Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning fumbles the ball after a hit by Colts linebacker Jonathan Newsome on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. (Michael Ciaglo/Colorado Springs Gazette/TNS)However, numbers also have historical background and context, with each truth having an equally true counterargument.
Manning has looked absolutely putrid at times during his postseason career, and his latest game was not his best. The fact that he played through his torn right quadriceps gives him some excuse, though, even if it may have been unintelligent to play through it to finish the regular season.
Throughout his career, most of Manning's losses have come against great teams. He only has a few unforgivable losses.
Let's take a look at the year-by-year playoff performance to gain perspective on Manning's postseason career:
1999
Who: Tennessee Titans (13-3)
Result: A sophomore in the league and a rookie in the playoffs, it’s no surprise that Manning struggled against the 13-3 Titans. The Colts lost 19-16.
Aftermath: Titans went on to win the conference and lost in the Super Bowl.
2000
Who: Miami Dolphins (11-5)
Result: The Dolphins boasted the third-best defense in the league, according to Pro Football Reference, and the Fins led the league in forcing 23 regular-season interceptions while allowing only 11 passing touchdowns. The Dolphins won 23-17 in overtime.
Aftermath: The Dolphins lost in the next round.
2002
Who: New York Jets (9-7)
Results: This was the first unforgivable loss for Peyton Manning. The fifth-year quarterback completed just 53 percent of his passes and threw less than 200 yards en route to a 41-0 dismantling.
Aftermath: The Jets lost in the next round.
2003
Who: New England Patriots (14-2)
Results: Manning couldn’t succeed against the dominant Patriots in his first AFC championship game. After a two-game postseason run in which he had a ridiculous stat line of a 78.5 throwing percent, 681 yards, 8 TDs and 0 interceptions, he threw four interceptions to close out the season against his biggest rival.
Aftermath: The Patriots won the Super Bowl.
2004
Who: New England Patriots (14-2)
Results: Manning threw 82 percent and four touchdowns against the Broncos before being thrown back to earth, again, by quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots. His personal game improved since the year before, but the Patriots dynasty won 20-3.
Aftermath: The Patriots won the Super Bowl.
2005
Who: Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
Results: Manning couldn’t get through a "Steel Curtain" defense that had a high-pressure rush defense and also intercepted as many balls as it allowed touchdowns in the regular season (15).
Aftermath: The Steelers won the Super Bowl.
2006
Who: Indianapolis Colts (12-4)
The Colts wouldn’t be denied as Peyton finally won his first, perhaps overdue, ring against the Chicago Bears.
2007
Who: San Diego Chargers (13-3)
Results: Manning’s 402 yards, three touchdowns and 68.75 completion percentage wasn’t enough to outlast the rolling Chargers. It was the beginning of the LaDainian Tomlinson curse that would affect Manning for the next few years.
Aftermath: The Chargers lost in the AFC championship to the Patriots.
2008
Who: San Diego Chargers (8-8)
Results: This is the second unforgivable loss of Manning’s postseason career. The wild card Chargers came to his home and held him to a below-60 percent completion percentage, as the Colts lost 23-17 in overtime.
Aftermath: The Chargers lost their next game to the Super Bowl-winning Steelers.
2009
Who: New Orleans Saints (13-3)
Results: Drew Brees and the surprise second half-opening onside kick were too much for the Colts. Manning had a solid game, completing 69 percent of his passes and throwing for 333 yards, but he couldn’t do enough.
Aftermath: The Saints won the Super Bowl.
2010
Who: New York Jets (11-5)
Results: Once upon a time, the Jets were a strong team. "Revis Island" was alive and well and the "Tomlinson Curse" scored a pair of touchdowns for the Jets. Despite Manning leading the Colts to a 16-14 lead with under a minute to play, the Jets gained huge yardage on the kickoff and won on a field goal.
Aftermath: The Jets lost in the AFC championship game to the Steelers.
2012
Who: Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
Results: Blown coverage downfield allowed Joe Flacco to complete a 70-yard touchdown to Jacoby Jones with 40 seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime. Manning had two chances to score in overtime: in the first, questionable play-calling led to five handoffs in six plays. In the second, Manning was intercepted. If you want to call this the third unforgivable loss, you can, but there were distinguishing factors that went beyond Manning’s play in his first Denver Broncos playoff start.
Aftermath: The Ravens won the Super Bowl.
2013
Who: Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Results: It was an ugly game for the Broncos from the opening snap: an errant snap allowed Seattle to get on the board first and the Broncos never recovered, falling 43-8 (one of the largest blowouts in Super Bowl history). Seattle was a much better team, making the loss understandable, and Manning’s stats weren’t terrible: 69 percent completion percentage, 280 yards. However, he missed relatively open targets many times and threw two interceptions. A poor game but a forgivable defeat.
Aftermath: Seattle won the Super Bowl.
2014
Who: Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
Results: After the game, it was revealed that Manning had torn his quad weeks in advance. In hindsight, it was a poor choice not to rest him as the regular season wound down, but it creates a very legitimate excuse for his poor play last week. Without the injury, it would’ve been Manning’s fourth unforgivable postseason loss. With it, it shows that the 38-year-old is still tough.
Aftermath: TBD
So, to recap: Manning isn’t able to replicate his regular season numbers in the playoffs. I am not going to deny that. With that in mind, though, he doesn’t play much worse than any of the poster-boys of 21st century NFL playoff success: Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning.
Peyton Manning has the highest completion percentage, and yards per game of the four. He has the second-most touchdowns per game. His interceptions per game is second worst, ahead of Roethlisberger.
Over the last couple years, he has missed throws. He’s slowing down. He didn’t succeed on the biggest stage. However, it’s unfair to say he’s “not clutch.”
Manning tends to be defeated by the best teams in the league.
Of his 12 losses (not including the 2014 Colts), nine have been against teams that reached the AFC Conference Championship game. Seven advanced to the Super Bowl and six ended up winning.
There’s no shame in losing to the best, and unfortunately for Manning, he’s been pitted against that team time and time again.
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