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Better-With-Age Peyton Manning Picks Apart San Diego Chargers’ Defense

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By @edpvideo

Manning versus Chargers

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Watching Peyton Manning work his precision passing week after week is one of the biggest joys of living in the era of prolific passers. Manning, at age 38, is the poster child for a position that has truly benefited from all the rules that work to protect the quarterback and keep defenders off receivers.

A tight game against the San Diego Chargers throughout the first half changed quickly when Manning led a two-minute drill to perfection just before the break. Manning is one of the few in the league that can truly say two-minutes is more than enough time to march the length of the field. In fact, it was, as the Denver Broncos took the lead heading into halftime with a 31-yard strike to Emmanuel Sanders.

Manning is the rare quarterback who throws his receivers open and, if they follow his lead, turns unheralded receivers into superstars. Emmanuel Sanders is this season’s newest addition to the list of receivers built by Manning. It was just a few seasons ago when Demaryius Thomas burst onto the scene. Before him, Eric Decker.

Manning is good for the NFL and good for young receivers. With young receivers like Thomas and Sanders, both in their fifth seasons, Manning could just go on and on and on, as long as his arm holds up. The point being, he looks better at 38 than most quarterbacks look at 28.

Manning’s command of the offense continued in the second half and it became clear that the Broncos are indeed the best in the AFC West and should have no expectations short of a return to the Super Bowl. Perhaps the only thing that can stand in their way is an injury to Manning, as it’s clear the Broncos offense relies solely on his ability to direct traffic and move his team at will once he gets rolling.

Nothing should be taken away from Philip Rivers, who played at the consistently high level that has been the case all year in San Diego. However good he was at times, costly interceptions plagued him, and it was just impossible to keep pace with Manning tonight.

Paul Kakert is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @edpvideo, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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