Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning: Who Is The True Quarterback GOAT?

Posted byRafael CastilloPosted inUncategorizedTags:, , , , ,

Tom Brady is widely considered the NFL GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) but is he really the greatest player?

The Patriots over the last 20 years are arguably the greatest dynasty the sport has seen but should its best player automatically be elevated to GOAT status when we know that football is the ultimate team sport?

Every other position in the sport is judged by the way the players played on the field, not the amount of rings their teams managed to accumulate.

Jerry Rice is not widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver (or player) the game has ever seen because of the amount of Super Bowl rings his team won. Rice performance on the field earned him that title.

Barry Sanders who never even played in a Super Bowl is constantly brought up in the running back GOAT debate.

Jim Brown only won a single NFL championship and we know how highly esteemed he is as a player.

Does Tom Brady performance warrant him being placed above even all other quarterbacks in the game’s history?

When we look at all the data one quarterback stands out as having a very strong argument in challenging Brady for the GOAT QB title basing it solely on their performance on the field and that is Peyton Manning.

In debates, Brady always gets the nod over Manning, the rings argument is used ad nauseam, Brady is believed to be the better player by typical NFL fans because of the amount of rings his team managed to win but who was truly the better player of the two? Let us take a comprehensive look at both players’ career so far and find out.

Brady vs. Manning By The Numbers

Yearly QB Rankings

The following are the yearly rankings each quarterback earned in key advanced analytics.

Brady Advance Statistical Rankings Year To Year:

Manning Advance Statistical Rankings Year To Year:

Elite Seasons

Each quarterback’s ranking in the previously discussed advanced analytics was averaged out and compared against their peers to develop a final ranking for every season played. Top 5 ranked years are labeled elite, this section will take a look at the amount of seasons Brady and Manning earned the elite quarterback designation.

Brady Elite Seasons Breakdown:

Top 5 (Number 1 ranked years are bold) – 11 seasons (04, 05, 07, 09, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17)

Top 10 – 4 seasons (03, 06, 13, 18)

Years as number 1 QB – 4

18 seasons played (2000 backup, 2008 injured, 20 NFL seasons if included)

Manning Elite Seasons Breakdown:

Top 5 (Number 1 ranked years are bold) – 13 seasons (99, 00, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 12, 13, 14)

Top 10 – 2 seasons (01, 02)

Years as number 1 QB – 6

17 seasons played (2011 injured, 18 NFL seasons if included)

Brady vs. Manning By Supporting Cast

A data driven look at each player’s supporting cast.

Team Defense

Brady Team Defense Rankings:

  • 2001 – 13
  • 2002 – 14
  • 2003 – 2
  • 2004 – 7
  • 2005 – 27
  • 2006 – 7
  • 2007 – 11
  • 2008 – Injured
  • 2009 – 14
  • 2010 – 23
  • 2011 – 30
  • 2012 – 17
  • 2013 – 20
  • 2014 – 12
  • 2015 – 11
  • 2016 – 16
  • 2017 – 30
  • 2018 – 19
  • 2019 – 1

Total Average = 15.2

Manning Team Defense Rankings:

  • 1998 – 28
  • 1999 – 26
  • 2000 – 22
  • 2001 – 29
  • 2002 – 16
  • 2003 – 13
  • 2004 – 19
  • 2005 – 5
  • 2006 – 25
  • 2007 – 2
  • 2008 – 11
  • 2009 – 16
  • 2010 – 26
  • 2011 – Injured
  • 2012 – 6
  • 2013 – 15
  • 2014 – 4
  • 2015 – 1

Total Average = 15.5

Special Teams

Brady Special Team Rankings:

  • 2001 – 6
  • 2002 – 3
  • 2003 – 16
  • 2004 – 16
  • 2005 – 12
  • 2006 – 8
  • 2007 – 7
  • 2008 – Injured
  • 2009 – 12
  • 2010 – 8
  • 2011 – 5
  • 2012 – 4
  • 2013 – 2
  • 2014 – 5
  • 2015 – 4
  • 2016 – 8
  • 2017 – 3
  • 2018 – 16
  • 2019 – 11

Total Average = 8.1

Manning Special Team Rankings:

