There have been 14 interception returns for touchdowns in the Super Bowl, by a total of 13 players. (Dwight Smith had two in Tampa Bay’s romp over Oakland in January 2003.) Despite the inherent drama of pick-sixes, many of them were essentially inconsequential to the game result. All but one occurred with the intercepting team in the lead: not too surprising, as trailing teams start to pass more and eventually start taking extreme passing risks. Every team with a Super Bowl pick-six went on to win the game.

The only Super Bowl pick-six that gave a team a lead was an early one by Ty Law in 2002 to put the Patriots ahead, 7-3, over the Rams. But the most important was probably by Tracy Porter in February 2010. The Saints were up by 7 with three and a half minutes left, but Peyton Manning had brought the Colts to the New Orleans 31 and was looking to tie the score. Porter got in front of Reggie Wayne and took the interception back 74 yards, sealing the Saints’ only Super Bowl victory.

While the chance of an individual player, even one as good as Kuechly, making a pick-six in a game is quite small, having Manning on the other side of the ball for this Super Bowl might make a difference. Manning’s interception rate this year was 5.1 percent, the highest of his career, and comfortably the highest in the league for quarterbacks who started at least half their team’s games.

“Obviously, the season didn’t go as well as he wanted it to, but he is Peyton Manning,” Kuechly said. “He’s still smart and can still make the throws, and it is evident. I’ve watched him throw the ball from one hash to the opposite hash on an out route. I’ve seen him throw the deep ball, and he’s still Peyton Manning in every way that I see it.”

Kuechly is saying the right things. But if a wayward Manning pass comes his way with the end zone in sight, few would bet against another touchdown.