Super Bowl 50: Storylines

Does Super Bowl 50 mark the end for Peyton Manning?

This is the obvious choice for our last topic here, but really there is no bigger story heading into Sunday night’s Super Bowl 50 game than whether or not this is the “last rodeo” for Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.

After last year’s AFC Divisional Round playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts where we could see the end was inevitably near, there were some that thought Manning might not even return for 2015. He did, and for the most part, the results have not been stellar. Earlier it was mentioned how crucial it is for the Denver defense to carry this team to a Super Bowl title, and that’s due in large part to the poor play of Manning when he has been on the field.

The legend struggled throughout 2015 with not only poor play on the field, but injuries as well. Hell, there was even a time where people were legitimately questioning whether or not Brock Osweiler would be the better option to stick with for the playoff run than Manning, which is really telling. That’s not a knock on Osweiler who didn’t really play all that poorly when he was in there for Peyton, rather it just shows you where one of the greatest of all-time is at in his career.

Sunday night might indeed mark the end of one of the greatest careers in NFL history of any player that has ever put pads on. That Denver defense could help one last time and get Manning a second ring, and he could ride off into the sunset just like his boss did after Super Bowl 33. Or, the Broncos could be downed by the Panthers and then we’ll question even more whether or not we’ll get to see “The Sheriff” for at least one more season in 2016.

We don’t know definitively what Manning will ultimately decide to do after Sunday night –win or lose– but just appreciate seeing him on the field on the biggest stage the game has to offer — because the chance is there that it could be the last time you ever see it.