Peyton had a very rough start to his NFL career. While he set rookie records for pass completions, attempts, yards and TD passes yet also set a Rookie Record and led the NFL with 28 interceptions. While there were games here and there that showed glimpses of what he'd become, for the most part Peyton Manning was simply bad in his rookie season.
16. 2001: 343/547 (62.7%) 4131 yards (7.6 ypa) 26 TDs 23 int 84.1 Rating, Colts 6-10 Record
Peyton was very Tony Romo(ish) his 1st 5 seasons. He often made hair scratching decisions or brilliant plays. He was much more of a gun-slinger. Well in 2001, Peyton was more like Jay Cutler. He put up pretty good numbers but when it came down to it he simply had too many turnovers. He was 3rd in the NFL in TD passes and the Colts were 2nd in scoring but he also was 2nd in the NFL in Interceptions trailing only Trent Green. Peyton had a few good games early in the season but was too inconsistent the rest of the way.
15. 2002: 392/591 (66.3%) 4200 yards (7.1 ypa) 27 TDs 19 int 88.8 Rating, Colts 10-6 Record
This season was the beginning of a progression for Peyton. He became a much more patient passer and was more willing to check down and take the high percentage passes. Yet at the same time, he was marked by the same inconsistencies of 2001. While he was 2nd in the NFL behind Tom Brady in TD passes and Rich Gannon in passing yards, he was also in the Top 5 in Interceptions with 19. He had several memorable games: his 1st game with a perfect QB Rating against Philadelphia, a 29-28 come-from-behind win in Cleveland and another 23-20 come-from-behind win in a snow-storm in Denver.
14. 2015: 198/331 (59.8%) 2249 yards (6.8 ypa) 9 TDs 17 int. 67.9 Rating, Broncos 11-2 Record
This was the hardest season of Peyton Manning’s career for me to rank. On the one hand, statistically 2015 is easily the worst season of Peyton’s career & is easily his worst performance wise since his rookie season in 1998. Yet, he also led the NFL in Game-Winning Drives (5) & 4th Quarter comebacks (4) on his way to finishing his 1st Ballot Hall of Fame career with that long coveted 2nd Super Bowl title. His final efficiency metrics for the season - 67.9 Passer Rating is the 3rd lowest ever for a SB-winning QB - were highly impacted by the worst game of his career vs the Kansas City Chiefs (5/20 (25%) 35 yards 0 TDs 4 INTs 0.0 Passer Rating), a game in which Broncos Head Coach Gary Kubiak even admitted afterward he never should’ve let Peyton play in as he clearly was not healthy enough to play after tearing his plantar fascia vs Indianapolis the prior week. Peyton and the Broncos started the season 7-0 - the fourth time in his career his team started a season 7-0 & the ninth time in his career that one of his teams went on a winning streak of 7 or more games during a season - with the Broncos defense leading the way as they proved themselves as as one of the best defenses in the history of the NFL, as their consistent dominance mixed in with consistent Special Teams production (Brandon McManus 30/35 on FGs) ended up carrying Peyton Manning - and later Brock Osweiler - to an 11-4 Record going into week 17 vs the San Diego Chargers. A win would give Denver the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Peyton Manning rehabbed for six weeks to get back to full health only to be relegated to backup for the first time since his freshman year at Tennessee in 1994. The Broncos trailed mid-way through the 3rd quarter 13-7 vs the Chargers, as the Broncos offense under Osweiler failed to get anything going following a long TD pass to DeMariyus Thomas on their 1st drive, turning the ball over on 5 of their next 6 possessions. Head Coach Gary Kubiak decided at that point to sit Brock Osweiler and re-insert Peyton into the game. The Broncos offense was noticeably more efficient with Peyton under center and while his final statistics were not flashy (5/9 (55.6%) 69 yards (7.7 ypa) 80.1 Passer Rating), his ability to call plays at the line of scrimmage clearly gave the team an edge on offense that they lacked with Osweiler. Peyton suffered 8 drops in the Divisional Round vs Pittsburgh but still finished with an efficient performance (21/37 (56.8%) 222 yards 0 turnovers) and engineered the final 4th Quarter comeback of his career following a fumble recovery late in the 4th Quarter by DeMarcus Ware. Peyton had his best throw of the season - a 31 yard laser down the seam to Benny Fowler on 3rd & 12 - on the drive & threw a 2 point conversion to DeMariyus Thomas following CJ Anderson’s TD run. He outplayed Tom Brady again for the 3rd time in an AFC Championship - 90.1 Passer Rating to 55.4 Passer Rating - & then beat Carolina in Super Bowl 50 to earn his 2nd Lombardi Trophy. He was ugly to watch in his last two games as a professional - 244 yards of offense in the AFC Championship Game & 194 yards of offense in Super Bowl 50 - but after the Broncos got out to a one or two score lead in both games (20-12 in the AFC Championship, 16-7 in Super Bowl 50), they were wise to play it safe and sit on the ball & trust their all-time great defense could close out both games. This trust was well placed as the best defense of Manning’s career ensured his final season ended just as the man that brought him to Denver - John Elway - promised it would as he matched the former Broncos QB as the only QBs in
NFL History to end their careers as the starting QB of a Super Bowl winning team - while also breaking Elway’s prior record of being the oldest starting QB to win a Super Bowl (39 years old)*.
