Peyton Manning turns to his left, yelling the play to his left tackle. He spins around, directing his running back to line up at his side. Manning sees the opposing linebacker twitch; he understands that a blitz is coming. He shouts a command, calling for an audible. He waves his arms feverishly, ordering his tight end to be in motion. Finally, Manning takes the snap and delivers a perfect spiral to the corner of the end zone, where only his receiver can grab it and where only Manning can put it. The Sheriff, stoic as ever, pumps his fist. Touchdown.

That was the old Peyton Manning. Now, Manning is just plain old. Approaching 40 years of age, Manning still looks every bit like his former self. He still dons his iconic number 18. His timeless throwing motion remains the same after 10,384 regular-season and postseason pass attempts. Yet the results have not looked the same. Manning’s arm-strength is sapped; his spirals now wobble and the deep ball has been replaced by shorter passes.

David Eulitt | Kansas City Star

Just two years removed from setting the single-season records in passing yards and passing touchdowns, Manning’s fall has been swift. It was to be expected, though; they say Father Time is undefeated. Now, in the twilight of his career, Manning stands in an unfamiliar position: underdog.

Manning’s greatness is undeniable. His legacy, however, remains up in the air. Between all the accolades—five Most Valuable Player awards, 14 Pro Bowl selections and one Comeback Player of the Year award—it is impossible to get around the fact that Manning has just one Super Bowl title to his name. Despite his vast regular season success, Manning, for whatever reason, be it his own shortcomings or a lack of talent around him, has only won the Super Bowl once in his 17 seasons. So how should we remember him: as an exceptional quarterback or as one who came up short when it mattered?

There is no correct answer. We do, after all, live in a society where Eli Manning’s Super Bowl rings are attributed to luck and Dan Marino is criticized for never winning the big one. You can argue that Peyton Manning doesn’t measure up to nemesis Tom Brady, who has four rings and holds an 11-6 advantage in head-to-head matchups. You can argue that Peyton Manning needs to win one more to at least pull even with younger brother Eli Manning. You can argue that a potential 2016 Super Bowl win would mean less if the Denver Broncos defense carried Peyton Manning to victory. You can also argue that Manning has had the toughest tests of any quarterback in his four Super Bowl appearances, facing the NFC’s top seed all four times.

My take? Manning is easily one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and an additional Super Bowl victory would just be gravy on top of an outstanding career. For all of his excellence on the football field, Manning is just as committed in the community, and we should root for guys like him. He owns the career passing yards and passing touchdowns marks and has been named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, an award that isn’t handed out to just anyone. We should appreciate what is likely the Sheriff’s last battle on Sunday, because he transcended the sport like few before him.

Manning’s Broncos have already managed to reach the Super Bowl despite all odds. Chances are that the bets will be against them once again in the 2016 Super Bowl, facing a 15-1 Carolina Panthers juggernaut led by MVP hopeful Cam Newton and a playmaking defense that led the league with 39 takeaways. On his last legs, a victory this Sunday would be Manning’s greatest achievement yet, and we should all be so lucky to see him pull it off.