  • 1998 – 21
  • 1999 – 20
  • 2000 – 19
  • 2001 – 24
  • 2002 – 21
  • 2003 – 14
  • 2004 – 23
  • 2005 – 25
  • 2006 – 25
  • 2007 – 32
  • 2008 – 24
  • 2009 – 19
  • 2010 – 31
  • 2011 – Injured
  • 2012 – 13
  • 2013 – 21
  • 2014 – 27
  • 2015 – 14

Total Average = 21.9

Rush Offense

Brady Rush Offense Rankings:

  • 2001 – 17
  • 2002 – 14
  • 2003 – 25
  • 2004 – 4
  • 2005 – 17
  • 2006 – 8
  • 2007 – 2
  • 2008 – Injured
  • 2009 – 9
  • 2010 – 1
  • 2011 – 3
  • 2012 – 2
  • 2013 – 3
  • 2014 – 12
  • 2015 – 9
  • 2016 – 10
  • 2017 – 2
  • 2018 – 8
  • 2019 – 11

Total Average = 8.7

Manning Rush Offense Rankings:

  • 1998 – 24
  • 1999 – 18
  • 2000 – 4
  • 2001 – 11
  • 2002 – 23
  • 2003 – 23
  • 2004 – 10
  • 2005 – 8
  • 2006 – 7
  • 2007 – 6
  • 2008 – 27
  • 2009 – 20
  • 2010 – 10
  • 2011 – Injured
  • 2012 – 13
  • 2013 – 5
  • 2014 – 4
  • 2015 – 16

Total Average = 13.4

Receiving Corps

Brady Receiving Yards Leaders Year To Year (Bold = Selected to Pro Bowl):

  • 2001 – Troy Brown (1199), David Patten (749), Terry Glenn (204), Antowain Smith (192)
  • 2002 – Troy Brown (890), David Patten (824), Deion Branch (489), Kevin Faulk (379)
  • 2003 – Deion Branch (803), David Givens (510), Troy Brown (472), Kevin Faulk (440)
  • 2004 – David Givens (874), David Patten (800), Deion Branch (454), Daniel Graham (364)
  • 2005 – Deion Branch (998), David Givens (738), Troy Brown (466), Ben Watson (441)
  • 2006 – Reche Caldwell (760), Ben Watson (643), Troy Brown (384), Kevin Faulk (356)
  • 2007 – Randy Moss (1493), Wes Welker (1175), Donte Stallworth (697), Jabar Gaffney (449)
  • 2008 – Injured
  • 2009 – Wes Welker (1348), Randy Moss (1264), Ben Watson (404), Julian Edelman (359)
  • 2010 – Wes Welker (848), Deion Branch (706), Aaron Hernandez (563), Rob Gronkowski (546)
  • 2011 – Wes Welker (1569), Rob Gronkowski (1327), Aaron Hernandez (910), Deion Branch (702)
  • 2012 – Wes Welker (1354), Brandon Lloyd (911), Rob Gronkowski (790), Aaron Hernandez (483)
  • 2013 – Julian Edelman (1056), Danny Amendola (633), Rob Gronkowski (592), Aaron Dobson (519)
  • 2014 – Rob Gronkowski (1124), Julian Edelman (972), Brandon LaFell (953), Shane Vareen (447)
  • 2015 – Rob Gronkowski (1176), Julian Edelman (692), Danny Amendola (648), Brandon LaFell (515)
  • 2016 – Julian Edelman (1106), Martellus Bennett (701), Chris Hogan (680), James White (551)
  • 2017 – Rob Gronkowski (1084), Brandin Cooks (1082), Danny Amendola (659), Chris Hogan (439)
  • 2018 – Julian Edelman (850), James White (751), Josh Gordon (720), Rob Gronkowski (682)
  • 2019 – Julian Edelman (1117), James White (645), Phillip Dorsett (397), Jakobi Meyers (359)

11 Pro Bowlers at WR or TE in 18 seasons.

Manning Receiving Yards Leaders Year To Year (Bold = Selected to Pro Bowl):

