When it comes to NFL football, Peyton Manning is the man.

The quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts just won his third Most Valuable Player award. That ties Brett Favre’s all-time record of three.

Manning started the 2008 season shortly after two surgeries on his knee. The Colts went 3-4 during the first seven games of the NFL season but knocked off nine wins in a row to make the NFL playoffs. They had an overall record of 12-4. The Colts now play Phillip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers in an NFL wild card game.

"It's been the most rewarding regular season that I've been a part of in my 11 years, and I have to believe a lot of the other players and even coaches might feel the same way," said Manning.

The NFL veteran passed for 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2008. Manning had a passer rating of 95.0 and for the ninth time in his career passed for more than 4000 yards. That is an NFL record.

"In other years, everything started fast [for Peyton Manning]," Colts running back Dominic Rhodes told Sports Illustrated. "He's still breaking records. But this year, there were a bunch of negative things said in the beginning, and he brought his best when we needed his best. This is probably the best ball I've seen him play."

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington and Atlanta Falcon’s running back Michael “the Burner” Turner also received votes for NFL MVP. However, Manning won by a landslide.

The first round schedule for the NFL playoffs looks like this:

Saturday Jan 3:
Game 1: Atlanta at Arizona, 4:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: Indianapolis at San Diego, 8 p.m. ET

Sunday Jan 4:
Game1: Baltimore at Miami, 1 p.m. ET
Game 2: Philadelphia at Minnesota, 4:30 p.m. ET

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