Both Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington had to overcome some obstacles to succeed this season. They both ended up excelling and were given recognition for their efforts. Manning was voted The Associated Press’s Most Valuable Player award. This was Manning’s third time winning the award. He also took the honor in 2003 along with Tennessee’s Steve McNair and again in 2004. He won the award convincingly, beating other contenders by more than two dozen votes. One of the other players in the running, Pennington, got at award of his own from The Associated Press, being named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year. Both players will be at the helm as their teams try to advance through the first round of the playoffs.

Earlier in the season, picturing Manning as the MVP would have been a long shot. Manning went though surgery on an infected Bursa sack in his knee during the offseason and didn’t get the same experience during the preseason as normal. The Colts started their regular season with a surprising 29-13 loss to the Chicago Bears. By week eight, they were 3-4 and questions started to arise about their ability to make the playoffs. They rallied beautifully, not losing a game after that and finishing with a 12-4 record and a playoff spot. They even shutout the Tennessee Titans 23-0 in the final game of the season. Manning was key to the wins as seven of his last nine games this season he tallied a passer rating of 95 or more, with four over 120. This season, Manning had 371 completions, 4,002 yards, 27 touchdowns and a passer rating of 95.0.

Unlike Manning, who has been with the Colts since 1998, 2008 marked Pennington’s first year with the Dolphins. He was dropped late in the offseason by the New York Jets, where he had spent the last eight seasons. The Dolphins had finished the 2007 season with 1-15 record, and somehow Miami and Pennington were a perfect fit. They started the season with losses to the Jets and the Arizona Cardinals, but then topped New England and San Diego. They ended the season with an 11-5 record and a postseason berth. Pennington had a remarkable season for the Dolphins and hasn’t had a passer rating under 100 since week 13. He started and played in every game, tallying 476 completions, 3,653 yards, `9 touchdowns and a passer rating of 97.4. Although there were a lot of factors to the Dolphins’ comeback, Pennington’s teammates voiced their recognition of the quarterback’s efforts this season.

To advance to the Divisional Round, the Colts will have to top the San Diego Chargers. Both teams have been hot in the final games of this season. When the two faced during week 12, the Colts were narrowly on top 23-20. The Dolphins will be up against the Baltimore Ravens, who have an identical record as the Dolphins. The Ravens and the Dolphins met during week seven, with the Ravens taking the game 27-13. See both teams with for NFL tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/nfl-tickets.

This article was written by Julie Cudney and is sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells tickets to sporting events, concerts and theater productions. Go to StubHub.com for NFL tickets.

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