End of the line for Peyton Manning?

DENVER – The question was simple: Are you coming back next year?

As was the case with almost everything Sunday, Peyton Manning didn’t have much of an answer.

A few minutes after Denver’s 24-13 loss to Indianapolis in the AFC divisional playoffs, the 38-year-old quarterback was noncommittal about returning for the 2015 season, which would be his fourth in Denver.

Asked in his postgame news conference where his mindset is for next season, Manning reiterated what he had said earlier to Broncos play-by-play voice Dave Logan: “I didn’t have a great answer for him.”

Asked again, directly, if he could say “I’m coming back,” Manning didn’t budge, saying he was more focused on the disappointment of the loss to his former team.

“I can’t give a simple answer without processing it,” he said. “I can’t say that. I could not say that.”

That was a marked contrast from last year at the Super Bowl, when Manning committed to coming back for 2014, or as recently as two weeks ago, when he said he “certainly” planned on being back for 2015 if the Broncos would have him.

Until the middle of November, that never looked as if it were in doubt.

Then, came the 22-7 loss to the Rams that motivated the Broncos to revamp their entire offense, turning a unit that broke NFL records for scoring and passing in 2013 into a grind-it-out operation.

Around then, questions percolated about the health of the 17th-year quarterback. In the aftermath of his 26-for-46, 211-yard performance against his former team – his second home playoff loss in the AFC divisional round in three seasons in Denver – Manning was forthcoming about a thigh bruise he suffered in a Dec. 14 game at San Diego. Yes, it lingered, but it wasn’t bad enough to keep him out of this one.

“Nothing more to it than that,” he said. “And I … felt good with it coming into the day.”

If he’s not injured, that leaves only one obvious explanation for the deterioration of his game.

He’s getting old. Fast.

Stats tell part of the story. Since the Rams game, his quarterback rating has been 84.6, about 13 points below his career average.

Pictures do, too. Even for a quarterback who can’t run, it was hard watching him roll out in the third quarter, then pass up the run and instead throw an incompletion despite a 20-yard gap between him and any defender on a third-and-5.

Manning’s unwillingness to commit made coach John Fox’s same stance behind the podium a few minutes earlier seem more understandable.

Asked about a pregame report that he could be available if the Broncos suffered a loss Sunday, Fox hardly shot it down.

“I don’t make those decisions,” he said. “I don’t control that. My intentions are to be a Denver Bronco.”