Peyton Manning entered last night’s Super Bowl on the greatest hot streak of his life. Throughout this season, Manning had shredded defenses in every game his team had competed in for all 60 minutes. The Colts’ only two losses all season, in Week 16 to the New York Jets and Week 17 to the Buffalo Bills, came with Manning and many of the team’s other key players standing on the sidelines watching.
Manning deservedly took home his record fourth Most Valuable Player award this season. He shredded the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets in the team’s two playoff games. The Colts seemed to have the better team, and everyone seemed to think they would win the game. Even Tony Dungy, the famously modest former coach of the team, said the Colts would win the game convincingly on Saturday.
Only they didn’t win the game. In fact, they lost thanks, in large part, to a critical late-game mistake by Manning, whose interception was returned 74 yards for a touchdown by Saints cornerback Tracy Porter with the Colts down seven, 24-17. Then the score was 31-17, and the game was all but over.
With a win in last night’s game, Manning could put himself into the conversation as the greatest quarterback of all-time. Now? That argument can’t be made now, at least not for awhile. Manning will have to try and reverse the feelings that this game will leave with people for a long time to come. He did throw for over 300 yards, but he also made the biggest mistake of the game, and single-handedly ended his team’s chances of winning. And that, rather than having a case for being the greatest quarterback of all-time, is what people remember Manning for now.
