Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
The Indianapolis Colts may have been able to help Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Manning and the Denver Broncos got beaten up in the big game by the Seattle Seahawks. Nothing Manning tried seemed to work, and Seattle seemed unbeatable on both sides of the ball. The Colts were the only team in the NFL to defeat both Seattle and Denver this season, and may have had information that Manning could have used.
Not only did the Colts mark wins over both Super Bowl teams, they did so in convincing fashion. Indianapolis came out swinging against Denver, and took the win after holding off a late rally by Manning. Against Seattle, the Colts fell behind early, but used defensive prowess and quick scoring strikes to knock the eventual World Champions from the ranks of the undefeated.
Manning could have also got some help from former Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Arians, who used to be Manning’s quarterback coach with the Colts, is now head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals faced Seattle twice this season, splitting the series. Arizona was also the only team in the league this season to defeat Seattle at home.
Regardless of where the help would have came from, any information could have been beneficial for the Broncos. In the end, what looked to be a great match-up on paper, ended up becoming a lopsided route. If Manning had made a couple calls to current and former Colts, then perhaps the end result would have been different.