Peyton Manning set the NFL single-season record for passing touchdowns on Sunday by throwing for four scores against the Houston Texans to give him 51 on the season. Many of the Texans’ defensive players didn’t seem to have a problem with the Denver Broncos continuing to throw late in their blowout win as Manning went for the record. Many of them said it’s his job to score points and set records, while it’s their job to stop him.
Texans interim head coach Wade Phillips didn’t indicate whether he was bothered by the Broncos’ tactics, but he did say he was surprised by them.
“I was surprised, but they threw it deep late in the game,” Phillips said via ESPN’s Tania Ganguli. “But that’s part of football.”
Defensive end Antonio Smith says the Broncos scoring late raised “some fight” in them, but he understood Manning’s pursuit of the record.
[Watch: Peyton Manning’s record-setting touchdown pass]
I’m a big believer in sportsmanship, but I no longer complain about teams running up the score or chasing records. I’ve seen too many big comebacks to ever think a game is over before it’s over. And if teams want to risk hurting feelings by running up the score, that’s their decision. Plus, Tom Brady threw the ball late in games plenty of times for the Patriots during his record-setting season. Why shouldn’t Peyton?
