Watching Peyton Manning carve up the Philadelphia Eagles for 327 passing yards and four touchdowns Sunday evening was like watching the series finale to “Breaking Bad.”
I could not stop watching.
I was on the edge of my seat for every possession, waiting to see what Manning and the Denver Broncos were going to do next to torment the Eagles’ defense.
At the conclusion of the 52-20 route, I came to a simple conclusion: Manning is the best quarterback of all time.
Forget Brady, forget Montana, forget Favre, Young, Marino, Bradshaw, Tarkenton, Unitas, Namath, or whomever you want to call the greatest quarterback of all time.
Yes, Peyton is 9-11 in playoffs, including eight years of one-and-dones and yes, he only has one ring in comparison to his younger brother, Eli, and his rival, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
But, Peyton is the greatest quarterback.
When people analyze quarterbacks and knock Manning for his struggles in the postseason, they forget to realize that football is a team sport.
For the first time in his career, it’s safe to say Manning finally has the best team around him in the Mile High City.
Not saying Manning’s teams in Indianapolis weren’t adequate, but in Denver, the four-time Most Valuable Player has a defense and a receiving core that would even make Joe Burrow, the Athens High School quarterback, look like a Pro Bowler.
Here’s a stat that stands out — Broncos’ slot receiver Wes Welker has six touchdown catches to Brady’s seven touchdown throws.
When people pit Brady and Manning against each other, not only do they start verbal wars, they also forget to look at the statistics of the two and the overall team that surrounded them.
That’s not a knock on Brady (that’s coming up), it just shows that the Denver offense is firing on all cylinders. Manning has thrown for 16 touchdowns and is proving that it’s the weapons around you that make you great.
I know I’m about to throw fuel on the fire, but in terms of career stats, Manning’s stats blows Brady’s stat out of the water:
Manning (career) – 60,957 passing yards, 65 percent completion rate, 452 touchdown passes, 209 interceptions and a 96.5 passer rating. Four-time NFL MVP, eight-time All-Pro and 12 Pro Bowl selections.
Brady (career) – 45,820 passing yards, 64 percent completion rate, 341 touchdown passes, 125 interceptions and 96.4 passer rating. Two-time NFL MVP, two-time All-Pro and eight Pro Bowl selections.
Even when people claim, “Brady is better because he has three rings and Manning has one,” I always ask the simple question: if Brady is better than Manning because he has more rings, is Terry Bradshaw better than Brady because he has more?
Of course, everyone’s answer is always “No! He had the Steel Curtain.”
Exactly.
When people analyze the two first-ballot Hall of Famers, they forget to realize Brady had a much better team surrounding him.
My point is, teams win championships.
I actually do believe Brady is a great quarterback, but after seeing the Broncos dismantle the Eagles Sunday, I’ve come to the conclusion that Manning finally has the pieces around him to make that final push to immortality.
Manning had good weapons with the Colts, Reggie Wayne, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison, but nothing like this.
The man is on pace for 5,880 yards at the age of 37 and four neck surgeries. Are you kidding me? How can anyone not be impressed?
To me, Manning has shown this year that he is the greatest quarterback to ever play this game. Despite his shortcomings and losses in the playoffs, he looks like a man playing among boys.
lr514812@ohio.edu
@Lukeoroark
