Peyton Manning for 2008 NFL MVP

Manning Surges to Top of MVP Race with 8th Straight Win

Peyton Manning has surged to the top of the 2008 NFL MVP race with his clutch week 16 performance versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. The eighth straight Colts victory secured their seventh consecutive NFL Playoff berth. Manning is now the front-runner for the 2008 NFL MVP trophy by orchestrating a precise 29-34 364 yard 3 touchdown effort that carried Indianapolis to a 31-24 victory over the Jaguars.

Manning completed 17 straight passes for a 140.7 quarterback rating - just shy of the 158.3 perfect score. Peyton Manning was the only answer in Jacksonville on a night where the Colts could not run, tackle, or defend. The quarterback was unflappable, playing from behind at 14-24 well into the third quarter. The game required perfection and Manning delivered the goods with yet another shocking comeback win.

This was a defining moment, marking a campaign that has risen out of the shadows of a 2008 season that eerily lacks definition.

Whereas 2007 was highlighted by the undefeated England Patriots">New England Patriots march towards the Super Bowl and immortal perfection - at which point Goliath was to be slain by the New York Giants; this 2008 season lacks a dominant team and prevailing story line.

Commentators had already awarded the Super Bowl to the Dallas Cowboys before the ball had been snapped, only to helplessly observe the franchise degenerate into today's disappointing 9-6 soap opera fiasco.

The New York Giants then surged to 11-1 and appeared primed to successfully defend last year's title prior to being sabotaged by the Plexico Burress saga and two straight listless losses to divisional foes. The Tennessee Titans accepted the top dog AFC crown while rallying to 10-0, only to be destroyed at home by the New York Jets 34-13 the following week.

The Jets, Panthers, and Steelers have all been the 'team to beat' at different points in the season before being ultimately exposed as mere contenders in this parity driven League.

Meanwhile, Manning and the Colts have quietly rifled off eight straight wins.