Peyton Manning is inarguably one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, but a string of underwhelming postseason showings throughout his career have done damage to his legacy. That is a tough break for Manning; while quarterbacks historically get too much blame or credit for their team’s success or failure, Manning’s reputation reflects that to an extreme.
He has had tremendous offensive weaponry all around him for the majority of his career, whereas his chief rival, Tom Brady, has often gone farther with less studs at the skill positions. The tradeoff has been that Brady’s Patriots’ teams have routinely had better defenses, while Manning’s teams have often participated in shootouts, which don’t go so well when Manning has had to take trips outdoors in the postseason.
Peyton Manning Now Has One More Thing In Common With Tom Brady
When the Colts won Manning’s only Super Bowl in 2006, the Indianapolis defense was healthy, and ranked inside the Top 10. Super Bowls often wind up being the final factor in where a quarterback is ranked historically, and winning more than one Super Bowl erases any doubt about legacy. Here is how Manning compares to other legends at his position, and see how a second Super Bowl will change his narrative.
| QB | Yards | TDs | INT | Y/G | QB Rating | Playoff Record | Super Bowl Record |
| Peyton Manning | 71,940 | 539 | 251 | 270.5 | 96.5 | 13-13 | 1-2 |
| Tom Brady | 58,028 | 428 | 150 | 257.9 | 96.4 | 22-9 | 4-2 |
| John Elway | 51,475 | 300 | 226 | 220 | 79.9 | 14-7 | 2-3 |
| Dan Marino | 61,361 | 420 | 252 | 253.6 | 86.4 | 8-10 | 0-1 |
| Brett Favre | 71,838 | 508 | 336 | 237.9 | 86.0 | 13-11 | 1-1 |
| Joe Montana | 40,551 | 273 | 139 | 211.2 | 92.3 | 16-7 | 4-0 |
| Drew Brees | 60,903 | 428 | 205 | 280.7 | 95.8 | 6-5 | 1-0 |
On this list of greats, Manning has the most yards, touchdowns, and the best quarterback rating. He has thrown 151 more interceptions than Brady, but also tossed 111 more touchdowns. However, he’s typically brushed off in comparison to Brady, and Joe Montana, because of the last column; Brady is 4-2 in the Super Bowl, while Montana is a perfect 4-0.
Manning vs. Montana is fascinating. Manning has a 30,000-plus yard advantage on Montana, 265 more touchdowns, and averaged nearly 60 more yards per game in his career. Aside from postseason record, Manning is superior to Montana in almost every way, even though he’s more often lumped in with Brett Favre.
Eli Manning Says Peyton Should Be Judged On More Than Rings
Statistically, Favre is a closer comparison. Manning’s yards and touchdown records belonged to Favre first, they have near-identical postseason records, and both have just one ring. The main differences are 33 yards per game more that Manning accounted for, and Manning’s superior touchdown to interception rate. Favre was rewarded for his “gunslinger” mentality, while Manning’s precision was often perceived as mechanical, and less endearing.
With a win on Sunday, Manning can escape the Favre class of legends, and enter the Brady and Montana discussion. He’ll never get to four Super Bowls, but at least he won’t be a one-hit wonder.
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