  • 1998 – Marshall Faulk (908), Marvin Harrison (776), Torrance Small (681), Jerome Pathon (511)
  • 1999 – Marvin Harrison (1663), Edgerrin James (586), Terrence Wilkins (565), Ken Dilger (479)
  • 2000 – Marvin Harrison (1413), Jarome Pathon (646), Edgerrin James (594), Terrence Wilkins (569)
  • 2001 – Marvin Harrison (1524), Marcus Pollard (739), Reggie Wayne (345), Ken Dilger (343)
  • 2002 – Marvin Harrison (1722), Reggie Wayne (716), Marcus Pollard (478), Qadry Ismail (462)
  • 2003 – Marvin Harrison (1272), Reggie Wayne (838), Marcus Pollard (541), Troy Walters (456)
  • 2004 – Reggie Wayne (1210), Marvin Harrison (1113), Brandon Stokley (1077), Edgerrin James (483)
  • 2005 – Marvin Harrison (1146), Reggie Wayne (1055), Brandon Stokley (543), Dallas Clark (488)
  • 2006 – Marvin Harrison (1366), Reggie Wayne (1310), Ben Utecht (377), Dallas Clark (367)
  • 2007 – Reggie Wayne (1510), Dallas Clark (616), Anthony Gonzalez (576), Joseph Addai (364)
  • 2008 – Reggie Wayne (1145), Dallas Clark (848), Anthony Gonzalez (664), Marvin Harrison (636)
  • 2009 – Reggie Wayne (1264), Dallas Clark (1106), Pierre Garcon (765), Austin Collie (676)
  • 2010 – Reggie Wayne (1355), Pierre Garcon (784), Austin Collie (649), Jacob Tamme (631)
  • 2011 – Injured
  • 2012 – Demaryius Thomas (1434), Eric Decker (1064), Jacob Tamme (555), Brandon Stokley (544)
  • 2013 – Demaryius Thomas (1430), Eric Decker (1288), Julius Thomas (788), Wes Welker (778)
  • 2014 – Demaryius Thomas (1619), Emmanuel Sanders (1404), Julius Thomas (489), Wes Welker (464)
  • 2015 – Demaryius Thomas (1304), Emmanuel Sanders (1135), Owen Daniels (517), Jordan Norwood (207)

20 Pro Bowlers at WR or TE in 17 seasons.

Coaching

Brady Head Coaches:

Manning Head Coaches:

Brady vs. Manning By Team Results

Keep in mind the cast that surrounded each player when evaluating the results for their teams. In the playoff analysis, how did their teams do as favorites and underdogs? Should they have won more or less?

Regular Season Record

Brady Team Yearly Win Loss Record:

Overall Starter Record = 219-64

Manning Team Yearly Win Loss Record:

Overall Starter Record = 186-79

Playoff Record

Brady Team Playoff Results (Team Efficiency Rating in Parenthesis, Bold = Super Bowl Win):

  • 2001 – (11) – Defeated the Raiders (5) in Divisional round 16-13, defeated the Steelers (7) in Conference Championship round 24-17, defeated the Rams (1) in Super Bowl 20-17
  • 2003 – (4) – Defeated the Titans (3) in Divisional round 17-14, defeated the Colts (2) in Conference Championship round 24-14, defeated the Panthers (16) in Super Bowl 32-29
  • 2004 – (2) – Defeated the Colts (5) in Divisional round 20-3, defeated the Steelers (1) in Conference Championship round 41-27, defeated the Eagles (6) in Super Bowl 24-21
  • 2005 – (12) – Defeated the Jaguars (11) in Wild Card round 28-3, lost to Broncos (2) in Divisional round 27-13
  • 2006 – (3) – Defeated the Jets (17) in Wild Card round 37-16, defeated the Chargers (1) in Divisional round 24-21, lost to Colts (7) in Conference Championship round 38-34
  • 2007 – (1) – Defeated the Jaguars (3) in Divisional round 31-20, defeated the Chargers (7) in Conference Championship round 21-12, lost to Giants (15) in Super Bowl 17-14
  • 2009 – (1) – Lost to Ravens (4) in Wild Card round 33-14
  • 2010 – (1) – Lost to Jets (7) in Divisional round 28-21
  • 2011 – (4) – Defeated the Broncos (24) in Divisional round 45-10, defeated the Ravens (8) in Conference Championship round 23-20, lost to Giants (12) in Super Bowl 21-17
  • 2012 – (3) – Defeated the Texans (9) in Divisional round 41-28, lost to Ravens (10) in Conference Championship round 28-13
  • 2013 – (5) – Defeated the Colts (14) in Divisional round 43-22, lost to Broncos (2) in Conference Championship round 26-16
  • 2014 – (5) – Defeated the Ravens (4) in Divisional round 35-31, defeated the Colts (13) in Conference Championship round 45-7, defeated the Seahawks (1) in Super Bowl 28-24
  • 2015 – (6) – Defeated the Chiefs (5) in Divisional round 27-20, lost to Broncos (8) in Conference Championship round 20-18
  • 2016 – (1) – Defeated the Texans (28) in Divisional round 34-16, defeated the Steelers (4) in Conference Championship round 36-17, defeated the Falcons (3) in Super Bowl 34-28
  • 2017 – (6) – Defeated the Titans (18) in Divisional round 35-14, defeated the Jaguars (8) in Conference Championship round 24-20, lost to Eagles (5) in Super Bowl 41-33
  • 2018 – (7) – Defeated the Chargers (4) in Divisional round 41-28, defeated the Chiefs (1) in Conference Championship round 37-31, defeated the Rams (3) in Super Bowl 13-3
  • 2019 – (3) – Lost to Titans (10) in Wild Card round 20-13

