Peyton Manning fell over trying to avoid a sack and it worked out great for the Broncos
Peyton Manning’s best play of the day was really, really weird.
Early in the fourth quarter, Peyton Manning completed a 34-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders after falling to the ground. A lot of people assumed Manning was sacked.
But no one touched Manning. Steelers safety Will Allen’s swipe at Manning juuuuuuuuuuust missed. If any part of Allen’s hand had hit any part of Manning before he came to a knee, that would’ve made Manning down by contact. But it was a total whiff, so Manning wasn’t down. That made him eligible to get up and throw a pass.
Some would argue that Manning was declaring himself down by coming to a knee, but that would be a pretty difficult interpretation to make in this case. A player sliding feet-first is considered to be declaring himself down, and a player falling to the ground and making no immediate effort to advance is considered to be declaring himself down. But Manning doesn’t really fit either description. As a result, Manning was able to make his biggest play of the day.
* * *
SB Nation presents: Tre Boston celebrates sack with Future dance
See More:
