Quote:
Originally Posted by kysirsoze
That's one way to put it. Another is that, instead his usual of keeping his team in it despite a poor defense, that time around he stepped up when needed and made the plays to get them to the SB. Then he had to outplay the Bears defense.
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The notion that Manning's defense has been poor is another misleading argument put out by his apologists. His first three playoff losses, for example, were by scores of
19-16
23-17
41-0
The first two aren't anything particularly bad for a defense to allow in a playoff game, and Manning didn't put a single point on the board in the beat down.
The points scored in the other losses
14 (Patriots won with 24)
3 (Patriots won with 20)
18 (Steelers won with 21)
24 (Chargers won with 28)
17 (Chargers won with 23)
17 (Saints won with 31, but that's because of the Manning pick-6)
16 (Jets won with 17)
The defense has played less than stellar, but it's not been any kind of disaster. Manning and his offense have put up 17 points or fewer in 8 of his 10 losses, and 18 points in another. It's not just that Manning hasn't helped his defense, it's that Manning and the offense has been a drag on the team.