Super Bowl 48 Did Nothing to Tarnish the Legacy of Peyton Manning

Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback

(3) shakes hands with Denver Broncos quarterback

(18) after Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Super Bowl is two days back in history now, but the talk has still continued. Specifically, it has been about Peyton Manning and his legacy, whether or not it has been hurt by losing the game on Sunday night. I felt that the way to put a bow around Super Bowl 48 would be to address this topic the way I know how. Opinionated.

Here is a news flash, ladies and gentlemen. It didn’t. Not even a little.

There has been a lot of talk about Peyton’s playoff record. Specifically, the fact that he has lost a record 12 games in the playoffs as a starting quarterback. It is true, but nothing to do with the legacy.

If Peyton Manning wasn’t as good as he is, he wouldn’t have been IN enough playoff games to set that record. We have seen his Colts when Peyton was on the sidelines. 2-14, that is what they were.

Tainted legacy? Over one game? I think not.

And about this “big game” question. I have a one word answer, “nonsense”.

Does anyone question the legacy of Dan Marino? How about Brett Favre? Steve Young? All legitimate legends of the game, yes? Dan Marino won no Super Bowls, and Favre and Young won one each. Nobody questions whether these guys are legends or not. Nobody accuses any of these guys of having questionable legacies.

But Peyton’s is tainted because of one game? I think not.

Let’s look at Manning’s stats and see how they compare with some other legends(stats courtesy of NFL.com):

Peyton Manning:64,964 passing yards, 65.5% completion, 491 TDs, 219 INTs.Brett Favre:71,838 passing yards, 62% completion, 508 TDs, 336 INTs.Dan Marino:61,361 passing yards, 59.4% completion, 420 TDs, 252 INTs.Steve Young:33,124 passing yards, 64.3% completion, 232 TDs, 107 INTs.Tom Brady:49,149 passing yards, 63.4% completion, 359 TDs, 134 INTs.Joe Montana:40,551 passing yards, 63.2% completion, 273 TDs, 139 INTs.

Peyton Manning’s statistics are right there with all of these players, wouldn’t you say?

The point is this. Are championships important? Of course they are. But they by no means tell the whole story of a player. His statistics have to be taken into account. His impact on the sport also have to be taken into account. The type of person comes into account as well, and there is nobody in the sport with more class than Peyton Manning.

Despite losing Super Bowl 48, is Peyton Manning’s legacy intact?

ABSOLUTELY.