Peyton Manning spent 14 seasons tucked away in a climate-controlled dome in Indianapolis. Now that he's leading the Broncos in the frigid Denver air at Mile High, playing in cold weather is a much more frequent occurence.
Cold weather won’t be an issue, Peyton Manning says
With icy weather looming for Denver’s game against the Titans, the future Hall of Famer brushed off his previous cold-weather struggles.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Spor
That doesn’t bother the future Hall of Famer, he says.
“That’s not a problem. We’ve played in it before,” Manning said via the official site of the Tennessee Titans, who will face the Broncos in sub-freezing temperatures this Sunday. “You deal with it in practice quite often, so it’s not a factor.”
The statistics suggest otherwise. Manning is just 1-8 in games where the temperature is 30 degrees or lower, according to USA Today, and has lost both of his last two cold-weather games. The most recent was an overtime loss to the New England Patriots two weeks ago in a game in which Manning threw for only 150 yards, a season low.
Manning has been criticized for his 9-11 playoff record. While some contend that’s attributable to a lack of a postseason clutch gene that went to his brother Eli instead, it’s also a period during which Manning has been forced to play outdoors in winter weather.
Myth or fact: Manning plays lousy in cold weather
The Broncos were forced inside to practice for the first time all season on Wednesday as an arctic cold front moved into Denver, but are expected to be back outside Thursday and Friday.
Manning will certainly get the chance to prove his cold-weather critics wrong on Sunday -- the forecast calls for 15 degrees.
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