Denver Broncos: Deja Vu For Peyton Manning and John Elway
Running the football and playing good defense always works in a Super Bowl. No one knows that better than the Denver Broncos’ former and current quarterback.
They say all the time that things happen for a reason. As human beings, we have obviously all had to deal with some sort of issue or issues in our lives at one time or another.
In the full circle world of the NFL, there have always been intertwining stories that can either be chalked up to coincidence, fate or just plain old luck.
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But think about this. In 1983, the Baltimore Colts used the first overall pick in the draft to select Stanford quarterback John Elway. He wanted no part of an organization mired in losing for several years and when it was all said and done, he played his entire 16-year career with the Denver Broncos.
In 1998, the now-Indianapolis Colts used the first overall pick in the draft to select University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning. He started every game for the franchise for 13 straight years until he missed the 2011 season due to multiple neck surgeries.
The organization opted to part ways with Manning in 2012 and after taking a look around the league, he opted to sign with the Broncos – now led by Elway. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was looking to lead his franchise to its first Super Bowl title since ’98 (ironically, Manning’s first NFL season) and figured the veteran signal-caller was the right man for the job.
Two years into the experiment, the Broncos were back in the Super Bowl. Manning set new records for passing yards and touchdown passes in a season and Denver scored a league-record 606 points. But the team was no match for the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, a humbling 43-8 loss at MetLife Stadium.
There was another playoff failure in 2014 as the Broncos were one and out at home for the second time in three years. It was later revealed that Manning was playing with an injured quad, perhaps a big reason for his late-season slump.
Nine games into 2015, the accomplished passer looked even worse. Although the team won its first seven games, Manning had thrown nine touchdown passes compared to 13 interceptions. It all came apart at home in Week 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs in a performance that saw him complete five of his 20 throws while being picked off four times. He was sat down by head coach Gary Kubiak in favor of Brock Osweiler and would not return until his team was struggling at home against the San Diego Chargers in Week 17.
With a chance to secure homefield advantage in the AFC, Osweiler and company had already turned over the ball five times. Enter Peyton in the second half and the veteran gave his team the emotional boost it was looking for.
Manning and the team would go onto defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers (23-16) and New England Patriots (20-18) in the AFC playoffs and now the Broncos are back in the Big Game for the second time in three years.
Now comes the symmetry. When Elway and his Broncos won their first Super Bowl title in 1997, the quarterback took a back seat to the running game via a well-schooled offensive line, running back Terrell Davis and fullback Howard Griffith. In four postseason games that year, culminating with a victory over the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, Denver totaled at least 30 rushing attempts in each contest and averaged 187.0 yards per game on the ground.
Now let’s flashback to 2006 and the year Manning and the Colts won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears. Four playoff games, 30-plus running plays in each contest and an average of 151.0 yards per game rushing. Sound familiar?
Now look at this year’s two-game playoff run against the Steelers and Patriots. A total of 33 carries for 109 yards against Pittsburgh followed by 33 attempts for 99 yards against New England. Control the football, keep the opposing offense on the sidelines and don’t make a ton of mistakes. Manning’s behind-the-line pass against the Pats is Denver’s lone turnover in the playoffs.
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Running the football and playing good defense always works. It’s battle-tested and both Elway and Manning have benefited from that formula to win championships. Is there one more such performance left in the Broncos as well as Manning? If it is the case, then he and Elway will have a few other things in common as well.