13. 2010: 450/679 (66.3%) 4700 yards (6.9 ypa) 33 TDs 17 int. 91.9 Rating, Colts 10-6 Record
Manning's last season as a Colt was marred by terrible Offensive Line play, inconsistent defense, abysmal STs and incompetent coaching. Throw in the 2nd most injuries in the league, particularly at WR, and the season could be considered impressive by some measures. However, the point in the season most fans point to is the three game losing streak in Weeks 11-13. It marked the worst stretch of Peyton Manning's Career for a 3 game period as he tossed 11 interceptions, 4 of which were returned for TDs. Aside from that 3 game stretch and two home stinkers against Kansas City and Cincinnatti, Peyton was his typical MVP-Candidate self in 2010. Yet that 3 game stretch coupled with a crushing 17-16 defeat to the New York Jets led Peyton to a somber final season in Indianapolis.
12. 2014: 395/597 (66.2%) 4727 yards (7.9 ypa) 39 TDs 15 int 101.5 Rating, Broncos 12-4 Record
Looking at numbers alone, one probably would conclude that it was in the Top 5. While Peyton had a blistering start through 11 games (68.1% completion, 323.5 yards per game, 34 TDs 9 int 107.1 Rating), it's hard to ignore his struggles in the last 5 games and the ensuing playoff game vs the Colts. This was a version of Peyton Manning I'd never seen before, one that was more of a liability than the driving of the Broncos offense. If CJ Anderson hadn't come on strong in the 2nd Half of the season, Denver very well could've been 10-6, 9-7. There were several memorable games throughout the season, Peyton's flu game and a 41-20 beatdown in which Manning threw for a Career-High 479 yards and 4 TDs come to mind, but none moreso than October 19th against the 49ers. Manning had his best game of the season (22/26 318 yards, 12.2 ypa, 4 TDs 0 int 157.2 Rating) as he set the all-time NFL record for TD Passes in a Career. Peyton's record currently stands at 530 TDs.
11. 2007: 337/515 (65.4%) 4040 yards (7.8 ypa) 31 TDs 14 int 98.0 Rating, Colts 13-3 Record
Following his 1st SB Title, Peyton again got the Colts off to one of their typical fast starts of the Tony Dungy Era, entering an undefeated showdown with the Patriots at 7-0. The Colts lost the matchup of unbeaten teams 24-20 as Tom Brady rallied New Emgland from 10 points down as the Patriots continued the road to 16-0. The next week was definitely a letdown. Peyton had the worst game of his career, tossing 6 interceptions in a 23-21 loss. Peyton and grest play by the Defense helped keep the game within the Colts' grasp affer falling behind 23-0 but the come-back bid fell short when the normally automatic, especially on Game-Winners, Adam Vinatieri missed a 29 yard FG. During the course of the loss to the Chargers, Dwight Freeney broke his foot thus ending any legitimate repeat bid as Freeney's presence was a key factor in the Colts close-game with New England. The Colts finished winning 6 straight before resting their starters in Week 17 against the Titans. The lack of a legitimate pass rush and ill-timed, and down right fluky, turnovers on offense was exploited by Phillip Rivers, Billy Volek, Darren Sproles and an opportunistic SD defense. Manning did his best to pull out the victory (33/48 402 yards 3 TDs 2 int 97.4 Rating; 4 different lead-changing drives) but was ultimately stymied by Shawn Merriman and the SD pass rush on back to back 4th down stops.
