Here's this year's annual It's Not Peyton's Fault article:
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/161978362/dont-blame-peyton-manning-playoff-failure
With Peyton Manning's return under center for the Broncos, questions about whether he can carry the team to a playoff win -- or all the way to the Super Bowl -- will resurface, fair or not.
Though Manning is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history, he's reached the league's championship three times, with just one win. In his 24 postseason appearances, he's gone 11-13, compared to 186-79 during the regular season in his 18-year career. These playoff performances have led many to label Manning as a choke artist when the pressure is on.
That's not entirely off base. There have been numerous games where a Manning interception (or two or three) have come at inopportune times during a playoff game, dooming the Broncos' (or Indianapolis Colts') chances to win. Manning-led teams have gone one-and-done in the playoffs nine times, and he's thrown multiple interceptions in seven of his 24 postseason games. But one thing is conveniently ignored when talking about Manning's playoff woes -- that wins and losses do not hinge on the quarterback alone.
When talking about the Colts and Broncos' records with Manning as quarterback, his contributions are not minimized, but it's also acknowledged that football is a team sport, with numerous factors going into the outcome of a game. A QB cannot do it alone. When Manning has tried, or has been forced into a situation to try to win the game by himself, he's had trouble. Because no team -- not Denver, not Pittsburgh, none -- can be one-dimensional in the playoffs and hope to defeat high-level opposition.
What has really affected Manning's playoff legacy is the failings of others around him at times when he is not playing as well as he can. Many times, a Manning-led team's loss in the playoffs comes accompanied not just by turnovers, but also more than 400 yards allowed by the defense or more than 100 rushing yards allowed. Other times, it's in part because opposing defenses have shut down the run game, forcing Manning to carry the team and forcing the Colts or Broncos into predictable play calls. The key to winning -- even in games in which Manning throws an interception or two -- is to also have an effective ground game while keeping opposing offenses to as few yards as possible. In effect, it's a team effort. And unless one has a conspiracy theory that Manning's predilection for postseason choking rubs off on his entire team, it's hard to point the finger solely at Manning for his teams' playoff struggles.
:eggplant: