When the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl, the notion that an elite, franchise quarterback was needed to win was gone. The Broncos had become world champions despite having possibly the worst quarterback to win a Super Bowl on their team.
While that quarterback may have been named Peyton Manning, this was not the Manning of old. With more interceptions that touchdowns for the first time since his rookie year and a QBR of 45, the Broncos managed to win the Super Bowl.
This has some believing that having an elite quarterback is no longer needed and that needing one was just a myth.