It’s the “one” or the Broncos are done
“Fact is, the Snowman has half as many rings as his brother even though he’s been on far better teams for far longer. He has, despite his “Star Wars numbers”, been lousy historically not only in the cold … but in big games“
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Before the Broncos and the Tennessee Titans took the field on Sunday the script was written. Peyton Manning and Adam Gase would use a chilly (yet sunny and windless) day at Mile High to shove the narrative regarding the quarterback’s poor play in cold weather “where the sun don’t shine”. Denver popped the cork against Tennessee’s normally stingy pass defense and sprayed touchdowns all over the scoreboard.
Afterward the very media that had long said that Manning could not play in the cold quickly indicated that he had been redeemed. But was he?
If the trouble with Peyton isn’t his acumen in cold weather could it be big games that vex him instead? We’ve all seen the statistics. Worse, we all saw the Ravens game. When it comes to Manning’s performances in the playoffs something is amiss. If it’s not the weather it’s the pressure. What’s worse?
Fact is, the Snowman has half as many rings as his brother even though he’s been on far better teams for far longer. He has, despite his “Star Wars numbers”, been lousy historically not only in the cold … but in big games; prime time games, crucial games, playoff games…games against the Patriots.
Does the stalwart one get nervous? I think he does. I think he spins out when things don’t feel right. Something has to account for the way he freezes up at the worst possible times in the most important tilts.
When Peyton Manning is in control he is the greatest quarterback of all time. When he loses control he can be a liability. If the Broncos are to parlay their investment in him into a championship they have to make sure that he keeps both hands firmly on the wheel. That means that they have to secure the “one seed” in the AFC and make sure that the road to the Super Bowl goes right down Colfax Avenue.
Manning can’t handle a January trip to New England. Gronk or no Gronk the outcome of that game would be written in the stars. We all know it. The Patriots have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that they have fate or Karma or Satan on their side. They survive every test and snap victory from the jaws of defeat weekly. They’re ours if they come to Denver but the Pats have proven that they aren’t the least but scared of the Broncos at their place.
Does it get cold here? You betcha. But it’s rarely windy, too. And it hardly snows. The average temperature in January is over 40 degrees. We are far better off if Peyton plays at home in the AFC Championship game than on the road on the East Coast – especially near Boston – where if the cold isn’t enough to take Manning down the stress of facing Brady and Belichick will.
The Broncos aren’t going to have the privilege of benching starters or pulling back on the throttle over the next three games unless the Patriots lose a game. Since New England holds the tie-breaker with the Broncos (having beaten them in a game we would all like to forget) all it would take for the Broncos to wind up traveling their way for the AFC Championship game is a single loss – assuming the Patriots win out.
Luckily, the Pats are on the road each of the next two weeks. They play the hopeful Dolphins at their place before heading to Baltimore, where they have a habit of losing to the Ravens, before decimating the Bills at Foxborough in week 17. If they drop a game the Broncos can relax. But if they don’t they’ll need to keep on winning if they hope to go to the Super Bowl.
