INT. HOTEL ROOM

The scene opens with Peyton Manning, sitting in his dark hotel room in the late hours of the night before the Super Bowl. Manning is holding a pen scribbling words down violently on a piece of paper, preparing his postgame interview for his imminent victory the following day. The camera slowly moves towards Manning, revealing the scratchings on his paper.

I’d like to thank my family.

I’d like to thank my teammates.

I’d like to thank Budweiser.

Ok, ok, so none of this actually happened. But frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the process that led to Manning lavishing praise on Budweiser following his second career Super Bowl victory. It was all he could talk about on the field after what was probably the last game of his career.

He mentioned Budweiser again while he was on stage collecting the Lombardi Trophy, too. This wasn’t a plug for a sponsor either (NFL players aren’t allowed to endorse alcohol companies) but Budweiser was obviously pleasantly surprised by the unexpected plug.

[presto-gallery id=”1710269″ title=”Peyton Manning’s career in pictures” type=”presto”]