Warszawski: Broncos defense carries off Peyton Manning as a Super Bowl champion

If this indeed was Peyton Manning’s last rodeo – and what better way to make an exit? – he rode off into the sunset on the backs of the Denver Broncos defense.

In time, only those with an axe to grind will bring up the tertiary role Manning played Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

The rest of us won’t remember his weak arm, his 141 passing yards, his 56.6 passer rating, his failure to convert 13 of 14 third downs or even Broncos coach Gary Kubiak’s unwillingness to let his quarterback drop back and throw when things got dicey.

All we’ll remember is how Manning likely went out a champion by virtue of the Broncos’ 24-10 asphyxiation of the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

The most important pass Manning threw all game sailed several feet over the head of Demaryius Thomas and through the back of the end zone. But Josh Norman got flagged for defensive holding, setting up the Broncos with first-and-goal at the 2 and sparing Denver the ignominy of becoming the first Super Bowl winner to not score an offensive touchdown.

Manning now has two championships to his credit, equaling younger brother Eli for family bragging rights.

Declining after the game to make the retirement announcement many are anticipating, Manning said he would take his time to reflect before making “an emotional decision.”

“I want to go kiss my wife and kids, I want to go hug my family, I’m going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight,” Manning said. “I promise you that.”

Bottoms up, Peyton. You’re going out on top.

No longer can anyone say Peyton Manning’s only Super Bowl triumph came against a team that had Rex Grossman at quarterback.

This time, the guy in the opposite huddle was Cam Newton aka Superman.

In truth, Newton looked pretty human against a Broncos defense that sacked him six times and Ted Ginn once on a trick play.

“I’m just glad I am on the same side of this defense and didn’t have to play against it,” Manning said.

Most quarterbacks buy their offensive line Rolex watches and big-screen TVs. Manning ought to purchase them for MVP Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and the rest of that dominant unit.

For Manning to go out this way couldn’t be more fitting. For so many years he carried Indianapolis Colts and Broncos squads to the playoffs with incredible passing exploits only to be undone by a defense that wasn’t up to snuff.

In his fourth Super Bowl appearance, the defense carried him.

“(Manning) didn’t have to go out there and do it all on his own, and he knew that,” Kubiak said. “I’m just so proud of him.”

If you like defense, turnovers, penalties, dropped passes and watching players lose their footing on turf looser than Churchill Downs, it was a great Super Bowl to watch.

For everyone else, at least those without an Orange Crush T-shirt hanging in their closets, not so much.

This was a game for Miller, the ferocious pass rusher who separated Newton from the football near the goal line in the first quarter and set up the game’s first touchdown.

Superman, meet Kryptonite.

“There ain’t no Easter Bunny, there ain’t no Santa Claus and there ain’t no Superman,” cornerback Aqib Talib said.

This was a game for Talib and Chris Harris Jr., who blanketed Carolina’s butter-fingered receivers and (in Talib’s case) overcame their own dumb penalties.

This was a game for Brandon McManus, the kicker who booted three field goals, and 90-yard rusher C.J. Anderson, who grew up in nearby Vallejo.

It certainly was not a game for anyone who likes offense or mistake-free football. This was a Super Bowl masquerading as a Thursday night game.

But after the Lombardi Trophy gets passed around and the confetti cleared, we’ll mostly remember Manning winning – and how much sending him out a winner meant to the Broncos.

“It’s a blessing to have played with the guy” was how receiver Emmanuel Sanders put it.

“This game was like our season has been,” Manning said. “It tested our toughness, our resilience and our unselfishness. It’s only fitting it turned out that way. A great bunch of teammates, a great bunch of guys to play with. I feel very, very grateful.”

He ought to.

Early on Manning resembled the younger version of himself, or at least the not-so-old version. The 39-year-old quarterback with the creaky body dinked and dunked Denver down the field for an opening-drive field goal by completing 4 of 6 passes for 47 yards.

Who cares if Manning went only 9 of 17 for 94 yards and an interception the rest of the game?

Who cares if Denver’s 194 total yards were a record low for a Super Bowl winner?

Least of all Manning himself, I’m fairly certain.

“I got a chance to talk to the team (Saturday night), and I thanked them for letting me be a part of the journey,” he said. “It’s truly been a team effort, and it was a team win tonight.”

Happy trails in your expected retirement, Peyton. It’s been a pleasure.

This story was originally published February 7, 2016 at 8:34 PM with the headline "Warszawski: Broncos defense carries off Peyton Manning as a Super Bowl champion."