Color Peyton Manning unimpressed. The Denver Broncos future Hall of Fame quarterback was intercepted twice on Sunday by Oakland Raiders safety, fellow 1998 NFL draftee and Canton-bound defender, Charles Woodson. But Manning, speaking to reporters after the game, made it clear he still thinks he holds the upper hand where history is concerned.
"Took him 18 years," Manning said, via NFL Network. "Probably offsets the two touchdowns I threw on him last year. Call it a wash."
The good-natured Manning likely meant this in a playful manner, but there's no denying the notoriously fierce competitor probably didn't feel good knowing that Woodson and the Raiders defense certainly got the better of him. And boy, did they ever.
Manning completed 62.9 percent of his passes, but managed just 266 yards, a 62.3 quarterback rating and couldn't get the potent Broncos offense into the endzone. The Raiders also kept the Denver run game in check, limiting the Broncos to 43 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Still, Woodson wasn't impressed either. The now 39-year-old defensive back told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle after the game that things like interceptions and stats - "shiny things" - matter little if the team doesn't walk away with a win.
"Those things are the shiny things, shiny toys that you like, but it's about wins and losses, man," Woodson said, via Tafur. "Our mission is to win our division. The only way we can do that is to beat the team that's won it the last few years."
While the effort the Raiders and Woodson put forth against Manning and the Broncos on Sunday certainly provided ample reason for optimism in Oakland, it also showed the clear line of demarcation that still exists between the two franchises. The Raiders are improving and look like a team on the rise, but despite their best efforts couldn't find their way past a Broncos squad that, even with an aging and increasingly limited Manning, remains undefeated through five weeks and is likely already planning for another postseason trip.
