Peyton Manning: Greatest NFL Individual Season Ever?

Peyton Manning is going into the Hall of Fame.  That part is not debatable.  In fact, had he retired after the Colts cut him he still would have been a first-ballot inductee.  The man's stats make him arguably the greatest quarterback ever.  And the only reason you have to put "arguably" in there is because of his postseason struggles (even though he has won a Super Bowl and played for another).

However, this season Manning might have put together the greatest individual season in the history of the league.  It has clearly been his personal best, which is saying something given he already has four MVP awards (not counting this year which he is a lock win).  Here's his case broken down by the numbers:

1. He set the record for TD passes in the regular season at 55.  He used to own this record before Tom Brady broke it in 2007.  Ball's in your court now Tom!  To offset, he only through 10 interceptions and his first of the season didn't come until October 6th.

2. His 5,477 passing yards are the most in NFL history.  He broke a record Drew Brees set just two seasons ago.  Before that Dan Marino held the record for over two decades.

3. His QBR for the season was 82.9, and he had a completion percentage of 68.3 on 659 passing attempts.

4. It's a team sport right?  Well, a 13-3 regular season record gave his Broncos home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

Manning is doing this during a time when the rules allow for greater passing success, as evident by numbers league wide being higher.  But for Manning to be so head-and-shoulders above the competition is incredible.  Let's also realize that many of these QB's are with the team that drafted them (aside from Brees) and have been in a system for a while.  Manning is doing this in year 2 with a new team after coming back from neck surgery.  Only Brees can compete in this regard with his shoulder injury.

The knock on Manning has always been his postseason play.  However, this season he has been surgical in the playoffs.  He has 4 TDs to just 1 INT, and has a 89.9 QBR and a 72.2 completion percentage.

There have been several incredible seasons for players at all positions.  Eric Dickerson's record season for rushing yards is still hard to comprehend given he did it in less games.  Tom Brady's 2007, which included a 16-0 regular season record on top of his touchdown record, cannot be forgotten either.  Defensively, was there ever a more dominant performance than Ray Lewis in 2000?  Manning has some competition without a doubt.  But in terms of pure dominance of a sport, what he has done is, in my humble opinion, can be considered the best in the NFL's history.

Of course, we all know the deal.  Manning has to cap this season with a Super Bowl win or it will be seen as a disappointment.  That's the standard, and to be fair it's not one he has shied away from.  It won't be easy.  Seattle has arguably the best secondary in the league, and the weather probably won't provide ideal conditions for a high-octane passing day.  But if Manning can pull it off and bring the Broncos their first Lombardi Trophy since John Elway donned a uniform, I think you have to consider this the greatest individual season in NFL history given the numbers, the winning, and what was standing in his way.