KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Peyton Manning won’t be able to shake it when he joins his brother and Billy Bob Thornton for another ManningCast Monday.
It was Denver on November 15, 2015, and Alex Smith was under center for the Chiefs. On his way to the Hall of Fame, Manning finished 200-89 as a starter. But his last career loss was almost his last career match.
“I remember it well,” Smith recalled. NFL Sunday Countdown of the Chiefs’ 29-13 victory, “because that didn’t happen often, man. I got my butt kicked by Peyton so many times. But it’s nice to get at least one. He went to the Super Bowl.”
Indeed, but not after then-head coach Gary Kubiak had to bench Manning in favor of Brock Osweiler after that loss to Kansas City.
“Yeah, I think I threw four interceptions,” Manning said Sunday morning. “I think I lost that match by myself.”
Five successes, four interceptions
Manning only had five completions to go with those four interceptions (one each for Ron Parker, Sean Smith, Josh Mauga and Marcus Peters). In what would not only be his final career loss, but also his final regular season start, he finished 5 of 20 for 35 yards.
Manning didn’t even make it halfway through the third quarter. Osweiler replaced him after a fourth interception, then started the final six games of the regular season. But in the season finale against the Chargers, Osweiler sprained his knee.
Manning came off the bench to lead Denver to a 27-20 victory in that finale, then started each of the three playoff games — including the Broncos’ 24-10 win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50. He became one of the few players to retire after winning a Super Bowl, the last time Levi’s Stadium hosted the big game.
Remarkable rebound from 1 to 5
Smith, meanwhile, turned that midseason win over Manning into an incredible 10-game winning streak (Denver’s win was No. 2 in that streak). Kansas City, which opened the year 1-5, finished 11-5.
The Chiefs crushed the Texans in the playoffs in Houston, 30-0, Andy Reid’s only career shutout before last week, then ultimately lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Two years later, when Manning was already retired, Smith led the Chiefs to another playoff berth with a rookie named Patrick Mahomes on the bench. But that season ended with a heartbreaking 22-21 home loss to Marcus Mariota and the Titans in the wild-card round.
Mariota will start for the upset Washington Commanders (3-4) on Monday Night Football (7:15 p.m. CT, ESPN/ABC, KMBC Ch. 9, 96.5 The Fan).
By the way, that loss to Mariota marked the final start of Smith’s tenure in Kansas City. The following March, the Chiefs traded him to Washington for DB Kendall Fuller and a draft pick, and Mahomes won his first MVP.
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