Is Peyton Manning's legacy tainted after Super Bowl XLVIII?

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – So much for Peyton Manning cementing his legacy, at least the one his ginormous fan base desperately hoped he'd crystalize at MetLife Stadium.

A second Super Bowl victory would have been used to further the argument Manning, named the NFL's only five-time Most Valuable Player the previous day, is the GOAT.

That would be Greatest of All Time. Not goat, as in being a contributor to the unsightly mess left by the Denver Broncos on the field at MetLife Stadium Sunday evening.

Who knew it was over when Seattle took a 2-0 lead with a safety on a botched shotgun snap to Manning 12 seconds into Super Bowl XLVIII? The Broncos would continue to shrink in Seattle's rearview mirror, finally disappearing in a 43-8 loss.

And Manning would continue to resemble younger brother Eli, who was similarly overwhelmed by the Seahawks in a 23-0 December drubbing with five interceptions and a 31.9 passer rating.

Peyton joked during the week asking Eli for tips on how to attack Seattle wouldn't help.

He wasn't kidding. In two games against Seattle, the Mannings suffered seven interceptions and were outscored 66-8.

But some perspective to temper knee-jerk anti-Manning reaction: Seattle's defense is that good. Twice this season, it declawed Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

"There was a reason they had the No. 1 defense,'' Denver coach John Fox said. "They're a great defense. It didn't surprise me.''

Manning agreed, crediting Seattle for "making more plays on defense than we did.'' He spent much of the evening throwing short and dealing with pressure.

On so many levels, it was clear his latest postseason stumble will take awhile to get past.

"I worked hard to get to this point, overcame a lot of obstacles to be here, put in a lot of hard work and did some really good things just to get this opportunity,'' Manning said. "But to finish this way is very disappointing.

"It's not an easy pill to swallow, but eventually we have to.''

The 35-point thrashing is tied for the third-worst in Super Bowl history, and the worst since the Broncos absorbed a record 45-point beat-down (55-10) at the hands of San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIV.

Someone asked how the setback might impact the way history judges him.

"As I said all week long, (the latest Super Bowl is) not going to change anything,'' Manning said.

The Seahawks delivered Seattle's second professional championship – the Sonics ruled the NBA in 1979 – and, stunningly, dominated from whistle to whistle with speed and attitude. Their No. 1-ranked defense outclassed Manning and Denver's No. 1-ranked and record-setting offense.

Anyone remember Manning set single-season records with 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns? Or the Broncos scored a record 606 points?

Didn't think so.

But it's doubtful anyone saw this one coming, including those who reside in the 206 area code.

As for Manning's place among the greatest quarterbacks of all time, let the criticism resume, and intensify. He:

Has the second-most regular-season wins in NFL history (167, trailing Brett Favre's 186), but is 11-12 in the postseason and 1-2 in the Super Bowl.

Is on pace to own every significant career passing record when he finally walks away – and no, that won't be after this, his 16th season – but has as many Super Bowl titles on his resume as Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien . . . and three fewer than Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.

The Indianapolis Colts released Manning March 7, 2012, concerned the four procedures on his neck would keep him from returning to the level that would merit paying him a $28 million option bonus. Three weeks later, Denver vice president of football operations John Elway convinced Manning to sign with the Broncos.

At that time, Elway vowed his goal was "to make Peyton Manning the best quarterback ever to play the game.''

Elway backed off that commitment in the days leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII, conceding the debate – Manning? Montana? Brady? John Unitas? – invariably would rage on.

"I don't think there's ever going to be a 'very best,''' Elway said. "I think there's always going to be a conversation.''

The post-game conversation swirled about what went wrong for Manning and the Broncos. The answer: everything.

Seattle forced four turnovers. It led 22-0 at the half, then Percy Harvin squeezed any remaining suspense out of the game by returning the third-quarter kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown.

Manning set a Super Bowl record with 34 completions. But so what? He finished 34-of-49 for 280 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions, one lost fumble and a 73.5 passer rating.

In the second quarter, pass-rushing end Cliff Avril got in Manning's face and tipped a pass that was intercepted by linebacker Malcolm Smith. Smith returned it 69 yards for a touchdown, and was named the game's MVP.

That prompted a note from the NFL in the press box. It was longest pick-6 in the Super Bowl since Tracy Porter's 74-yarder against Manning in Super Bowl XLIV that sealed New Orleans' 31-17 victory.

It was that type of evening. You know, the type that requires instant amnesia.

Manning led the Colts from irrelevance to perennial championship contender from 1998-2010. In 13 seasons, he directed the franchise to 11 playoff appearances, two Super Bowls and one world title.

He's done likewise with the Broncos. The past two seasons, Denver is 25-7 with a pair of postseason appearances. In the 13 seasons after Elway led the franchise to consecutive Super Bowl championships in 1997-98, the Broncos reached the postseason just five times with two victories.

Manning generated two postseason wins this season. But he and Denver needed a third.

"I think this team used last year's playoff loss to kind of fuel us,'' Manning said. "I thought it made us a better team this year.

"Hopefully we can use this to fuel us this offseason and next season as well."

Call Star reporter Mike Chappell at (317) 444-6830. You can follow him on Twitter at @mchappell51.