The Top 10 Quarterback Seasons In NFL History
By Erik Lambert
#3: Peyton Manning in 2013
This is going to anger a lot of the math people out there. Going purely by the numbers, it’s hard not to say that Peyton Manning didn’t have the greatest year a quarterback has had. At the age of 37 and just two years removed from a fourth surgery on his neck, the future Hall of Famer showed everybody they made the biggest mistake thinking his best days were behind him. Starting with a seven-touchdown performance against the defending champion Baltimore Ravens, Manning redefined what offensive football was all about.
His Denver Broncos scored a record 606 points while he posted a record 5,477 yards, and a record 55 touchdown passes. To think he only threw 10 interceptions in 659 passes is mind-boggling. To think he was that great and still had two 4th quarter comebacks and finished 13-3 on the year goes to show he wasn’t just trying to pile up the numbers. The Broncos offense had to be the source of their success that year.
Why then is Manning somehow not at the top of the list? The answer lay in the playoffs. In the divisional round and AFC championship he played well with 630 yards and four touchdowns to just one interception. It wasn’t until the Super Bowl that things came unraveled. With a chance to cement his incredible year by playing at his best in the biggest game, he instead was victimized by the Seattle Seahawks. In scoring just eight points that day, Manning also committed three back-breaking turnovers including a pick-six.
The Seahawks defense was the best in football, but there is no getting around how poorly the man played. He looked flustered and even unprepared at times. Thankfully the story had a happy ending with him getting that ring two years later.
Next: #2