Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann once said that when things are going well, the quarterbacks receives too much credit and when things aren't going well, the quarterback receives too much blame. Given all of the talk leading up to the Super Bowl and the immediate commentary (and memes) following it, I'd have to say that quote is often times true, especially with regard to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (at least as far as blame goes).
For the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, the two dominant conversations surrounded Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman's post-NFC Championship game comments and Peyton Manning's legacy. It seemed like not a day passed when a sports talking head asked, "Does Peyton Manning's legacy rest on this game?"
My response? No.
For the game, Seattle was 7 for 12 on 3rd downs. The Seahawks galloped for 135 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.7 per). Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson posted a quarterback rating of 123.1. The Broncos only rushed for 27 yards on 14 attempts (1.9 per). Seattle's defense accounted for: 6 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 8 pass deflections, 4 quarterback hits, and an even greater quantity of quarterback hurries.
Peyton Manning didn't play his best game yesterday. He completed 34 of 49 pass attempts for 280 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions (one which was returned for a touchdown), for a very mediocre quarterback rating of 73.5. However, Denver lost badly in all three phases of the game. When Peyton Manning was on the field, the two teams tied 8-8 for the game, as in addition to the pick-six I mentioned earlier, the Broncos suffered a safety on the opening play from scrimmage. Given that number, the Broncos offense didn't do enough by themselves to win the game. They would have needed help on special teams and defense in order to do so, but that didn't happen. On special teams, with five extra points, two field goals, and a kickoff return for a touchdown courtesy of Percy Harvin, Seattle outscored Denver 17-0. When Seattle's offense was on the field, they outscored the Broncos 18-0. Peyton Manning may not have played very well yesterday, but let's not place the entire blame on him. The Denver Broncos defensive and special teams units were outscored 35-0. Even if Manning and the Broncos offense had played well, the chance of them scoring more than 35 points on the best defense in the NFL was minimal.
The Seattle Seahawks were simply better prepared, better coached, and executed better in all three phases of the game yesterday. They seemed to be a step ahead of Denver on just about every snap, especially when they were playing defense. While Manning may have completed a Super Bowl record 34 passes, they only accounted for 280 yards due to the supreme speed and tackling of Seattle's defense. Peyton Manning may be the face of the franchise and may have played a very sub-par game by his standards, but let's place things in their proper perspective. He did not lose the game yesterday. Seattle was simply the better team and dominated from the opening snap to the final whistle - and regardless of this game's result, Manning will still go down as one of the five to ten best quarterbacks in NFL history.
http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=340202007
For the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, the two dominant conversations surrounded Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman's post-NFC Championship game comments and Peyton Manning's legacy. It seemed like not a day passed when a sports talking head asked, "Does Peyton Manning's legacy rest on this game?"
My response? No.
For the game, Seattle was 7 for 12 on 3rd downs. The Seahawks galloped for 135 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.7 per). Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson posted a quarterback rating of 123.1. The Broncos only rushed for 27 yards on 14 attempts (1.9 per). Seattle's defense accounted for: 6 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 8 pass deflections, 4 quarterback hits, and an even greater quantity of quarterback hurries.
Peyton Manning didn't play his best game yesterday. He completed 34 of 49 pass attempts for 280 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions (one which was returned for a touchdown), for a very mediocre quarterback rating of 73.5. However, Denver lost badly in all three phases of the game. When Peyton Manning was on the field, the two teams tied 8-8 for the game, as in addition to the pick-six I mentioned earlier, the Broncos suffered a safety on the opening play from scrimmage. Given that number, the Broncos offense didn't do enough by themselves to win the game. They would have needed help on special teams and defense in order to do so, but that didn't happen. On special teams, with five extra points, two field goals, and a kickoff return for a touchdown courtesy of Percy Harvin, Seattle outscored Denver 17-0. When Seattle's offense was on the field, they outscored the Broncos 18-0. Peyton Manning may not have played very well yesterday, but let's not place the entire blame on him. The Denver Broncos defensive and special teams units were outscored 35-0. Even if Manning and the Broncos offense had played well, the chance of them scoring more than 35 points on the best defense in the NFL was minimal.
The Seattle Seahawks were simply better prepared, better coached, and executed better in all three phases of the game yesterday. They seemed to be a step ahead of Denver on just about every snap, especially when they were playing defense. While Manning may have completed a Super Bowl record 34 passes, they only accounted for 280 yards due to the supreme speed and tackling of Seattle's defense. Peyton Manning may be the face of the franchise and may have played a very sub-par game by his standards, but let's place things in their proper perspective. He did not lose the game yesterday. Seattle was simply the better team and dominated from the opening snap to the final whistle - and regardless of this game's result, Manning will still go down as one of the five to ten best quarterbacks in NFL history.
http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=340202007
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