After years of dragging bad defenses in big games, Peyton Manning finally got a chance to see what it looks like from the other side.
Manning, as he was all season, was terrible on Sunday. He threw an awful interception that cost Denver points and his fourth-quarter fumble kept the Panthers in the game. The Broncos’ two touchdowns were set up by the defense.
Manning finished the game with a passer rating of 56.6, the fourth worst in Super bowl history among winning quarterbacks. Even Trent Dilfer, the quintessential quarterback-who-was-carried-to-a-ring-by-a-dominant-defense, managed an 80.9 rating in the Ravens’ Super Bowl win back in 2001.
Super Bowl 50 played out like most of the Broncos’ wins earlier this season. The defense forced turnovers and kept teams out of the end zone while Manning consistently put the defense in a hole with turnovers and three-and-outs.
Denver’s defense did what no other team could do this season: Slow down 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton. The Broncos racked up seven sacks and hit Newton 13 times. That was the story of the game. Manning was really just another quarterback Denver’s defense had to worry about overcoming.
It was hard to expect anything more from Manning after watching him in 2015. Out of 34 qualifying passers, he finished dead last in the league in passer rating, behind guys like Nick Foles and Blaine Gabbert. He nearly won the interception “crown,” despite missing six games. He set career lows in almost every major statistical category.
Manning just might be the worst starting quarterback to ever win a Lombardi Trophy. Only three quarterbacks posted worse regular season passer ratings during Super Bowl-winning seasons.
Those three may have had worse stats, but when accounting for era, Manning’s look far worse.
The average QB rating in 2015 was 88.4. Manning finished 19.5 points below that. Bradshaw finished about five points below the league average in ’74. Starr and Unitas actually finished above the league average in their respective seasons.
It will be interesting to see how history looks back on this win for Manning. During the early part of his career, his record-breaking stats were written off because of the Colts’ postseason failures. Now the narrative has flipped. The wins are there; the numbers are not. In the end, it all balances out, and maybe we’ll finally hear the end of the “Manning is not a winner so his stats don’t matter” hot takes.
Maybe this version of Manning didn’t deserve a Super Bowl ring, but it’s hard to argue against him deserving a second title with what he’s accomplished over a phenomenal 18-year career.
