Much of Peyton Manning’s physical ability has deserted him, but the wily veteran is as crafty as ever. During Sunday’s AFC playoff game vs. the Steelers, Manning broke out a dirty trick that had to have everyone watching confused.
NFL fans have seen Manning flop on the ground when a play breaks down many times, but on Sunday, for the first time, they saw Manning rise and fire for a 34-yard completion to Emmanuel Sanders.
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Peyton Manning back to pass. Falls down. Gets up. Finds Emmanuel Sanders for 34 yards. #PITvsDEN https://t.co/ifvw3YgAEI
— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2016
The Steelers challenged the play, claiming Manning gave himself up, but the refs returned the challenge flag, and informed Steelers coach Mike Tomlin that play is not challengeable. After the game Manning spoke about the bizarre move.
“I was stepping up. When you fake that way and kind of get your head around, I felt that guy closing, so I stepped up and kind of leaned forward. My momentum kind of just took me down, I guess. I didn’t think that he had touched me. I told Emmanuel just to kind of be alert in case I fall down, get back up, to be uncovered.”
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Manning started off by saying he inadvertently fell, but gave up the goose when he copped to telling Sanders to be ready. It’s a move Manning will be wise to keep in his back pocket moving forward. Much like the running QB who pump fakes even though he’s well beyond the line of scrimmage, it’s hard to imagine this play won’t keep working, since defenders are programmed to leave downed QBs alone.
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