One game. Sixty minutes. Play well and win, and Manning’s the greatest quarterback of all time. More responsibility than any player in league history. Five NFL MVPs. Two Super Bowl trophies – it all adds up to The Greatest Ever. Broncos fans, Colts fans, Manning fans – you could taste it.

Instead, Manning’s offense scored just eight points. Instead, Manning might have cemented his legacy as the greatest regular season quarterback of all time. Instead, the Denver Broncos looked like they needed help from the Boise State Broncos. Instead, the dream of G.O.A.T. became a nightmare.

You know who Manning reminded me of on Sunday? Brady, against the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Brady couldn’t complete anything over ten yards, and he couldn’t get a clean pocket. The era of the pocket passer may not be dead, but the era of elite pass rushers is certainly alive and well, and so while precision pocket passers are great, it sure as hell helps if you’re mobile, too.

A couple thoughts:

-Remember that Elvis Dumervil guy? Yeah, he would’ve been nice to have Sunday, when Wilson was never sacked and only under pressure on 19 percent of his drop backs – his second lowest pressure percentage of the season. Wonder if the Broncos fixed their fax machine.

-That was Peyton Manning’s worst loss in 11 years.

-Aye yay yay! The Lombardi Trophy was on the field  with 5:19 left in the fourth quarter. That means it was already engraved. That’s the earliest I’ve ever seen it.

-Did the game make anyone else think that the Broncos made some deal with the devil, in which they are guaranteed wins and grandeur throughout the regular season, and humiliation and heartbreak in the postseason? No? Just me? OK then.

-As I write this, the Seahawks are having their victory parade in Seattle. As the immortal Ari Gold says in Entourage, “There are no asterisks in life, only score boards.”

The Dan Patrick Show had an interesting poll on Monday. It was something like, “Would you rather have your team lose in a blowout or a close game in the Super Bowl?” Personally, I’d vote for blowout. At least you have time to digest the loss as the game goes on. Broncos fans, you knew it was over by halftime. Wouldn’t a Patriots-esque comeback be worse after leading for so long? Wouldn’t it be worse to be on the wrong end of a back and forth game? Wouldn’t it be worse to lose on the last play of the game, like the 49ers did last year? I certainly think so. When was the last Super Bowl blowout, you ask? It so happens it was Super Bowl XXXVII between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders – also the last time the number one defense faced the number one offense. The Buccaneers won 48-21, the number one defense suffocating Oakland’s attack. Another weird similarity? Dexter Jackson, a safety, won the MVP award.

But on to the stuff you’ve been waiting for. How’d I do?

My prediction for the Super Bowl: “Seahawks win, 27-21.”

What happened? Seahawks won, 43-8. Oh well, I tried. Better luck next year.