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For an NFL record fifth time, Peyton Manning is your MVP. Manning also held the old record, which was four. Besides Manning, no other player has won the award more than three times. Apparently Manning won the award in a landslide.

This announcement isn’t a shock because Manning had probably the greatest offensive performance in 2013 of any player in the history of the National Football League.

For the first time in NFL history, the best offense (by yards and scoring) will face the best defense (by yards and scoring) in the Super Bowl. 

This will be the fifth time since the AFL and NFL merged that the league’s top-scoring offense played the top-scoring defense in the Super Bowl, the first since the Buffalo Bills(top offense) and New York Giants(top defense) met to close the 1990 season. 

Oddsmakers had trouble picking the favorite in what figures to be one of the most evenly matched -- and heavily bet -- Super Bowls ever.

Bettors knew who they wanted, though, putting early money on Denver and making the Broncos a slight favorite to beat the Seattle Seahawks in most of this city's legal betting parlors.

Denver was favored by 1 point at several books in the early betting, while others had the Broncos as high as a 3-point pick. The move to the Broncos came after some books had initially made the Seahawks as much as a 2-point pick in the game.

The Denver Broncos are heading to Super Bowl XLVIII after dominating the New England Patriots to win the AFC Championship game 26-16.

Peyton Manning threw for two touchdowns and more than 400 yards to beat Tom Brady in the latest instalment of their great quarterbacking rivalry, but it was Denver's clock management which was at the heart of the Broncos' victory.

The Denver Broncos held off a late rally by the San Diego Chargers to reach the AFC Championship game and set up another Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady battle.

The Broncos eventually won 24-17 after leading 17-0 going into the final quarter before the Chargers finally woke up. Until the final quarter San Diego had looked lost in the windy conditions at Mile High, conceding repeated neutral-zone infractions and failing to show any adventure on offense.

San Diego Chargers vs Denver Bronchos game preview and predictions

Before the wild-card weekend , the San Diego Chargers were the biggest longshots to win the Super Bowl of the playoff team . They entered their Sunday game with the Cincinnati Bengals as seven-point underdogs , getting barely arrived at the postseason as the No .6 seed . With the divisional round , approaching , though , the team stays alive , and trying to keep on their run against the Denver Broncos when the two teams meet at Sports Authority Field at Mile High .

San Diego pulled off the biggest surprise of the first round by easily beating the Bengals , 27-10 . The Chargers won in Cincinnati , that has been something no road team were capable of doing in the 2013 regular season .

After big game in the second half, Chargers win over Bengals 27:10. A few thoughts on the San Diego Chargers’ 27-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card round. 

What it means: San Diego’s Cinderella season lives on. The Chargers kept Cincinnati’s 22-year playoff drought alive, and in the process earned their first postseason victory since the 2008 season. San Diego advances to the AFC divisional round, where the Chargers will face a familiar foe in the Denver Broncos. The Chargers split with the Broncos during the regular season, losing 28-20 in San Diego on Nov. 10, and winning in Denver 27-20 on Dec. 12. 

Turnover bonanza: San Diego's defense forced the Bengals into four turnovers on Sunday – a fumble by running back Giovani Bernard and three costly miscues by quarterback Andy Dalton – a fumble and two interceptions. The Chargers only scored six points off those turnovers, but defensively San Diego did a nice job of putting consistent pressure in Dalton’s face. 

Cool-hand Rivers: While Dalton once again struggled in the postseason, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers showed the value of having a franchise quarterback. Philip Rivers didn’t throw for a ton of yards, but he didn’t need to. Rivers finished 12 of 16 for 128 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown to tight end Ladarius Green. More important, Rivers and the San Diego offense finished with zero turnovers. 

Stock watch: Scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent during the offseason, Chargers linebacker Donald Butler showed way San Diego should consider keeping him around. Butler finished with a team-high 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a tackle for a loss. 

What’s next: The Chargers travel to Denver to face the Broncos in the AFC divisional round playoffs on Sunday, 4:40 ET.  

Article source: ESPN

Peyton Manning plans to catch Todd Helton's final home game for the Colorado Rockies next week so he can pay homage to his college buddy who gave him two big assists over the years.

The first came when Manning was a homesick freshman at the University of Tennessee in 1994 and Helton, already a star in both football and baseball, took him under his wing and helped him adjust to college life.

The second came when Manning was plotting his comeback from neck problems two years ago that nearly derailed his NFL career.

Manning was prevented from seeing his team doctors or rehabbing at the Indianapolis Colts' facilities during the lockout that offseason. So, Helton arranged for Manning to use the Rockies' facilities to work out.

After missing that 2011 season, Manning switched teams and rejoined his good friend in Denver, where Helton has played his entire 17-year baseball career.

Helton announced last weekend that he's hanging up his cleats at age 40.

"I'll be there next Wednesday to see his last game," Manning said Thursday.

After listing what he admires about Helton as a pro consistency, toughness, dogged determination Manning spoke about what Helton's friendship has meant to him over the last two decades.

"He was nice to me as an 18-year-old homesick freshman up there in Knoxville," Manning said. "Todd was a big star when I got there already, a Knoxville legend, and so he took time to be nice to me, and I appreciated that."

Although Manning unseated Helton as the Volunteers' QB, they've remained close, attending each other's games when they've had the chance.

"A couple of years ago, during that lockout when I was in a strange and new situation, for him to get on that phone and call me and invite me out here to work out with the Rockies in private and use the Rockies' trainers, I'll always be indebted to him," Manning said. "Because I was in kind of a weird place, unknown, I had nobody to turn to medically because of the lockout."

Helton is in the midst of his final homestand and will make his last appearance at Coors Field when the Rockies play the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

"I'm happy for him," Manning said. "I feel like he's at peace with it. I have communicated with him. I hope he enjoys these last games, but there won't be another one like him here, I can promise you that."

article source: AP NFL

Although there were a lot of good moves in the first week of NFL, and a lot of players who deserve this place, for the first week the best player is Payton Manning.