The 5 Best Performances of Peyton Manning's Career
By Evan Chronis | December 07, 2020 | Pro Football Hall of Fame
The career of Peyton Manning is defined by hundreds of moments and accolades that helped ‘The Sheriff’ become one of the most decorated players to ever step behind the center.
Manning has been named a Modern-Era Player Finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021, so we’ve selected the five moments that best tell the story of Manning’s potential road to Canton.
Let it be known: shrinking the list down to just five moments was no easy task.
5. Historic Comeback on Monday Night Football
When: October 6, 2003
Final Score: Indianapolis Colts 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35
With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of a Monday Night Football meeting with the Buccaneers, Peyton Manning and the Colts trailed, 35-14.
What transpired next was one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.
Manning had thrown a pick-six to Ronde Barber with five minutes left in regulation to put Tampa Bay up by three scores but redeemed himself with three consecutive touchdown drives with the clock slowly ticking down.
On the final scoring drive, Manning connected with Marvin Harrison for a 52-yard completion to put Indianapolis in the red zone. Two Ricky Williams rushes later and the game was tied at 35 with 35 seconds remaining.
The Colts would go on to win in overtime, 38-35, with Manning finishing the game with 386 yards and two touchdowns on 34-for-46 passing.
4. Manning Ties Single Game Touchdown Record
When: September 5, 2013
Final Score: Denver Broncos 49, Baltimore Ravens 27
The history books will be littered with Peyton Manning’s name, but one of his most important records came within a single game.
Manning opened the 2013 season with an all-time performance against the Baltimore Ravens, throwing for 462 yards and seven touchdowns on 27 for 42 passing in a 49-27 victory.
He was the sixth quarterback to ever throw for seven touchdowns in a single game. Since then, Drew Brees and Nick Foles have also joined the club.
3. Manning Breaks Single-Season Touchdown Record
When: December 22, 2013
Final Score: Denver Broncos 37, Houston Texans 13
After ending Week 1 with seven touchdown passes in 2013, Manning didn’t slow down for the rest of the year.
In a Week 16 meeting with the fledgling Houston Texans, Manning threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns. The last touchdown of the game was his 51st of the season, an NFL record.
Manning hit Julius Thomas for a 25-yard touchdown with less than five minutes remaining in Denver’s 37-13 win over Houston to claim the record that still stands today.
He would finish the 2013-14 campaign with 55 passing touchdowns.
2. Manning’s First Playoff Victory
When: January 4, 2004
Final Score: Indianapolis Colts 41, Denver Broncos 10
By 2003, Manning was no stranger to the playoffs, but he was still awaiting his first postseason win.
Indianapolis lost their first three playoff games with Manning behind center, making a 2003 AFC Divisional Round meeting with the Denver Broncos paramount to the trajectory of ‘The Sheriff’s career.
Coming off his first career MVP award, Manning was due his postseason victory and he made sure it wouldn’t slip out of his grasp. He lit up the Broncos with 377 passing yards and five touchdowns to claim a perfect passer rating and lead the Colts to the 41-10 victory.
While the season didn’t end in Super Bowl success, Manning was able to get the monkey off his back and move towards more rings and records in his future.
1. Leading the Colts to the 2007 Super Bowl
When: January 21, 2007
Final Score: Indianapolis Colts 38, New England Patriots 34
Few things define the career of Peyton Manning like his rivalry with Tom Brady.
And, it was within this rivalry that the greatest performance of Manning’s career took place.
Coming into the AFC Championship, Manning was 3-6 in his postseason career while Brady and the Patriots had just won three Super Bowls since the start of the century.
The stage was set for a career-altering performance for Manning and he delivered.
The game started with shades of the Tampa Bay matchup from earlier in our list, with a pick-six from Manning giving the Patriots a 21-3 lead early. But Manning wouldn’t let his past failures define him as he led Indianapolis back to claim an eventual 38-34 lead to advance to the Super Bowl.
Manning finished the game with 349 passing yards, a touchdown and a rare rushing touchdown.
The Colts would go on to defeat the Bears, 29-17, in the 2007 Super Bowl to claim Manning’s first career title.
Will Peyton Manning be Enshrined in 2021?
Peyton Manning is first-year eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. Will one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time get the knock in his first year?
Official Ticket Packages for 2021 Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls are on sale now and included Enshrinement Ceremony access, exclusive parties, interactive experiences and much more.
