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Peyton Manning takes post-retirement shot at Chargers

What did Manning have to say about playing in front of no fans next season?

Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers Photo by Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Peyton Manning’s first career win came in a 17-12 victory at home against the San Diego Chargers. Manning wasn’t good but having barely avoided going to San Diego because the Chargers wound up with the second pick in 1998 instead of the first, he was likely just happy to get a win. Manning’s Colts went 3-13 that season and 0-8 on the road.

In 1999, now on their way to flipping their record, Manning got his first career win away from Indianapolis: a 27-19 victory over the Chargers in which he threw for 404 yards, his first career 400-yard game.

As of 2020, five years after retirement, Peyton Manning still does not appear done taking his shots against the organization.

In a Zoom meeting with players on the Denver Nuggets, veteran NBA player Mason Plumlee said that at one point Manning was asked what he thinks it will be like to play without fans in the stands. According to Plumlee — repeat, this is second-hand information now — Manning responded with something like “I’m not the one to answer that question” and that it would be better to “ask somebody with the Chargers or one of those teams.”

“Those” teams could be teams that did not enjoy as much regular season or postseason success as they would have liked or it could be that he is referring to the fact that the Chargers have had to play in front of a lot fewer fans since moving to Los Angeles in 2017 as they await access to SoFi Stadium.

Manning went 1-2 in his playoffs career against the Chargers, including 0-1 in San Diego.