The Colts didn’t win 12 games for the first time since 2002, going 10-6, and like 2002, their season ended with a first round playoff loss to the Jets. Peyton Manning threw more interceptions than any season since 2002, had his lowest QB rating since 2002, and his lowest YPA since his rookie year. He completed 66% of his passes for an average of 6.9 YPA, 33 touchdowns to 17 picks. He turns 35 in March and all of a sudden, the talk of his decline is picking up.

However, I don’t blame 2010 on Peyton Manning. Manning played very well, considering his supposrting cast. For most of the season, he was on pace for 700 throws, which would break an NFL record. He finished with 679, but still, you can see how much this team relied on him with Joseph Addai hurt for most of the year and neither Mike Hart nor Donald Brown able to establish themselves on the ground at all. They ran 393 running plays, which means they passed a whopping 63.2% of the time.

Peyton Manning’s line didn’t do him any favors. He only took 16 sacks because he’s Peyton Manning, but his line still struggled. Manning has a knack for getting the ball off before the pressure gets to him, but this year he had less time than normal and that led to bad decisions downfield. On several of his interceptions, including ones against San Diego, Dallas, and New England, his arm was hit right before, alterring the angle and the tracjectory of the pass.

On top of all that, his receiving corps were banged up. Anthony Gonzalez and Austin Collie missed large parts of the season. Dallas Clark missed most of the season. That left them with Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Blair White, and Jacob Tamme. Wayne and Garcon dropped more passes than last year and Tamme, while he was statistically impressive, also had a bunch of drops.

Put it all together, and Peyton Manning was facing a defense that knew he was going to pass, having to get large chunks of yardage through the air because his ground game wasn’t doing anything, with a lin that couldn’t protect, and receivers who couldn’t catch. I say he played pretty well all things considered. His decline is minimal, if any.

That being said, he does turn 35 in March, and only have one Super Bowl win (over Rex Grossman). His career record in the playoffs is now 9-10 after losing to the Jets. That part of his legacy is in sever jeopardy. He will likely be able to break most of Brett Favre’s records in the regular season, but like Favre, it’s very likely he only has one ring when he calls it quits.

This team still has a lot of hope for next season though. They finished the regular season strong with 4 straight wins, to bounce back from a 6-6 start. They played a lot better once they got healthy and they were very close to beating the Jets in the playoffs. They are in significantly better shape than anyone else in their division so the division should still be there’s next year. Peyton Manning’s window is closing, but it hasn’t closed.