Retire Manning, you will never top this glorious finale

Bennie Fowler held in his hands a ball that belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If Peyton Manning is wise, that ball in Fowler’s hands is the last one No. 18 ever will throw in the NFL.
Fowler caught the pass from Manning with 3:13 left in the Broncos’ 24-10 victory. The 2-point catch added an exclamation mark on the Broncos’ dominating fourth-quarter performance.
Fowler already has plans for the ball. He will give it to his mother, and she will display it in her home on the outskirts of Chicago.
“She’ll put it right in the front, so everybody can see it, so she can see it,” Fowler said.
Is it Manning’s last pass?
“I don’t know,” Fowler said. “What if he comes back? But if he doesn’t, I got it.”
Fowler shrugged. He understood what Manning had just done. As Manning closes in on his 40th birthday, his usually steady hand in the playoffs led the Broncos to the pinnacle of the NFL. Only John Elway delivered a more dramatic NFL finale.
“Yeah,” Fowler said, “it’s going to be hard to top this exit, but he can still play.”
Manning seldom showed he can still play during Sunday’s victory. He declined to challenge Carolina’s secondary, and coach Gary Kubiak all but shut down the passing attack for most of the fourth quarter. Manning threw for 46 yards in the game’s first 75 seconds. He threw for only 95 yards in the game’s remaining 58 minutes.
No. 18’s performance in the playoff was a profile in courage, but he was carried to this title by the defense. He showed his wisdom during the Broncos’ plodding march to supremacy. He also showed his age.
Receiver Demaryius Thomas understands the situation. He knows Manning has declined to reveal his plans. After the game, Manning talked specifically about his choice of beer and his plans to kiss his wife and children.
He was vague about whether he will throw another pass.
I asked Thomas if he would ever catch another NFL pass from Manning.
“I think so, yeah,” Thomas said. “I’m going to catch one of them.”
Then he ran the question through his mind again.
“Oh, you said NFL pass?”
Thomas was thinking about catching passes from Manning in a park somewhere. He’s not sure about catching passes in massive stadiums with tens of thousands watching.
“I can play catch with him probably anytime I want to, but I don’t know about an NFL pass,” Thomas said.
Manning has been overwhelming on so many afternoons and nights during his 17-season career. He used his beautiful mind to lift Colts teams that would have been mediocre without him to elite status. He rescued a faltering Broncos franchise, vaulting the franchise back to the Super Bowl.
This victory will be long remembered as Manning’s NFL exit, even though it should be remembered for the Broncos’ historically magnificent defensive effort.
But that’s understandable. Joe Namath became a legend when the Jets defeated the Colts in Super Bowl 3, even though Namath was mediocre in the game.
And the lingering image of the Broncos’ first Super Bowl victory always will be Elway holding the trophy high above his head, his teeth gleaming, his burden finally lifted. Elway stumbled in the victory over the Packers and threw for only 123 yards. He talks with embarrassment about his performance in the biggest win of his life.
Manning wears the crown, and he deserves all the applause that will descend on him. He refused to surrender to his aching body. He refused to quit after a faltering, at times ugly performance in the playoff loss last season to the Colts.
Seconds before his last throw, Manning and Fowler stood close to each other in the Bronco huddle.
“I’m throwing it to you,” Manning said in a steady voice.
The throw took a quick, accurate ride through the California night and arrived in Fowler’s hands. On the throw that should be his last throw, Manning travelled back in time. He looked young again.
And that’s how we should remember him. Forever young, and the champ on his final night.