The uplifting postgame photo of Peyton Manning talking to Ray Lewis

When it was all over, when one of the wildest NFL games in recent history was complete, the two future Hall of Famers on both sides of the result quietly met in the victorious locker room.
The picture of Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis is worth more than 300 wins, two Super Bowl titles and the possibility of more to come.
Robert Klemko of USA TODAY Sports wrote about the postgame summit:

They met in the empty visitors locker room a little more than an hour later -- Lewis in a grey three-piece suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses; Manning in a darker jacket and slacks, standing a few inches taller than his rival.

They talked about an epic of a football game that served as a goodbye -- but Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, and not Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, will play next week.

Peyton got flak for not talking to CBS commentators after the game. It was the same way people criticized him for walking off the field after the Super Bowl loss to the New Orleans Saints without shaking hands with his opponents. To some, these acts signify a lack of sportsmanship, as if perfunctory words in the first moments of defeat make Manning a better man.
A photo like this is the measure of both athletes. Two of the all-time greats -- one on the highest high of his career, another at the lowest low -- just talking football.
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Manning and Lewis exchanged postgame words on the field too. Lewis was giving a scripture-spouting interview to CBS (he makes Kevin Garnett sound introverted) when Manning approached and congratulated him. The linebacker appeared sincerely touched by the gesture and let Manning know it by giving him a slap on the helmet. Only, the slap was from Ray Lewis and he was really hyped, so instead of a tender, "good job, bro" slap it became a vicious Harbaugh-on-Schwartz type of congratulations. Peyton didn't appear to mind, bad neck and all.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com