Peyton isn't quite done yet, we learned that last season from Tom Brady

By Marcus Jensen

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady drops back to throw against 

the Kansas City Chiefs last season. Brady was benched in the 4th quarter 

in a blowout 41-14 Chiefs victory. Photo by: David Eulitt

It began last year with a week-four loss to Kansas City. In a press conference following the game, Bill Belichick gave his usual nonchalant answers about how his team was moving on to prepare for the Bengals the next Sunday. Then a reporter asked what a lot of people were thinking.

"Do you have a quarterback controversy going into next week?"

Was Brady finally in decline. Had age finally won its inevitable victory over the 3-time Super Bowl champion?

Wait. Did he ask Belichick if one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game was in danger of losing his job to a second-round pick from Eastern Illinois University in his rookie season? Yes, he did.

Belichick, in his usual mantra, scoffed at the question, chuckled and moved on to the next question. Of course he wasn't going to bench Tom Brady. It wasn't the same as when Drew Bledsoe was injured and replaced by a sixth-round pick from the University of Michigan.

Fast forward to the end of the season. The Patriots won 10 of their last 12 regular season games on route to three wins and a Super Bowl championship in the post season. Tom Brady was named Super Bowl MVP after leading two fourth-quarter touchdown drives against the No. 1 defense in the NFL last season.

Forgetting the "Deflategate" debacle that ensued, there was no one questioning Tom Brady's abilities as a quarterback after last season.

Denver Broncos quarterback Petyon Manning was all smiles on

the sidelines Thursday after his team overcame a 14-point first 

half deficit to beat Kansas City with a late defensive touchdown.

Photo by: Ronald Martinez

Moving into this season, many of the same questions were fired at Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning struggled down the stretch of the 2014 season. He had a quad injury and seemed to have lost what little zip he had left on his passes.

In his final five games of the 2014 season, Manning threw four touchdowns against six interceptions. He was missing on his deep ball, a weapon that helped him throw for 55 touchdowns and 5,400 yards one season earlier on route to his 5th MVP award.

Going into the first game of the 2015 season, Manning and his offense had yet to find the end zone in three preseason games.

Critics weren't silenced after his first performance of the regular season. He threw for just 175 yards, averaging a paltry 4.38 yards per pass against the Baltimore Ravens. He missed on two long passing plays that almost certainly would have gone for touchdowns. He also threw a pick-six and was bailed out by his defense, who produced a pick-six of its own to win the Broncos the game.

Manning was in a new offense from the one that he quarterbacked into the record books in 2013. His new head coach Gary Kubiak wanted to be a run-first team. Manning was running more plays from the line of scrimmage than he had at any time in his playing career.

Again cue the Kansas City Chiefs.

Down 7-0 in the first quarter, Manning had the ball and rolling right, he under threw his receiver, throwing inside on an out route. The ball was picked off by rookie cornerback Marcus Peters, who promptly returned the pass to the end zone for six.

Two pick-sixes in his last three quarters of play. Was it time to warm up Brock Osweiler and shut down the greatest statistical quarterback in the history of the league? Was it time for "The Sheriff" to give his badge over to his deputy and ride into the sunset?

Not so fast.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders catches a

pass from Petyon Manning in the final minute of the game,

tying the score. The Broncos defense would force a fumble and

return it for a touchdown to win the game. Photo by: John Reiger

Manning marched right back onto the field and captained a 10-play, 80-yard drive, including a 16-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders to put the Broncos right back into the game. It was Manning's first touchdown in over 100 passing attempts.

After his defense picked off Alex Smith for the first time, Manning had a short field and threw his second touchdown in his last three pass attempts, finding Virgil Green in the back of the end zone to even up the score at halftime.

Manning got away with a few lame ducks in the second half. He made Peters look like Darrelle Revis for the first three quarters of the game. Peters nearly had two more interceptions, but they were dropped. But when the chips were down, the Sheriff again put on his badge and went to work.

His passes may have lost some zip. They may wobble in the air as they make their way downfield. But they are usually on point. They can still deliver the fatal blow to the bandits, whether at high-noon or on a Thursday night in Arrowhead Stadium. Manning hadn't lost his quick-draw release. He may have lost a step or three, but not his mental fortitude.

Manning found his regular season magic once again. Following a touchdown drive that gave the Chiefs the lead with 2:27 left in the game, Manning was put into the line of fire again. How would he respond?

Delivering his best throws of the night, as well as the longest, Manning completed passes of 22, 17 and 15 yards to his monster, 6'4" receiver Demaryius Thomas. The last one was a perfectly delivered jump ball against Peters, who was no match for the perfect throw and the big-bodied Thomas.

Five plays later, Manning again hit Sanders with 36 seconds left for a 19-yard touchdown to tie the game. On the ensuing drive, Denver's defense stripped Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and returned it to pay dirt, giving Denver their second win of the season.

While the Denver defense may have been the deciding factor, causing two Charles fumbles, one in the red zone and the other on the tail end of the Manning touchdown, as well as two interceptions, Manning was once again the star.

With the game on the line, Kubiak put the game in Manning's hands and he returned to his MVP form. In the two-minute drill, Manning is his most comfortable. He has run a two-minute offense practically his entire career that has spanned parts of three decades.

Peyton Manning throws a pass in a game against the Kansas
City Chiefs. In the game, Manning became the second player
to throw for more than 70,000 yards. He currently has 70,122
passing yards, trailing Brett Favre's all-time record by just
1,716 yards. Photo by: AAron Ontiveroz

Yes, Manning will have to ride his defense more this year. Yes, he needs to rely more on his running game. Yes, he will have to rely on the short passing game because of his arm strength. Yes, he will still have to have his quick release behind a suspect offensive line. But Manning still has some juice left in him, even if this is his last ride.

This will probably be the last season that we see Manning. This seems like his final hurrah. His emotion on the sidelines after his touchdown drive and his defense's scoop-and-score was telling.

He may have had the same questions that the media had of him. Had he lost his ability to be effective? At least for one more week, the answer was a resounding no.

And Manning knows that he can still do it. It might not always be pretty, but his wobbly passes still can find a way to win the game. On Thursday, he became the second player in NFL history to throw for more than 70,000 yards.

When will the media stop doubting the living legends that continue to surprise and dazzle even the most skeptical of fans?

None of us want Manning's final season to end the way that it did for the man he is chasing for the all-time passing yards lead. Brett Favre had the worst season of his career and knew his playing days were over when he hit his head on the frozen ground after a sack by the Chicago Bears in December 2010. He would never play another snap.

But aren't we glad the Ol' Gunslinger played until he himself knew he couldn't play anymore? Until Manning sees that he can't perform at a high level, should we doubt him? History tells us never to count out the greats. They always will find a way to surprise us.

A 39-year-old Favre led his Vikings team to one play from the Super Bowl. He had nothing left to prove. He just had his love for the game. A 38-year-old Tom Brady led his team back to the promised land after being doubted in a similar fashion to Manning.

Father Time always claims his prey. But the Sheriff has at least 14 games left. When he gives up his place, he will ride into the sunset as one of the best to ever play the game. He will do it on his own terms. Let's sit back and watch him write what just might be his final chapter. Let's hope it is a worthy ending for one of the greats.