Brennan: Peyton Manning has no choice but to retire now

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After becoming the oldest and luckiest man to quarterback a team to a Super Bowl victory, Peyton Manning knows what he needs to do now. He can wait a few more days if he wishes, or a few more weeks if he must, but he surely knows what must come next, and we know it too.
He must retire.
Manning really has no choice. You saw the Super Bowl. He did too. He saw what the Denver Broncos’ defense did to poor Cam Newton. He knows that defense saved him. He knows he didn’t play particularly well Sunday night in Denver’s 24-10 victory over Carolina.
“I was just glad I was on the same team as our defense and didn’t have to play against them,” he said.
Manning's Super Bowl stat sheet was decidedly mediocre: 13 completions in 23 attempts for just 141 passing yards. One interception. No touchdown passes.