Tom Brady–Peyton Manning rivalry

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Tom Brady (left) and Peyton Manning (right)

The Tom Brady–Peyton Manning "rivalry" was a series of games that took place between 2001 and 2015 involving two quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL): Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.[1][2][3] It is considered by many to be the greatest individual NFL rivalry of all time, and has been compared to other legendary sports rivalries, such as Magic-Bird in basketball, Ali-Frazier in boxing, and Messi-Ronaldo in soccer.

Manning and Brady are considered by many as two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Manning would go on to win five MVP awards in his 18-year career, while Brady won three as of 2021.[4] Both quarterbacks have also made the Pro Bowl 14 or more times in their careers,[5] and both were selected to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. Brady and Manning are the only starting quarterbacks to win Super Bowls with multiple franchises, and are believed by many as the best NFL players of the 2000s and 2010s.

Background[]

Brady played for the New England Patriots from 2000, when he was the 199th selection in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, through 2019.[6] After Drew Bledsoe was injured in week 2 of the 2001 season, Tom Brady got his first career start against Peyton Manning's Colts, winning the game 44–13.[7] Brady was the Patriots' starting quarterback until the team's final game of the 2019 season, with the exception of 2008, when he tore his ACL in the opening game, and 2016, when he was suspended for the first 4 games of the season due to his alleged involvement in the Deflategate scandal. Brady has appeared in a record ten Super Bowls (nine with the Patriots, one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) as of 2021, and has won a record seven (six with the Patriots, one with the Buccaneers).

Manning was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 NFL Draft with the number 1 pick, and played for the Colts until the team's final game of the 2010 season, as a neck injury caused him to miss the entire 2011 season. The Colts finished 2-14 that year in his absence and secured the #1 pick in the draft where he became expendable once consensus top prospect, QB Andrew Luck of Stanford was available. In his time with the Colts, Manning led them to two Super Bowls, winning one.[8] On March 20, 2012, after 14 years with the Colts, Manning signed with the Denver Broncos, for whom he played until his retirement following the 2015 season. He led the Broncos to two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl 50 in what would be his final game. Like Brady, Manning led his new team to their first Super Bowl win in nearly two decades.

Rivalry[]

Peyton was someone that I always just admired as a quarterback, as a leader of a team. I always looked up to Peyton because he was a little older than me and always doing things the right way. His team was always in it. I know our teams had a rivalry against one another, but when you went against a Peyton-led team, you were going against the best team in the league.

– Tom Brady in 2021[9]

Manning and Brady played each other 17 times,[10] with Brady winning the head-to-head series 11–6. From 2001 to 2015, the two quarterbacks met at least once every season, except 2002, 2008, and 2011; while Brady's Patriots and Manning's Colts played each other in 2008 and 2011, Brady missed the 2008 season and Manning missed the 2011 season, both due to injuries (Brady with an ACL tear suffered Week 1 and Manning with neck problems). The two quarterbacks did not meet during the 2015 regular season (Brady's Patriots did play Manning's Broncos, but Manning missed the game due to a plantar fasciitis injury), though they met in that year's AFC Championship Game.

Brady won the Colts–Patriots series 8–4[11] and also won the Broncos–Patriots series 3–2, though Manning's two wins with the Broncos both occurred in the AFC Championship Games in 2013 and 2015. Brady led the series in Foxborough 8–2, while Manning led the series in Indianapolis/Denver 4–3.[12]

The two quarterbacks met five times in the NFL Playoffs, in which Manning won three of them (all five were won by the home team, as Brady's two wins both came in Foxborough). Four of the five match-ups were in the AFC Championship Game, with Manning winning three of the four, one of the games with the Colts (2006) and another two with the Broncos (2013, 2015). The winner of each of the playoff match-ups went on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Four of the teams, Brady's 2003 and 2004 Patriots and Manning's 2006 Colts and 2015 Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl, while Manning's 2013 Broncos lost the game.

Outside of football[]

Manning and Brady participated alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the rematch of The Match: Tiger vs. Phil as a charity fundraiser for COVID-19 pandemic relief.[13][14]

When Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, Brady attended his enshrinement ceremony and quipped on Twitter that he needed "to make sure (Manning's) really done. Can't risk this guy coming back..."[9] ​Also at the event were Bruce Arians and Tom Moore, both of whom coached Manning and Brady in Indianapolis and Tampa Bay.[15]

Results[]

Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning Game-by-Game Results
Brady's Patriots vs. Manning's Colts (Brady, 8–4)
Season Results Location Series Notes
2001 Patriots 44–13 Foxborough Brady 1–0 Brady's first career start.
Patriots 38–17 Indianapolis Brady 2–0 The only season they battled twice in the regular season. Patriots win Super Bowl XXXVI.
2003 Patriots 38–34 Indianapolis Brady 3–0 Patriots make a goal line stand inside the final minute to preserve the win.
2003 playoffs Patriots 24–14 Foxborough Brady 4–0 AFC Championship Game. First postseason meeting. Peyton Manning throws 4 interceptions. Patriots win Super Bowl XXXVIII.
2004 Patriots 27–24 Foxborough Brady 5–0 NFL Kickoff Game.
2004 playoffs Patriots 20–3 Foxborough Brady 6–0 AFC Divisional playoffs. Patriots win Super Bowl XXXIX.
2005 Colts 40–21 Foxborough Brady 6–1 Peyton Manning's first victory of the series.
2006 Colts 27–20 Foxborough Brady 6–2 First game featured on NBC Sunday Night Football
2006 playoffs Colts 38–34 Indianapolis Brady 6–3 AFC Championship Game. Colts overcome 21–3 deficit, win Super Bowl XLI.
2007 Patriots 24–20 Indianapolis Brady 7–3 Patriots were 8–0 and the Colts were 7–0 entering meeting. Patriots lose Super Bowl XLII.
2009 Colts 35–34 Indianapolis Brady 7–4 Only regular season home game Manning won as a Colt. Colts lose Super Bowl XLIV.
2010 Patriots 31–28 Foxborough Brady 8–4
Brady's Patriots vs. Manning's Broncos (Brady, 3–2)
Season Results Location Series Notes
2012 Patriots 31–21 Foxborough Brady 9–4
2013 Patriots 34–31(OT) Foxborough Brady 10–4 Patriots overcome 24–0 deficit. Only meeting to go into overtime in the history of the rivalry.
2013 playoffs Broncos 26–16 Denver Brady 10–5 AFC Championship Game. Broncos lose Super Bowl XLVIII.
2014 Patriots 43–21 Foxborough Brady 11–5 Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX.
2015 playoffs Broncos 20–18 Denver Brady 11–6 AFC Championship Game. Broncos win Super Bowl 50. Manning finished 3–1 in AFC Championship games against Brady.
Summary of Results
Season Season series at New England at Indianapolis/Denver Notes
Regular season Brady 9–3 Brady 6–2 Brady 3–1 All four Manning home games were in Indianapolis
Postseason Manning 3–2 Brady 2–0 Manning 3–0 Manning was 1–0 in Indianapolis and 2–0 in Denver.
Regular and postseason Brady 11–6 Brady 8–2 Manning 4–3 Manning was 2–3 in Indianapolis and 2–0 in Denver

Career statistics[]

Regular season[]

Player G ATT CMP CMP% YDS YDS/A YDS/G TD INT LNG SK RATE RUSH YDS RUSH ATT RUSH TD NFL MVPs
Peyton Manning[16] 266 9,380 6,125 65.3 71,940 7.67 270.5 539 251 86 303 96.5 667 431 18 5
Tom Brady[17] 314 11,152 7,156 64.2 83,338 7.47 265.4 617 201 99 537 97.6 1,111 662 27 3

Postseason[]

Player G ATT CMP CMP% YDS YDS/A YDS/G TD INT LNG SK RATE RUSH YDS RUSH ATT RUSH TD SB Wins SB MVPs
Peyton Manning[16] 27 1,027 649 63.2 7,339 7.15 271.8 40 25 87 40 87.4 34 32 3 2 1
Tom Brady[17] 45 1,764 1,106 62.7 12,449 7.06 276.6 83 38 73 72 90.4 133 113 7 7 5

Note: Brady's statistics are updated as of December 12, 2021, while Manning's statistics are final.

References[]

  1. ^ Armour, Nancy (January 17, 2014). "With other QB rivalries 'not even close,' Manning and Brady square off again". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  2. ^ Hochman, Benjamin (January 19, 2014). "Peyton Manning-Tom Brady ranks among greatest sports rivalries of all time". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on January 20, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  3. ^ Reineking, Jim (January 21, 2016). "Top Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning games". National Football League. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  4. ^ Tom Brady wins record 5th Super Bowl MVP in dominant performance vs. Chiefs: 'We're coming back', Jason Owens, Yahoo Sports, February 8, 2021
  5. ^ "Football's Greatest: Ranking the Top 10 Quarterbacks in NFL History". Sports Illustrated. October 27, 2017. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  6. ^ "Full Draft - 2000". Archived from the original on September 6, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  7. ^ Shulman, Dan (August 4, 2019). "Tom Brady's First-Career Start Was a Blowout Over Peyton Manning's Colts. [WATCH]". Heavy. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Kelley, Craig (September 7, 2011). "COLLINS TO START". Indianapolis Colts. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Reiss, Mike (August 5, 2021). "Tom Brady to join Peyton Manning's section for Hall of Fame induction ceremony". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  10. ^ Battista, Judy (October 31, 2014). "Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady: One for the ages -- and ageless". National Football League. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  11. ^ Donaldson, Jim (January 12, 2014). "Jim Donaldson: Brady-Manning – As good as it gets". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  12. ^ Bender, Bill (May 24, 2020). "Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning: Looking back at their 17 legendary head-to-head matchups". Sporting News. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  13. ^ Pickman, Ben. "Tiger, Phil, Peyton, Brady to Play 2-on-2 Golf Special. Tiger and Peyton won by 1 stroke, in an entertaining and fun match that captured high ratings during a time where most sports were on pause due to COVID-19. While Phil and Brady lost, Brady took the hit of the day home. While being teased by Charles Barkley, for not keeping up with the pros, Brady's shot on a par 5 7th, landed beyond the pin and spun back into the cup". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  14. ^ "Tom Brady, Peyton Manning joining Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson for 'The Match' reboot". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  15. ^ Stroud, Rick (August 4, 2021). "Bucs' Tom Brady to attend Peyton Manning's Hall of Fame induction". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Peyton Manning Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Tom Brady Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
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