Peyton Manning is almost always the smartest guy on the field, and that usually manifests itself in the form of pre-snap gyrations and revelatory defensive strategies. But Manning also knows something about self-preservation, which is why it's not uncommon for him to take a self-sack.

We saw it again on Sunday against the Steelers, but instead of dropping to the turf and waiting for the official to blow the play dead, the Broncos quarterback got to his feet and hit Emmanuel Sanders for a 34-yard gain.

It was one of the biggest plays on the afternoon for the Broncos. The Steelers tried to challenge that Manning gave himself up but, well, you can't do that.

Either way, after the Broncos beat the Steelers, Manning sounded as if he'd like to forget the play altogether.

“I’ll have to take a look at that play,” he told reporters. “I’d like to get in there early in the morning and then I can get it deleted off the game film. I don’t know because those video guys get there pretty quick. I think it was probably our longest pass play of the game. We’ll take it. ...

The 39-year-old Peyton Manning still has a few tricks up his sleeve. (USATSI)
The 39-year-old Peyton Manning still has a few tricks up his sleeve. (USATSI)

"I don’t really want to analyze this play too much,” Manning continued. “I’d kind of like it to go away, if it could. I was stepping up. When you fake that way and kind of get your head around, I felt that guy closing, so I stepped up and kind of leaned forward. My momentum kind of just took me down, I guess. I didn’t think that he had touched me. I told Emmanuel just to kind of be alert in case I fall down, get back up to be uncovered.”

The wily old vet didn't play his best game against the Steelers but he was good enough. Manning finished 21 of 37 for 222 yards (0 TDs, 0 INTs) and one self-sack-that-wasn't for a 34-yard completion to Sanders. We're guessing Bill Belichick and the Patriots will be preparing for that all week.