Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has had a very successful career in the National Football League. In fifteen seasons, Manning has made three Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears, thrown for the second most yards in NFL history, and made the Pro-Bowl in thirteen seasons. Despite these impressive statistics, some are saying that his legacy has been hurt after a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.

 “[Manning] could have played better, I’ve seen him play better before,” said sophomore Carly O’Connor.

 Manning has a history of disappointing in the postseason even prior to this past Super Bowl. Over his career, Manning has gone 11-12 in the playoffs, including many postseason games where his teams have given up substantial leads. His record and numerous playoff “meltdowns” have sparked debate over whether or not he should be in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

 “He’s a top five quarterback of all time. He’s 100 percent a first ballot Hall of Famer,” said senior Josh Curl.

 Like many, Curl believes that Manning deserves to be enshrined in Canton and that he will have no problem in doing so. O’Connor does not hold Manning in such a high regard, especially after this Super Bowl loss.

 “[Manning] is an all-time top 10 quarterback, but [the Super Bowl] hurt his chances for the Hall of Fame,” said O’Connor.

 Aside from this sole Super Bowl loss, Manning’s lack of Super Bowl rings could attribute to his dubious chances of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. His younger brother, Eli, quarterback for the New York Giants, has about half as many passing yards as his brother, but also has twice the amount of Super Bowl rings.

 It is possible that Manning could redeem himself by winning a championship, but that is unlikely on account of the difficulty in keeping a professional sports team together through free agency, as well as the fact that Manning is 37-years-old. Talk of retirement for Manning has arisen in the media, but there is doubt in the sports community about Manning retiring after the Super Bowl loss.

“I don’t think [Manning] will retire, he’ll try to win one more [Super Bowl]. There’s no way I’d retire after that game,” said Curl.

After a loss in the Super Bowl, especially by such a large margin, many football fans like Curl doubt that a competitor such as Manning will retire after this past season.