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Could Peyton Manning Become All-Time Passing Leader Vs. Colts?

By Luke Schultheis

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According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, former Indianapolis Colts great quarterback Peyton Manning could become the NFL’s all-time leader passer in the place where it all started, in Indianapolis against his old team:

Oct 20, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) waves to fans during a ceremony before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts are slated to square off in Week 9 (November 8th) of next season at Lucas Oil Stadium in a 4:25 PM EST nationally televised game on CBS. The game figures to be a “homecoming” for Manning and a highly emotional return in front of the fans that he played as starting quarterback for 13 NFL seasons and became not only an all-time great quarterback with, but a Super Bowl champion.

According to ProFootballReference, Peyton Manning has averaged 272.2 passing yards per game in his career and currently stands at 69,691 passing yards. That’s 2,147 passing yards behind the NFL’s current all-time passing leader Brett Favre, who’s hopefully retired at 71,838 passing yards. Taking 2,147 passing yards divided by 272.2, and one gets 7.88.

If you’re like me, you may have initially thought, “Yeah, but the Broncos play the Colts in Week 9, not 8.” However, the Broncos actually have a Bye in Week 7 on their schedule, so their 8th played game is actually against the Colts.

The NFL has conveniently covered its bases furthermore; however, by having the Broncos play the Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre‘s old team, in Week 8 at home should Manning exceed his career average and break the record before playing the Colts a week later. This isn’t simply a mere coincidence, as the league was clearly looking to get the best matchups for Manning becoming the league’s all-time leading passer and breaking Favre’s record.

Sometimes, the NFL actually has a method to its scheduling madness, and having Manning play both the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts in back-to-back weeks in Week 8 and 9 is clearly testament to that.

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