Peyton Manning Becomes 5th QB to Throw 1,000 Yards in Super Bowl History

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has made a career of racking up milestones and records, and he etched his name in yet another history book Sunday during Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers.

No. 18 became the fifth quarterback to throw for 1,000 yards in Super Bowl history when he hit running back C.J. Anderson with a two-yard completion in the fourth quarter. 

Sunday's game was Manning’s fourth Super Bowl appearance of his career, and he entered the contest needing 140 passing yards to reach the plateau. Here is a look at his tallies from his four matchups for the Lombardi Trophy, per Pro-Football-Reference.com:

Year	Team	Opponent	Completions	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Result
2006	Indianapolis Colts	Chicago Bears	25-of-38	247	1	1	29-17 win
2009	Indianapolis Colts	New Orleans Saints	31-of-45	333	1	1	31-17 loss
2013	Denver Broncos	Seattle Seahawks	34-of-49	280	1	2	43-8 loss
2016	Denver Broncos	Carolina Panthers	13-of-23	141	0	1	24-10 win

The fact his first and most recent Super Bowls are 10 years apart is a testament to his longevity. The 39-year-old signal-caller set another Super Bowl mark Sunday, as ESPN Stats & Info shared:

Ironically, Manning threw for the fewest yards among his first three Super Bowls in his first victory. The Chicago Bears boasted a stifling defense in that 2006 season and limited the Indianapolis Colts’ overall effectiveness, but Manning still engineered a comeback in the final three quarters after Chicago seized the early lead.

His yardage total was more impressive in the second game, and he was in position to set up a potential overtime against the New Orleans Saints down 24-17 in the fourth quarter. However, he threw a pick-six to Tracy Porter, and the Saints went on to protect their 31-17 lead.   

His 280 yards against the Seattle Seahawks were largely a function of being forced to throw consistently throughout the game after Denver fell behind 22-0 by halftime and 36-0 before it even scored a point. It was arguably Manning’s low point of his career in terms of on-field results.

Perhaps the most prominent criticism of Manning throughout his NFL tenure is the lack of rings despite so much regular-season success. However, Sunday's win was Manning's second title—even if he took a backseat to the defense—which looks nice alongside his regular-season stats.

The 14-time Pro Bowler and seven-time first-team All-Pro member passed Brett Favre earlier this season to become the NFL's all-time leading passer with this pass, per the NFL:

Manning now has 71,940 regular-season passing yards and also owns the record for the most passing touchdowns in a career (539 to Favre’s 508).

Manning joined some elite company Sunday by reaching 1,000 yards in the Super Bowl. Only Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Joe Montana and John Elway have accomplished the feat.    

The question now with Manning is what comes next. He struggled this season with injuries and overall ineffectiveness and finished the campaign with a career-low nine touchdown passes and 17 interceptions. He also boasted a career-low passer rating of 67.9 and left many wondering if he would even get the starting job back after Brock Osweiler took over when Manning was hurt.

However, Manning came into the Week 17 contest against the San Diego Chargers after Osweiler turned the ball over three times, and now he surpassed 1,000 passing yards in his Super Bowl career.

Manning would be 40 years old next season, had spinal fusion surgery in 2011 and missed seven games in 2015 with injuries. Retirement could be the next step for the all-time great, especially since NFL Films cameras overheard him telling New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick after the AFC Championship Game that it may be his final year (h/t ESPN.com).

While Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported the Los Angeles Rams had “internal discussions” about bringing Manning in if he didn’t return to Denver in 2016, it is not difficult to envision No. 18 retiring after so many physical setbacks and a disappointing season stats-wise in 2015.

If this truly is it for the future Hall of Famer, it is fitting that he added one more milestone to his incredible resume that is already loaded with them.