive to shake hands after the AFC Championship game at Sport Authority Field at Mile High in Denver on January 24, 2016. Denver advances to Super Bowl 50 defeating New England 20-18. Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI
1 of 3 | Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning surrounded by photographers and media waits for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to arrive to shake hands after the AFC Championship game at Sport Authority Field at Mile High in Denver on January 24, 2016. Denver advances to Super Bowl 50 defeating New England 20-18. Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI | License Photo

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- If this is to be last dance for Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, he will go out with a tango on the biggest stage of all.

Manning has deferred all questions about his future, although he has said that he has pondered what it might hold after this season -- especially following perhaps the most trying stretch of his career, a six-week absence in November and December while he tried to recover from a torn plantar fascia. He watched as backup Brock Osweiler racked up better numbers, and then, in Week 17, saw Osweiler start ahead of him.

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That set up the storybook chapter -- a re-transformation from Peyton Manning, backup quarterback, to Peyton Manning, Super Bowl 50 starter.

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"I'm so proud of him," head coach Gary Kubiak said after the 20-18 win over the New England Patriots that sent the Broncos to their league-record-tying eighth Super Bowl. "I sit here and reflect on some of the meetings he and I had throughout the course of these last 10 weeks and some of the conversations we had.

"To sit right there and talk about the opportunity we have here in two weeks -- I'm just so proud of him. He worked hard to get back. I knew about three weeks ago or four weeks ago through a discussion we had that he was ready to come back and lead this football team, and he's done a tremendous job."

An efficient, if unspectacular, performance Sunday made that possible as Manning connected twice with tight end Owen Daniels in the first half, giving the Broncos enough momentum to withstand a Patriots rally.

New England quarterback Tom Brady threw for nearly twice as many yards as Manning, who completed 17 of 32 passes for 176 yards and lost 31 yards on three sacks. But Manning's side won the 17th battle of the future Hall of Fame quarterbacks because the Broncos had the superior defense and special teams, and because they capitalized on their red-zone chances, turning three trips inside the New England 20 into 17 points.

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But Manning showed something more -- something that wasn't present when the Broncos fell to the Colts a year earlier in the divisional playoffs.

In that defeat, Manning chose to throw downfield rather than run into open space for what would have been a certain first down. Local pundits castigated Manning, believing the decision to pull up represented a lack of toughness.

Manning's ability to play with an injury that will only heal with rest, surgery or perhaps both, would seem to have provided a firm counter to that notion. But when he took off on a 12-yard run for a first down in the third quarter, the team and its home crowd were energized. Manning's lurch into the right flat didn't exactly recall John Elway's helicopter spin in Super Bowl XXXII, but in both cases, it was a symbol of a quarterback giving everything he could to the cause.

"He's going to do what he has to do to win. I know that," Kubiak said. "I mean he's one of the greatest competitors ever in this league. For him to take off and make that play -- guys, I can't tell you how he has led this group the last three weeks. It's been tremendous."

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And now, Manning gets one more game -- and one more shot to complete re-writing the narrative on a career that has provided great numbers, but postseason frustration. Manning heads to his fourth Super Bowl as a starting quarterback, and if he can guide the Broncos past the Panthers, his two world championships and armful of league records give him a case to be in the conversation about the greatest quarterback in NFL history.

REPORT CARD VS. PATRIOTS

--PASSING OFFENSE: C. Dropped passes weren't the problem they were the previous week, but some protection breakdowns led to three sacks and limited the Broncos to just 4.14 yards per pass play. But the Broncos had just one drop after dropping seven passes last week, had no passes intercepted and used Owen Daniels effectively for a pair of touchdown passes -- one down the seam and one on a stop-and-go fade route.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: C. Ronnie Hillman struggled at the start and appeared to lose some of his remaining confidence after a lackadaisical reaction to Peyton Manning's errant lateral, allowing New England to recover the loose ball to set up what was their only touchdown until 12 seconds remained in regulation. Hillman continues to start as part of the platoon with C.J. Anderson, but Anderson has been more effective in recent weeks and had 90 yards from scrimmage, 67 more than Hillman.

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--PASS DEFENSE: B plus. Although the Broncos allowed Tom Brady to accumulate 310 yards through the air, the pressure mounted by Denver's pass rush kept him from getting comfortable and forced him into hurried throws that kept his completion percentage below 50 percent. Only a late flurry after the Broncos lost both starting safeties to injuries kept Brady's numbers respectable.

--RUSHING DEFENSE: A. The Broncos didn't take the Patriots' ability to run seriously, giving them space underneath if they wanted to take it. The Patriots didn't, in part because their scant rushing attempts were usually crushed by Denver's defensive linemen and inside linebackers.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: A minus. Brandon McManus was perfect on placekicks, including a 52-yarder late in the second quarter, and Britton Colquitt dropped four punts inside the New England 15-yard line. The only blight on the day was Danny Amendola's 28-yard punt return for the Patriots, but the rest of his returns accounted for just 4 yards, with three fair catches and two returns for 4 yards.

--COACHING: A minus. Gary Kubiak's offense wasn't exotic, but aside from a botched lateral, it avoided the big mistake and put the defense in position to win. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips then took over from there, designing a game plan that used four- and three-man rushes -- with more three-man rushes Sunday than the rest of the season combined. That kept Tom Brady confused.

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