Can playoff turnovers cost him his legacy?

I was as shocked as the next NFL fan when I saw the Broncos fall on January 12 to the Baltimore Ravens. The Broncos, who were riding a win streak from way back in November, were favored not only to destroy the Ravens, but to win the Super Bowl. They had turned their shaky start into a playoff birth, an AFC West win, and also a first round bye. But, as quickly as a team can turn their season around in the NFL, they can also see it wither away. That is the fate of the Denver Broncos, who once again lost in the second round of the NFL playoffs.

Though the Manning era has just begun in Denver, there is a lot to be said about what has happened this season. The blame for the unexpected playoff loss can definitely be sent in a few directions. Some will target Head Coach John Fox for not letting the Broncos take a chance in the fourth for the win, with two time outs and 31 seconds on the clock. Others will blame an aging defense, seeing Champ Bailey get burned twice for touchdowns. Youngster Rahim Moore will probably always share the brunt of the blame, though, for letting Jacoby Jones behind him on the desperation pass from Flacco that will go down as one of the best playoff moments in NFL history. But, even with the aforementioned circus, no one will be able to look too far past the Sheriff himself when talking about Denver’s playoff loss.

The fact of the matter is, for as many accolades as Peyton Manning has, being clutch in the playoffs is not one of them. Peyton Manning has an overall playoff record of 9-11. He has lost more games than he has won, and though it is a silly statistic, Manning has never won a playoff game in weather that dips under 40 degrees. Before Saturday’s game, Manning had beat the Falcons nine consecutive times, including only a few weeks ago in Baltimore. Streaks do have to come to an end, but with home field advantage, a raucous crowd, and seemingly all the momentum going in one direction, the Denver Broncos shouldn't have lost this game. The unfortunate nail in the coffin for Denver came at the hands of Manning’s sophomoric mistake, seeing him throw across his body into the hands of Baltimore’s Corey Graham. The pass is one Manning will forever wish he had back.

Though the mistakes of the January 12 game rest on the shoulder’s of everyone in Bronco country (players, coaching staff, etc.) it’s safe to say this debacle is going to take a hit to Manning’s future legacy. He wasn't the same clutch player we've seen him be this season, and the Broncos weren't the same NFL-best team they had been playing like prior to this game. But before we bring out the burning stakes and run any of the Broncos out of town, we need to acknowledge what this season meant for the Mile High City. In the past decade we've seen our franchise go from the top of the totem pole to irrelevance to a Tebow-led circus and now, though we did fall short of our potential, we find ourselves at a good place. We have a future HOFer at quarterback, we have some great young pieces to work with and with the legend himself, John Elway, behind our decision-making, things are still looking up.

Though a Super Bowl birth (and let’s be real, a victory) was what most Denver fans had their eyes on, this season was far from a flop. If Manning can turn a team around, in this fashion, in less than a year of being on the squad, imagine where a full off-season and time to prepare will lead us.

Image courtesy of Christian Science Monitor