The greatest quarterback of all time. Future Hall of Famer. Those are just two of the distinctions thrown around when Peyton Manning’s name comes up. And after Manning failed to propel his Broncos into another AFC Championship, there are more rumours than ever that this legendary signal caller may be hanging up his cleats.
As such, there’s never been a better time to look back on Manning’s finest accomplishments behind center. Below, we count down the top five performances of Manning’s career.
A procedural note: Manning has plenty of games with eye-popping numbers out there. The games in this list were chosen due to their historical significance to the illustrious quarterback’s career, including records set and championships won.
Perhaps you’re more of a Tom Brady fan? Then check out our top five list of Brady’s best games here.
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Top 5 Games of Peyton Manning’s Career
No. 5 – Super Bowl XLI Win Over the Chicago Bears (2007)
[sc:NFL240banner ]Peyton Manning didn’t have the best stat line in his lone Super Bowl win. He went 25-for-38 for 247 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears. However, the game was significant as Manning proved that he can overcome a daunting challenge after repeatedly failing in big games in the past. He had made the AFC Championship game only once in his previous six trips to the postseason, and lost that game 24-14 in 2004.
Manning’s Super Bowl-winning performance even garnered the ESPY Award for Best Championship Performance.
No. 4 – Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints (2003)
Manning came back to his home town of New Orleans to face his father’s (Archie Manning) old team, the Saints, in Week 4 of the 2003 NFL regular season. The younger Manning didn’t do New Orleans any favors as he was nearly perfect, completing 80 percent of his passes for 314 yards and six touchdowns. The performance earned him a perfect passer rating of 158.3. The Colts’ 55-21 blowout win over New Orleans was their fourth straight win of the season, the first time the Colts had started 4-0 since 1996.
No. 3 – Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis Colts (2004)
Manning laid a beating on the Denver Broncos in the AFC Wild Card Round of the 2003-2004 NFL season. It was statistically the best playoff performance in Manning’s career as he completed 84.6 percent of his passes for 377 yards and five touchdown passes for another perfect passer rating of 158.3. He would go on to win the 2004 NFL MVP award. Little did he know, Manning would end up at Denver in 2012, only to face his replacement, Andrew Luck, in what was seemingly a changing of the guard.
No. 2 – Baltimore Ravens vs. Denver Broncos (2013)
In the 2013 NFL regular season’s kickoff game, the Denver Broncos drubbed the defending Super Bowl champion, Baltimore, 49-27 on the strength of Manning and his weapons.
Armed with tight end Julius Thomas and free-agent pickup wide receiver Wes Welker, the Broncos quarterback threw for a whopping seven touchdowns in the game. It tied a record of seven touchdown passes in a single NFL game which five other quarterbacks hold. Manning’s record was even more special considering that he became only one of two to do so without an interception.
Manning also tied Brett Favre’s league record with his 23rd career game with at least four touchdowns and Drew Brees’ mark of seven career five-touchdown performances.
No. 1 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos (2014)
Manning entered the Broncos’ 2014, Week 7 showdown against San Francisco two shy of Favre’s record of 508 career touchdown passes. He had an excellent performance completing 22 of 26 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-17 rout. His passer rating for the game was just 1.1 shy off the 158.3 perfect mark. More importantly, Manning passed Favre to set the new record for most career touchdown passes at 510.
To congratulate Manning, his receivers played keep-away with his milestone memento before getting back their domination of the 49ers.
Did we miss a game that stands out for you in Manning’s career? Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook and let us know which game you thought was Manning’s best. In the meantime, the NFL playoffs roll on without Peyton. Create a betting account now and check out all our NFL coverage here through the Super Bowl and offseason.
