Should Peyton Manning be insulted by question about ’embarrassing’ team performance?

To say that Peyton Manning did not put together the best performance of his career on Sunday night would be a massive understatement. The Denver Broncos began their Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks by giving up a safety. The game never felt close from that point on. Plenty of Broncos fans were embarrassed by the result. Was Manning?

After the game, a reporter asked Peyton if Denver’s performance was “embarrassing.” He seemed bothered by the question.

“It’s not embarrassing at all. I would never use that word,” Manning replied, via ESPN.com. “The word ’embarrassing’ is an insulting word, to tell you the truth.

“We played a great team. We needed to play really well in order to win, and we didn’t come anywhere close to that.”

[Related: Deion Sanders has harsh criticism for Peyton Manning’s performance]

Several other Broncos, including Knowshon Moreno and Wes Welker, specifically used the word “embarrassing” when speaking with reporters. Manning threw two interceptions in the first half that basically eliminated any chance his team had of getting back in the game. Maybe he’s just disappointed and embarrassed isn’t an emotion he’s capable of feeling?

Personally, I don’t see how the Broncos can’t be embarrassed. The Seahawks were a far better team and earned the victory, but that doesn’t mean Denver couldn’t have put forth a better effort. Does anyone really think Seattle is five touchdowns better than the Broncos? Neither do I. The only reason the final score was 43-8 is because Manning and company put an embarrassing game together. There’s really no silver lining.