Peyton Manning summed up the disappointment and finality of losing in the playoffs pretty well after his Denver Broncos were eliminated.
"If you get into playoffs and you get into the competition, there is only one team that is going to leave happy," Manning said. "I don’t think Pittsburgh is any less disappointed than we are and whoever loses next week between New England and Indy is not going to be any happier than we are. That is football. That is what you sign up for and I guess if you don’t want to potentially deal with the disappointment then you shouldn’t play."
There are some good points in there. Realistically, however, it's far more complicated.
Each team's disappointment level is different when it is eliminated from the playoffs. Manning should know. We rank his top five playoff disappointments in the video at the top. He has had a few. Sunday was a really rough one for Manning and Denver, but was the Broncos' disappointment level the highest of the four eliminated teams? Let's look, in order of disappointment from least to most:
Carolina Panthers: Let's be real. They had arguably the luckiest ride to the divisional round in NFL history, winning a terrible division with a winning streak against four losing teams and then drawing the Ryan Lindley-led Arizona Cardinals in the wild-card round. They had so much house money it was pouring out of their pockets. They had no real shot of beating Seattle and at least they didn't embarrass themselves. DISAPPOINTMENT LEVEL: Bummer, dude.
Baltimore Ravens: A few ways to look at it. They were a No. 6 seed, and would have been sitting at home had the San Diego Chargers handled business in Week 17. So a playoff spot and a win over the Steelers before losing at the top seed isn't the worst thing. But blowing two 14-point leads, then seeing the No. 2 seed lose the next day? That stings. DISAPPOINTMENT LEVEL: Can't bear to watch the game film, ever.
Dallas Cowboys: This lingers a while. They had a really good team (probably the No. 1 seed in the NFC if Tony Romo doesn't get hurt against Washington) and many chances to win on Sunday. And yes, that Dez Bryant non-catch is what they can replay over and over and over all offseason. It's not a total disaster because overall the season has to be considered a success for a franchise that wasn't expected to go 12-4 or win a division title. Still, they'll look away anytime the Bryant highlight comes on. DISAPPOINTMENT LEVEL: Wake up in a cold sweat a few times each month this offseason.
Denver Broncos: In hindsight, you could see it coming. Manning struggled physically late in the season, and that just continued against the Colts. Still, for THE Super Bowl or bust team in the NFL this season, a one-and-done was a brutal blow. It was a franchise changer. General manager John Elway fired coach John Fox, who had a 46-18 regular-season record in four years, and told the rest of the staff they were free to look elsewhere. So, yeah. This is the team with the most disappointment over its playoff exit. DISAPPOINTMENT LEVEL: The franchise might not be the same, literally. Anything more to say?
Now, ranking the remaining four teams:
4. Indianapolis Colts
I like the Colts' story, mostly because Andrew Luck is clearly the future of the league and it's great to see him making strides when so many other young quarterbacks aren't. Maybe this is just this year's playoff team that forgets all its regular-season flaws and rolls into the Super Bowl. I can't buy in that much yet.
3. Green Bay Packers
I wish Aaron Rodgers was healthy. That would make for a really fun NFC championship game. But Rodgers is not healthy and I'm not sure he can beat Seattle on one leg. Not in Seattle, anyway.
2. New England Patriots
A small change in the top two. Not really because of the Patriots. I love the job the coaches did against Baltimore. Not just the trick plays, but deciding in the second half that the best chance to win is to put the ball in Tom Brady's hands ever play. I love it even more because when people stuck in 30 years ago try to say "You have to run the ball to win in the playoffs!" I have a box score to send them as proof that's not true.
1. Seattle Seahawks
It's time to move them into the top spot, a spot the Patriots have held for a long time. Their defense is absolutely stifling right now, playing at least as well as at this time last year. And the offense is impressive too. If Russell Wilson is going to be as surgical from the pocket as he was against Carolina, how do you slow down the Seahawks? I don't know either. They're the best team at this moment. They have a great shot at a repeat.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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