If given the opportunity to see Michelangelo paint, Pavarotti sing or any other master perform his/her craft, would you take it? I think it’s fair to say that most of us would, simply because witnessing someone’s greatness is something that doesn’t happen very often.
This Sunday night, we all have the privilege to do just that and watch two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will take the same field and square off for what could be the last time. Brady is 36 and Manning is 37, and while both still seem to have good football left in them, they are in the twilight of their careers, and being that Father Time is undefeated in sports, it goes unknown how many more times these two will meet on a playing field.
These modern-day legends have gone head to head 13 previous times, with Brady winning nine of them and with seven of these games being decided by a touchdown or less.
The games between the two never seem to disappoint, and both Manning and Brady always bring their A-game to the table. Manning has thrown for 27 touchdowns in head-to-head games to Brady’s 23, but Brady has thrown seven fewer interceptions in these games.
Do you have a favorite? Preference of one QB over the other is probably going to come down to the importance one puts on Super Bowl wins. Brady has won three of the big games, while Manning only has one Super Bowl ring.
Brady won his with much better teams around him in New England than what Manning had all those years in Indianapolis, but this might be reversed this year, with the Broncos having a considerably better team on both offense and defense. Brady, along with Mr. Personality, head coach Bill Belichick, have both found a way to win this year with considerably less talent than in years past.
Manning has better career numbers thus far, passing for 63,059 yards and 470 touchdowns to Brady’s 47,358 passing yards and 348 touchdowns. Brady, however, is the only QB to throw 50 touchdowns in a single season, and has won 77 percent of his games compared to Manning’s 68 percent.
Maybe your preference is based on the commercials each has done, although anyone who would chose Brady over Manning from a marketing standpoint has got to be half crazy. Manning has hit commercial home runs with his Directv and MasterCard campaigns, while Brady is best known for his Ugg boots ads. I guess Brady did have the one funny Under Armor ad at Dick’s Sporting Goods a few years back.
I would doubt that Brady cares much about the success of his commercials versus Manning’s. Even if he did, Brady can always go home and cry on his supermodel wife Gisele’s shoulder (not a bad consolation).
The game also has playoff implications. It’s pretty clear that the Broncos will make the postseason, but in a close division race with the Chiefs, each win is paramount for Denver. It may also determine which of these teams plays host to the other if they meet up in the playoffs.
Michelangelo used paint and brushes; Tom Brady and Peyton Manning use a football and their arms to construct their own masterpiece. No matter your favorite, Brady versus Manning has been a feature of future Hall of Famers for the last 13 years. Enjoy it while it lasts.
