Peyton Manning Struggled Mightily At The Start of His NFL Career

Published on September 18th, 2024 9:43 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


It was October 11th, 1998.

The Indianapolis Colts had just moved to 1-5 on the season, as they lost 31-24 to the Buffalo Bills at home.

Boos were heard as Peyton Manning had struggled yet again.

Was Manning going to be a massive bust?

It seems hilarious to think now, but back in October of 1998, Colts fans were extremely nervous.

In his first six games with the Colts, Manning tossed 14 interceptions.

At one point, Manning had thrown for just 4 touchdowns to go along with his 14 interceptions.

Manning, who would become known for being cool under pressure later in his career, was growing frustrated, as were the fans.

Manning was a generational quarterback prospect, a transformational player with a golden pedigree that was expected to return the Colts to the Super Bowl.

What if he wasn't very good?

The 1998 season turned out to be absolute agony for Colts fans.

In Week 7 of the season, Peyton turned in the best game of his career, throwing for three touchdowns and zero interceptions in a loss against the 49ers.

Over the next four weeks, however, Manning would toss eight interceptions. In two of those games, Manning had less than 165 yards in passing.

In Week 12, another glimmer of hope, as Manning would throw for three touchdowns and just one interception.

In Week 13, Manning struggled yet again, throwing for just 159 yards.

In Week 14, Manning would shine, throwing for three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

In the last two weeks of the season, Manning would struggle yet again, throwing for just two touchdowns and three interceptions.

In total, Manning threw 26 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in his rookie campaign.

Colts fans were hopeful but nervous.

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In 1999, Manning was able to fix some things, as he posted a solid but unspectacular line of 26 touchdowns and 15 interceptions that year. The season started out a bit rocky, as Manning threw four interceptions in his first two games of the year, but he soon got things under control.

The team was great that season, as the Colts posted a record of 13-3-0.

Things were looking up in Indianapolis.

The 2000 season is when things really started to click for Manning, as he would throw for 33 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while leading the Colts to a record of 10-6-0. Manning had six 3+ touchdown games that year. He had finally arrived.

In 2003, Manning would win the first of his MVP awards.

In 2004, Manning erupted, throwing for 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, as he won his second straight MVP award.

All of that worrying for Colts fans had paid off, as they now had the best quarterback in the league, and he was still in his 20s.

It was a bit chaotic to start, but Peyton Manning certainly proved why he was one of the most touted QB prospects of all time.