Super Bowl XLIV: Peyton Manning's INT Among the Worst Pick-Sixes in Playoff History

Peyton Manning has already solidified his place in history as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

He had a chance last night to delete the "one of" from the above statement, but an untimely pick-six has the nation talking about his legacy, which has been emphasized by some poor performances in the postseason.

But was this the worst pick-six of all time? Or is it only made worse by the man who threw it?

With that question in mind, let's take a look at some of the worst pick-sixes in playoff history.

5. Rex Grossman to Kelvin Hayden, Super Bowl XL

An untimely pick by Peyton Manning urged me to write this list. Incidentally enough, it was a timely pick-six by the Colts defense that rounds out this list at No. 5.

Despite three previous Bears turnovers and a near-miss on a botched snap by Grossman, the Bears were only down by eight and were still in the game. That is, until he threw an off-target pass to Muhsin Muhammad which Hayden returned 56 yards for the score that put the game away for good.

Who knew that the Colts' fate would be mirrored just three years later?

4. Matt Hasselbeck to Al Harris, 2003 Wild Card

After his Seattle Seahawks won the opening coin toss of overtime in a 2003 wild card game, Hasselbeck famously proclaimed "We want the ball and we're gonna score".

But Al Harris begged to differ.

Harris cut underneath an out route by Alex Bannister of the Seahawks. He wrapped his hands around the ball, then raised his finger, as if to say "No, you're not gonna score—I am," as he took off to the races for 52 yards and the game-winner.

This was the first time an overtime playoff game had been decided by an interception return for a touchdown. Of all the pick-sixes on this list, Hasselbeck's is probably the most untimely.

3. Kurt Warner to Ty Law, Super Bowl XXXVI

As a Patriots fan, no pick-six in NFL history stands out in my mind more than this.

The Patriots were the heavy underdogs in this game, and their defense was largely what got them to the game in the first place. Right from the beginning, the Patriots made it clear that their defensive game plan was to punch the high-flying St. Louis Rams right in the mouth.

With pressure coming quickly from Mike Vrabel, an errant pass from Kurt Warner to Isaac Bruce was off-target. Patriots cornerback Ty Law picked off the pass, and sprinted down the sideline 47 yards for the touchdown, and the fans blew the roof off the Louisiana Superdome.

This pick-six truly set the tone for the remainder of the game, as the Patriots defense played rough in-your-face football for the duration.

2. Kurt Warner to James Harrison, Super Bowl XLIII

It's interesting that Kurt Warner gets two of these. It's not a statement to Kurt Warner as a quarterback, though, so much as a statement to how it only takes one play to change the entire game. Players have to be on top of their game for the entire 60 minutes, ready for anything.

Kurt Warner wasn't ready for everything. James Harrison, however, was.

Harrison showed blitz, and Warner was ready for it. Harrison, however, was ready for the quick screen pass to Anquan Boldin. Warner read the blitz and quickly got off the pass, but he wasn't ready for Harrison to drop back into coverage, sneak underneath, pick off the pass, and return it 100 yards for the longest play in Super Bowl history.

With time expiring in the first half, it was all or nothing for Harrison. He took it all, and in so doing completely shifted momentum in favor of his team going into the second half.

1. Peyton Manning to Tracy Porter, Super Bowl XLIV

You knew this was coming, right? No? The title wasn't enough?

Well, in case there was any doubt about why, let me explain:

Peyton Manning has been an historic comeback specialist this season (throughout his career, too). He led eight drives in the fourth quarter to win the game this year. With the Colts down by a touchdown, and with the ball in Manning's hands, you could practically fast-forward to overtime.

Tracy Porter, however, had other ideas.

Manning had been lauded for his pre-game film study for the entire two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, but it was actually Tracy Porter's film study that made this play happen.

He did what Manning has been known for throughout his career—made the pre-snap read.

"I'd seen it over and over—third down," Porter said. "That was a big route for them to convert on. Through the numerous amounts of film study that we've done all week in preparing for the Super Bowl, and it all happened just like I was watching it on film. I made the break on it, and here comes the end zone."

This was also a timing route by Reggie Wayne that didn't seem to go exactly how Manning envisioned it. Its impact on the game, being that it happened just minutes before the final whistle blew on the biggest game of the season, is what makes it the most relevant turnover in NFL postseason history.