10. 1999: 331/533 (62.1%) 4135 yards (7.8 ypa) 26 TDs 15 int 90.7 Rating, Colts 13-3 Record
This was the season that Peyton first jumped on the scene and flashed the future Super-Star QB he'd become. He led Indianapolis to the greatest turnaround in NFL History, going from 3-13 in his rookie season to 13-3 in his 2nd season. Peyton threw for over 4000 yards for the 1st time and reduced his interceptions from 28 to 15. Peyton was named to his 1st Pro Bowl as he led the Colts to their 1st Division Title in 12 years, leading 7 Game-Winning Drives and forming the beginnings of his legacy w/ Marvin Harrsion as the Greatest Passing Combination in NFL History.
9. 2000: 357/571 (62.5%) 4413 yards (7.7 ypa) 33 TDs 15 int 94.7 Rating, Colts 10-6 Record
Peyton improved on his 1999 season by leaps and bounds in 2000. Peyton led the NFL in Passing Yards and TD Passes as he guided Indianapolis to the playoffs. Peyton had a number of memorable games in 2000. From a 430 yard 4 TD night against Jacksonville to a 4 TD game against Minnesota to help get the Colts into the playoffs. His signature game was a (16/20 (80%) 268 yards 3 TDs 0 int 158.3 Rating) near perfect performance against the Patriots.
8. 2005: 305/453 (67.3%) 3747 yards (8.3 ypa) 28 TDs 10 int 104.1 Rating, Colts 14-2 Record
This is where the list gets hard to rank. These next 8 seasons could be in any order for each fan but these are mine. Peyton's 2005 season easily could've been higher but his numbers are some of the smallest of his career when it came to production. However, Peyton was extremely efficient and, after a slow start through the 1st 3 games, was easily the Best QB in the NFL as he led the Colts to a 13-0 start. The Colts set an NFL Record by becoming the first and only team to win 13 consecutive games by at least a touchdown. Peyton finally had a complete team around him and the result was sheer doimination over the NFL. The Colts had the 3rd tanked Defense and a ferocious pass rush w/ Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis spearheading a unit that tallied 46 sacks. The season was filled with memorable moments for Manning and his team. From the week 6 come-from-behind win over St. Louis on Monday Night Football (Overcame 17-0 1st Quarter deficit to outscore the Rams 45-11 in the final 3 quarters), to the oh-so-sweet beatdown of the defending champion New England Patriots (40-21 @ Gillette Stadium, Colts scored on 7 of 9 drives as Peyton (28/37 (75.7%) 321 yards 3 TDs 1 int 117.1 Passer Rating), Edgerrin James (34 carries 104 yards 2 TDs), Marvin Harrison (9 catches 128 yards 2 TDs) and Reggie Wayne (9 catches 124 yards 1 TD) all had fantastic games.), to the shootout with the Bengals in Cincinnatti (Colts won 45-37, Colts scored 5 straight TDs to start the game as they went into halftime leading 35-27. The Colts slowed down the pace in the 2nd Half by turning to James (24 carries 89 yards 2 TDs) and short completions to Reggie Wayne (6 catches 112 yards) and Dallas Clark (6 catches 125 yards 1 TD) to grind out the win after the breakneck pace of the 1st Half), before affirming their 13-0 start with a 26-18 win over Jacksonville. (Peyton: 324 yards 2 TDs, James: 30 carries 93 yards, and Harrison (6 catches 137 yards 2 TDs) all had fantastic games as Peyton converted a huge 3rd down and long on a beautiful pass to Dallas Clark before getting smacked.) This was really a dream season for Peyton and everything seemed lined up for him to finally bring home the SB ring that had so long eluded him. But then Mike Vanderdjagt happened. As Forrest Gump said: "That's all I have to say about that."
7.
