Peyton Manning is already one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game of football, but even at age 36 he is still setting records.
The Denver Broncos quarterback won his sixth career Offensive Player of the Month award on Thursday, tying an NFL record that is held by seven players, including quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. He also became the first player since Kurt Warner in 2001 to have 10 TDs, 1,300 yards, a 70 percent completion percentage and five wins in December, according to ESPN.com.
The Broncos were a perfect 5-0 during the month and clinched the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a 13-3 record in the AFC. Manning was stellar throughout December, passing for at least 300-yards in his final two games to go along with six touchdowns and just one interception.
During the month, Manning played with a glove on his throwing hand to test out the feel of it in home games against the Browns and the Chiefs. Since the Broncos have home field advantage in the playoffs, they will play games in some very cold weather, a big difference from Manning's days in the dome in Indianapolis earlier on his career.
"You know, for wearing it for the first time in my entire football career, I guess you could say it's been OK the past two weeks," Manning said, according to the Associated Press.
Manning completed over 70 percent of his passes during the month of December and his completion percentage was 5.8 points higher and his QB rating was 19.2 points better than it was without the glove. Over the five game stretch, Manning threw for 1,399 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions with a 108.4 passer rating.
"Yeah, he can throw with a glove, he can throw without a glove; he can play a lot of different ways," tight end Jacob Tamme said. "It's been pretty impressive to see him throw with a glove on and it's like it's not even there. It's working great."
Manning also added another record to his resume, breaking Brett Favre's mark of 72 career games with three or more TD passes. He won the Offensive Player of the Month award earlier in October, making 2012 the first time he has won the award twice in the same year.
After missing all of last season after undergoing multiple neck surgeries, Manning has been back to his old self. He ranked third in the NFL in touchdowns and second in completion percentage, which is one reason why the Broncos are the favorites to win the Super Bowl. The offense has been excellent, scoring over 30 points per game, while the defense has been just as good, allowing 18 points per game, ranked fourth in the league.
Manning has the Broncos on an 11-game winning streak entering the playoffs and has had his best season since 2004 when he threw for 49 touchdowns. This year Manning has thrown for 37 touchdowns (most since 2004) and has passed for 4,659 yards, just under the 4,700 he threw for in his final full season with the Colts in 2010. His 11 interceptions are the lowest total since 2006 when he had just nine.
Denver ranks fifth in the league in passing, in large part because Manning was able to get into a comfortable rhythm with his receivers, including Eric Decker and Demariyus Thomas.
Both players are young, but showed more and more ability to connect with Manning as the season went on. Both players set career-highs in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, with Thomas leading the team with 94 receptions for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns. Decker had 85 catches for 1,064 yards and a team-high 15 scores.
Manning started the year a bit shaky after throwing three interceptions against the Falcons in Week 2, but after that early stretch he was back to his old self. He went three straight games without an interception following the Falcons game and only threw multiple picks one other time during the season, in a 31-23 win over the Bengals on Nov. 14. Manning had an amazing stretch earlier this year when he threw for three touchdowns in five straight games, all wins for the Broncos part from a 31-21 loss at the Patriots.
If Manning and the Broncos have to face Brady and New England again in the playoffs, they will have the home field advantage as the top seed. No team in the AFC has been more consistent on both sides of the ball as the Broncos, making them the favorite to win it all this year behind future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.
