Broncos Fans: Enjoy Peyton’s Potential Last Ride
By Tylor Walden
2012- Manning’s Arrival
The Denver Broncos have just come off a surprising season that saw it feature many comeback’s by the Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. None was as impressive as the overtime win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. When the season ended, it was believed that Tebow was the guy for the Broncos.
Then, March 7th happened and two weeks later, the Broncos had signed Peyton Manning to the team. I remember being in such a shock. I was a junior in college, just finishing my morning class to see the news.
A lot were thinking that going to the Broncos was a bad move, but Manning saw something in the Bronco organization and after talking to John Elway and Pat Bowlen, a deal was made.
The questions then started coming in. How would he do after being out of football for a year? What can we expect of him? A lot more questions than answers was the focus going into the 2012 season.
He struggled out of the gate. A season opening win over the Steelers led to three out of four losses and a 24-0 halftime deficit over the Chargers. When Manning emerged in the second half of that game, it was like he had found the fountain of youth.
He led a series of touchdown drives and ultimately led the Broncos to the 35-24 victory. This began an 11 game winning streak that saw the team win game after game. Home field advantage was all Denver’s and Manning ended that year with over 4,600 passing yards and 37 touchdowns. Not too shabby for a guy who has been out of the league for a year.
But disaster struck, and the Broncos were upset in double overtime by the eventual Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round. Despite the loss, there was reason for hope. And 2013 saw Manning perform at a record setting mode.
Next: Record Breaking Year