Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, Dec. 22, 2014, in Cincinnati. Peyton Manning looked more mere man than Peyton on Monday night. Manning was picked off four times, and the Broncos lost at Cincinnati in a game that looked like a capsule of Manning's struggles in the nasty elements in postseason conditions.
Manning called this a postseason game before saying rightly that a win would secure a first-round bye and keep Denver in the hunt for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, and his performance was eerily similar to his hit-or-miss showings when the NFL turns to the tournament.
Manning is 11-12 in the postseason, and with Monday's loss, it means the postseason goes through his private Waterloo in Foxborough and the Patriots.
It was a very un-Peyton performance. Manning never has been confused with some of the strong-armed rocket launchers who whip the ball around the field on Sundays and Thursday and Monday nights through the fall. That's fine, because Manning's gifts of preparation, expectation, perspiration and inspiration have been a lethal combination in his record-setting career.
But there's always a but, right?
When pressed against athletic secondaries and in situations where the conditions are less than ideal, much like the scene Monday night, Manning's strengths can be compromised at times.
Was Monday a warning sign of more postseason frustration, or was it an anomaly from the best regular-season quarterback in the history of the NFL? It's hard to know until we get to January, but we believe the Patriots are as confident as ever, and the Bengals, who clinched their fourth consecutive postseason trip, should be as well.
Power poll
1. New England. The Patriots simply look like the most complete team in football. Defensively they are balanced and relentless, and that's with a slew of injuries in the front seven. Offensively, well, we have reached the place where we expect the Patriots to have success, and that, friends, is the definition of excellence.
2. Seattle. OK, going through Seattle will be a chore for everyone, especially with the way the Seahawks are playing defensively. That said, Marshawn Lynch's childish, tired, immature postgame routine is old and clueless. Marshawn, you are a fabulous football player; start acting like an adult, please.
3. Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers gives you a chance against everyone, and the Packers will need all his powers and all his skills to put Sonny back together. Look what they did to my boy -- sorry, "Godfather" tangent. Where were we? Oh, yes, Aaron Rodgers and the potent Packers.
4. Pittsburgh. We believe the Steelers have the biggest swing potential of any of the postseason teams. They could lose Sunday and be a wild-card team, but with arguably the league's best collection of skill players, they still have a Super Bowl ceiling.
5. Denver. Yes, we are prone to overreaction in sports, and Manning's Monday night misery is fresh. Still, this is a team that if healthy will be on the short list of contenders to win the whole thing. They need more Peyton and less man, though.
Powerless poll
28. Jacksonville. The Jaguars may be ahead of the rest of the stinky bottom dwellers because they believe they have a franchise quarterback in Blake Bortles. That belief may be misguided, granted. Either way, they can address other needs in the draft.
29. Oakland. The Raiders' biggest offseason move will be trying to lure Jim Harbaugh as their coach. He reportedly is leaning toward going to Michigan. Still, the Raiders are an enigma. Is Derek Carr a QB1 in this league? Do they have the wherewithal to stay the course rather than the typical Oakland overreaction? Landing Harbaugh would give them an identity and a toughness that they have lacked for years.
30. New York Jets. The Jets will be looking for coach and quarterback this offseason, because the hodgepodge platter of Geno Smith and Mike Vick and QB du jour ("That sounds good; I think I'll have that") has been a disaster. And if everyone needing a head coach is hungry for Harbaugh, then every team looking for a defensive coordinator should be ravenous for Rex Ryan.
31. Tennessee. The Titans stink. And, for a team that is desperate for stars and beacons of hope for the future, watching Jeremy Hill run all over Denver on Monday is particularly troubling, considering the Titans picked Bishop Sankey in the second round. Sankey was the first running back picked last May, ahead of Hill and Tre Mason and the rest of the rookies who have been more impressive than Sankey.
32. Tampa Bay. Gross. But if there is a team on this list that has the biggest worst-to-first potential it's Tampa Bay, which is a quarterback away from being pretty legit. Plus rookie receiver Mike Evans is a stud duck.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.