OK, so you want to break it down to one play and make it a simplistic game.
3rd and 7 -- Manning has the ball, Manning calls all the shots, he's the "best" QB in the NFL according to many, and he checks down and calls a run to a rookie RB. Denver punts, Ravens get the touchdown to end it. There's no fucking way Tom Brady is calling a run in that situation.
If you want to praise Manning for running the show and being a guru on offense, you have to penalize him when he tucks his tail between his legs and gets scared in crunch time.
Another thing is that it's a team game, so you can't rely on your defense to stop everyone every game. The defense didn't stop the Ravens, so it's now back on Manning to win the game. He didn't, and he gave his defense a horribly short field.