4 most devastating losses of Peyton Manning's career

Peyton Manning finally succumbed to Father Time this season, and could be playing in the final playoff game of his Hall-of-Fame career.

The 39-year-old will always be judged by his poor postseason record, which stands at 12-13 heading into Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots.

While Manning is often given an unfair amount of the blame for both the Indianapolis Colts' and Denver Broncos' playoff struggles, the fact is, he has experienced some of the most devastating losses in NFL history, ones that have greatly affected his legacy.

Here are the four worst he has endured:

4. 2004 Divisional Playoffs – Indianapolis Colts 3 - New England Patriots 20

Manning's stats: 27-of-42, 64.3%, 238 yards, INT, 5.7 YPA

This was meant to be the year Manning finally overcame the Patriots. He'd had a historic regular season, earning the second MVP of his career and breaking Dan Marino's touchdown record by throwing for 49 scores.

The Colts' offense looked unstoppable, but was dominated by the Patriots all game long. Manning could only lead his team to three points, with the Colts punting six times.

While Manning had worse performances against New England, the drop from his play during his spectacular regular season reinforced the idea that he was a significantly different quarterback come playoff time.

3. Super Bowl XLVIII: Denver Broncos 8 - Seattle Seahawks 43

Manning's stats: 34-of-49, 69.4%, 280 yards, TD, 2 INT, 5.7 YPA

It's logical that Manning's two Super Bowl losses should be his most devastating playoff defeats. However, once this game started, there was little hope that Manning and the Broncos stood any chance of beating the Seattle Seahawks.

Denver had averaged nearly 38 points per game during an unprecedented level of offensive play in the regular season. Manning became the only five-time MVP in NFL history, regaining the touchdown record back from Brady, but looked old and ineffective for the first time in the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks' defense dominated Manning and his offense from the outset, taking away the downfield passing game and harassing him all game. Manning threw two interceptions, including a pick-6 before halftime.

Manning's team failed on the biggest stage, and while the nature of the defeat prevents it from topping this list, the sight of Manning dejectedly walking off the field, with the possibility he might never return, is a tough image to shake.

2. 2012 Divisional Round: Baltimore Ravens 38 - Denver Broncos 35 (OT)

Manning's stats: 28-of-43, 65.1%, 290 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 6.7 YPA

Manning's playoff woes traveled with him as he moved from Indianapolis to Denver.

The Broncos were massive favorites against the Ravens, who had looked anything but a playoff-caliber team for the last quarter of the regular season. However, Baltimore put up much more of a fight than expected and trailed by only a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

With 40 seconds left in the game, Joe Flacco connected on a 70-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones that took the game to overtime after safety Rahim Moore famously misplayed the ball.

After both teams struggled to score in overtime, Manning threw a pick that allowed Baltimore to kick the game-winning field goal. The Broncos and Manning lost the game in one of the cruelest ways imaginable.

1. Super Bowl XLIV: Indianapolis Colts 17 - New Orleans Saints 31

Manning's stats: 31-of-45, 68.9%, 333 yards, TD, INT, 7.4 YPA

Everything was set up for Manning to cement his place as the greatest of all time. Unlike his previous Super Bowl run in 2006, Manning had put together a solid statistical postseason. He'd led the Colts to a 14-2 regular-season record - which could have been 16-0 if Indianapolis hadn't chosen to rest its starters - and captured the fourth MVP of his career.

This was it, Manning had the chance to alter the narrative of his career. With a win, he'd have pulled within one Lombardi Trophy of Brady and would have done so against a daunting opponent in the New Orleans Saints led by Drew Brees.

Unfortunately, Manning made the defining mistake of his career late in the fourth quarter. Trailing 24-17, he threw a pick-6 to Tracy Porter, sealing the Colts' loss.

It was the first time in his career Manning had turned the ball over in the fourth quarter or overtime of a postseason game while trailing by eight points or fewer. However, it added irreversible fuel to the narrative fire that Manning is simply not clutch in the playoffs.