NFL: 30 greatest seasons from players 30 and older
By Tommy Jaggi
46. . QB. Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning. 9. player
NFL: 30 greatest seasons from players 30 and older: 9. Peyton Manning, 2006
When it comes to spectacular quarterbacks of the 2000s, Peyton Manning trails only Tom Brady, by most accounts. While Manning’s career didn’t last as long, he was arguably even a better regular-season quarterback. The Colts Hall of Fame quarterback may have been a bit more careless with the football than Brady, but nobody was better at making on-field adjustments and reading defenses.
At the age of 30 in 2006, Manning saw one of the most efficient seasons of his NFL career. Though his numbers were nothing to write home about (31 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 4,397 yards), he came up huge in crunch time. His 9-game win streak to start the season was one of the best in recent memory, and while Indianapolis did falter a bit late in the season with 4 losses in the final 7 games of the regular season, he more than made up for it.
Manning ultimately led his team to a 12-4 record and he won four straight games to claim a Super Bowl victory over the Chicago Bears. Peyton led the Colts to 38 points in the AFC Championship game to beat the New England Patriots before beating the Bears by two scores in Super Bowl XLI.
Despite a 101.0 passer rating and a Super Bowl victory at 30 years old, Manning’s best season wouldn’t come for another seven years. I know his numbers didn’t jump off the page in 2006, but I vividly remember how he commanded that offense to lead his team to victory.