Through a string of recent comeback attempts that didn’t pay off, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning kept talking about working through the adversity.
The work paid off Monday, as the Broncos took advantage of a hailstorm of turnovers by the Chargers to score 35 unanswered points in the second half for a huge win.
According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, it was Manning’s 47th game winning drive in the fourth quarter, tying him with Dan Marino for most in NFL history.
“I’ve been a part of some comebacks and you have to have all three phases contribute,” Manning said. “You’ve got to have a tipped ball or a bounce go your way.”
The Broncos got some breaks, with fumbles and interceptions returned for touchdowns. But this was about Manning too, after he went 24-of-30 passing for 309 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. But you couldn’t tell it from his muted reaction, which amazed teammates.
“I’ve never been part of a comeback like that,” tight end Joel Dreessen said. “Peyton, that guy is so humble. I tried to get him fired up about this. I was shaking him, and saying, “What do you think about this, man?’
“All he said was, ‘Good job. Good job.’ ”
Those who’ve known him longer aren’t surprised. Wide receiver Brandon Stokley, whose touchdown gave then the lead for good, said he’s come to expect such things.
“You never can count that guy out,” Stokley said. “I’ve seen it too many times. Everybody in this locker room knows, and we all believe, that when you have him behind the center we can come back from any deficit.”
It helps when the Chargers make it easy, but that shouldn’t take away from Manning’s role in it either.