With a Whimper

This one game shouldn’t be a referendum on his career. Besides, he was playing with a torn quad. Or a strained quad. It was something that didn’t need to be listed on an injury report and yet significant enough to impact the outcome of the game whatever it was.

Manning vs. Brady XVII? Yeah, that won’t be happening this Sunday. Maybe never.

Pigskin pundits and bobbleheads seemed confused and surprised by the Broncos 24-13 loss to the Colts and by Manning’s, um, what’s the opposite of performance? I’m not really sure why nobody saw this coming, given Manning’s play over the second half of the season.

Not to mention that this was Manning’s ninth one-and-done in the playoffs, breaking the previous record of eight, held by… Peyton Manning!

Ba-da-boom!

Did I say that out loud? What I meant to say was…

Of course, Manning’s record in the playoffs is a small data sample and in no way tarnishes his regular season records.

Manning wasn’t the only one who choked – yes, choked – for the Broncos and we haven’t found out Von Miller or DeMarcus Ware had torn or strained quads or even an upset tummy. And who was Aqib Talib covering, anyway? Yes, Manning is a victim of his own sustained excellence but a QBR of 27.9 and a Passer Rating of 75.5 is not good. At times it seemed he had to wind up and lacking any push from his horribly mangled right leg, put every ounce of whatever juice he had left in his noodly right arm to get the ball downfield.

Is Manning done? Though it may have seemed crazy at the end of October when the Broncos were 6-1-0 with an overtime loss in Seattle the only blemish on their record, after his struggles in the second half of the season and yet another playoff exit, it’s a legitimate question. Okay, Manning’s 38. It was probably a legitimate question regardless of how Sunday’s game turned out.

It may not be Manning’s decision to make, either. Do the Broncos and John Elway want to pay Peyton Manning $20.5m next year? Are they ready to hand the ball to Brock Osweiler?

Okay, they need to pay Peyton Manning $20.5m next year.

Head Coach John Fox and the Broncos have agreed to kiss and say goodbye. Is this just the first rebuilding shoe dropping? Probably not. Elway simply may have needed to get rid of Fox to promote sexiest OC alive Adam Gase. Elway can't simply promote Gase, of course. Rooney Rule. I have no idea what's going on but it could just be that Elway and Fox fell out of love. Anyway, Gase is going to be head coaching somewhere next season; would Manning come back to the Broncos if that somewhere was Atlanta for Gase? Does Gase want to coach a creaky old Peyton Manning or an in his prime Matt Ryan? 

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

Mondays. They suck for everyone I guess.