Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are known as the two best National Football League quarterbacks of the past 15 years. These quarterbacks faced off for the 16th time in their careers last Sunday. Brady got the better of Manning for the 11th time with a 43-21 win over the Broncos. Many believe Manning is the not only the greatest quarterback of his era, but the greatest of all time. However, that is simply not true. Manning is one of the greatest to ever play the game, but Brady has always been better.
Manning’s career began back in 1998 when the Indianapolis Colts selected him as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.  That season the Colts finished 3-13 with Manning as quarterback. This was one of only two losing seasons the team would have with Manning under center. Manning won his first of a record-setting five Most Valuable Player awards in 2003. In 2004 he won the MVP and lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots in the playoffs. In the 2007 playoffs, Manning led the Colts to a 38-34 conference championship victory over Brady and the Patriots. This was the first time Manning had defeated Brady in the playoffs. Manning went on to win his first and only Super Bowl Championship over the Chicago Bears that February. Manning and the Colts lost the 2010 Super Bowl to the New Orleans Saints, and Manning lost last year’s Super Bowl as a member of the Denver Broncos to the Seattle Seahawks in embarrassing fashion. Manning may be the greatest regular season quarterback of all time. On Oct. 19, Manning threw his 509th career touchdown pass to set the new NFL record. However, the regular season production is not always there in the playoffs. Manning’s playoff record currently stands at 11-12.
Peyton Manning has a squeaky clean image off of the field. Manning’s character has never been questioned in his career. Due to his on-the-field performance, clean image and family name, Manning is the centerpiece of a large amount of television advertising space. All of these factors, along with the huge regular season numbers, have made most fans foolishly declare Manning as the greatest quarterback of all time.
Brady is everything Manning is not. While Manning was selected No. 1 in the NFL draft, Brady was selected 199th overall in the 2000 draft by New England. Brady began his career as a fourth string quarterback and earned his way up to second string.  Brady became the starting quarterback of the Patriots in the third game of the 2001 season, when Drew Bledsoe was sidelined with an injury. Brady led the Patriots to victory in 11 of the 14 games he started that season.  In his first season as a starter, Brady won Super Bowl XXXVI. Brady was named the Super Bowl MVP, and he became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl at that time. Brady also won Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX.  In 2007, Brady and the Patriots became the second team ever to go undefeated in the regular season, but Brady lost the Super Bowl that year to the New York Giants 17-14. Brady also lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl in 2011, 21-17. Nevertheless, Brady’s playoff record is an outstanding 18-8.
Manning and Brady have both accomplished many things in their careers in the NFL, but the question remains, who is the better quarterback? Both Brady and Manning have outstanding statistics, but Brady has been absolutely dominant over Manning. After the big New England win on Sunday, Brady is 11-5 against Manning. Manning threw for 438 yards in the game and still lost. Ultimately, the only numbers that matter are the ones on the scoreboard. Quarterback statistics do not matter in big games. What matters is whether or not you get the win, and Brady has gotten significantly more of those wins than Manning.  Brady’s 18 playoff wins by a quarterback in the playoffs are the most in NFL history, while Manning’s 12 losses by a quarterback in the playoffs are also the most in NFL history. How can Manning be better than Brady when Brady is No. 1 in wins and Manning is No. 1 in losses? Brady has also played in more playoff games than any other quarterback, which attests to his regular season performance, postseason performance and longevity.
Who is the best quarterback of the last 15 years? Many will answer this question by saying Peyton Manning, but that is incorrect. Tom Brady is the best quarterback of the last 15 years and quite possibly the best of all time.