Tom Brady–Peyton Manning rivalry

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] 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.[4] 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.[5] Brady was the Patriots' starting quarterback ever since, with the exception of 2008, when he tore his ACL in the opening game. [6] Manning was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 NFL Draft with the number 1 pick, and played for the Colts until a neck injury caused him to miss the entire 2011 season.[7] Prior to the 2012 season, Manning signed with the Denver Broncos, for whom he played until his retirement following the 2015 season.

Tom Brady (left) and Peyton Manning (right)

Manning and Brady are considered by many as two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.[8]

Rivalry

Manning and Brady played each other 17 times. Brady led the Patriots to a record 9 Super Bowls and won a record 6 times. Manning led his teams to 4 Super Bowls and won twice. [9] Brady led the head-to-head series 11–6. From 2001–2015, 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). 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), but they met in that year's AFC Championship Game.

Brady led the Colts–Patriots series 8–4[10] and also led the Broncos–Patriots series 3–2,[11] 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.[11]

The two quarterbacks met five times in the NFL Playoffs, in which Manning won three of them. 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.[11]

Outside of football

On April 22, 2020, it was announced that Manning and Brady would participate alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the rematch of The Match: Tiger vs. Phil as a charity fundraiser for COVID-19 pandemic relief.[12][13]

Results

Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning Game-by-Game Results
Brady's Patriots vs. Manning's Colts (Brady, 8–4) Date Location Result Series Notes September 30, 2001 Foxborough Patriots 44–13 Brady 1–0 Brady's first career start. October 21, 2001 Indianapolis Patriots 38–17 Brady 2–0 The only season Brady and Manning battled twice in the regular season. November 30, 2003 Indianapolis Patriots 38–34 Brady 3–0 January 18, 2004 Foxborough Patriots 24–14 Brady 4–0 AFC Championship Game. First playoff meeting between the two quarterbacks. Patriots go on to win Super Bowl XXXVIII. September 9, 2004 Foxborough Patriots 24–14 Brady 5–0 First game of the 2004 season. January 16, 2005 Foxborough Patriots 20–3 Brady 6–0 AFC Divisional Round. Patriots go on to win Super Bowl XXXIX November 7, 2005 Foxborough Colts 40–21 Brady 6–1 November 5, 2006 Foxborough Colts 27–20 Brady 6–2 January 21, 2007 Indianapolis Colts 38-34 Brady 6–3 AFC Championship Game. Colts go on to win Super Bowl XLI. November 4, 2007 Indianapolis Patriots 24–20 Brady 7–3 November 15, 2009 Indianapolis Colts 35–34 Brady 7–4 November 21, 2010 Foxborough Patriots 31–28 Brady 8–4
Brady's Patriots vs. Manning's Broncos (Brady, 3–2) Date Location Result Series Notes October 7, 2012 Foxborough Patriots 31–21 Brady 9–4 November 24, 2013 Foxborough Patriots 34–31(OT) Brady 10–4 January 19 2014 Denver Broncos 26–16 Brady 10–5 2013 AFC Championship Game. Broncos go on to lose Super Bowl XLVIII. November 2, 2014 Foxborough Patriots 43–21 Brady 11–5 January 24, 2016 Denver Broncos 20–18 Brady 11–6 2015 AFC Championship Game. Broncos go on to win Super Bowl 50, which would be Manning's final game.
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	COMP	PCT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	TD	INT	LNG	SCK	RATE	RSH YDS	RSH ATT	RSH TD	NFL MVPs
Peyton Manning[14]	266	9,380	6,125	65.3	71,940	7.7	270.5	539	251	86	303	96.5	667	431	18	5
Tom Brady[15]	285	9,988	6,377	63.8	74,571	7.5	261.7	541	179	99	500	97.0	1,037	606	22	3

Postseason

Player	G	ATT	COMP	PCT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	TD	INT	LNG	SCK	RATE	RSH YDS	RSH ATT	RSH TD	SB Wins	SB MVPs
Peyton Manning[14]	27	1,027	649	63.2	7,339	7.1	271.8	40	25	87	40	87.4	34	32	3	2	1
Tom Brady[15]	41	1,626	1,025	63.0	11,388	7.0	277.8	73	35	73	66	89.8	136	100	6	6	4

Note: Brady's statistics are updated as of January 5, 2020, 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. "Full Draft - 2000". Archived from the original on September 6, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
5. 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.
6. Springer, Shira (September 11, 2008). "Brady has both ACL and MCL tears". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
7. Kelley, Craig (September 7, 2011). "COLLINS TO START". Indianapolis Colts. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
8. "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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Bender, Bill (October 30, 2014). "By the Numbers: Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
12. Pickman, Ben. "Tiger, Phil, Peyton, Brady to Play 2-on-2 Golf Special". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
13. "Tom Brady, Peyton Manning joining Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson for 'The Match' reboot". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
14. "Peyton Manning Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
15. "Tom Brady Stats | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.