Overall Playoff Record = 30-11

Manning Team Playoff Results (Team Efficiency Rating in Parenthesis, Bold = Super Bowl Win):

  • 1999 – (18) – Lost to Titans (5) in Divisional round 19-16
  • 2000 – (6) – Lost to Dolphins (2) in Wild Card round 23-17 in OT
  • 2002 – (19) – Lost to Jets (6) in Wild Card round 41-0
  • 2003 – (2) – Defeated the Broncos (10) in Wild Card round 41-10, defeated the Chiefs (1) in Divisional round 38-31, lost to Patriots (4) in Conference Championship round 24-14
  • 2004 – (5) – Defeated the Broncos (7) in Wild Card round 49-24, lost to Patriots (2) in Divisional round 20-3
  • 2005 – (1) – Lost to Steelers (4) in Divisional round 21-18
  • 2006 – (7) – Defeated the Chiefs (13) in Wild Card round 23-8, defeated the Ravens (2) in Divisional round 15-6, defeated the Patriots (3) in Conference Championship round 38-34, defeated the Bears (5) in Super Bowl 29-17
  • 2007 – (2) – Lost to Chargers (7) in Divisional round 28-24
  • 2008 – (7) – Lost to Chargers (8) in Wild Card round 23-17 in OT
  • 2009 – (8) – Defeated the Ravens (4) in Divisional round 20-3, defeated the Jets (9) in Conference Championship round 30-17, lost to Saints (6) in Super Bowl 31-17
  • 2010 – (17) – Lost to Jets (7) in Wild Card round 17-16
  • 2012 – (2) – Lost to Ravens (10) in Divisional round 38-35
  • 2013 – (2) – Defeated the Chargers (13) in Divisional round 24-17, defeated the Patriots (5) in Conference Championship round 26-16, lost to Seahawks (1) in Super Bowl 43-8
  • 2014 – (2) – Lost to Colts (13) in Divisional round 24-13
  • 2015 – (8) – Defeated the Steelers (7) in Divisional round 23-16, defeated the Patriots (6) in Conference Championship round 20-18, defeated the Panthers (4) in Super Bowl 24-10

Overall Playoff Record = 14-13

Key Insights

Performance As Favorites:

Brady led team lost game in the playoffs as favorite – 8 times = 06, 07, 09, 10, 11, 12, 15, 19

Manning led team lost game in the playoffs as favorite – 6 times = 03, 05, 07, 08, 12, 14

Team Performance Without Player:

Brady injured year team record – 2008 = 11-5 (9th rated team)

Manning injured year team record – 2011 = 2-14 (32nd rated team)

Final Thoughts

Brady has won more rings than Manning but that doesn’t give him the edge over him as the better overall player.

Manning in terms of performance on the field was the better player according to the data.

When it comes to the supporting cast Brady has the edge and does so in championships as a result.

The years each player spent on the sidelines because of injury, showed the value of each player and the strength of the supporting cast around them. Manning’s 2011 Colts went 2-14 without him, and Brady’s 2008 Patriots went 11-5 without him.

Critics will argue that “Manning had his chances to win more and he blew it,” though Brady lost more times in the playoffs with a stronger rated team than his opponent than Manning did (8 times versus 6 times; including losing to the Giants twice as overwhelming favorites in the Super Bowl).

Now it is up to you to decide who was the better player of the two with everything set on the table. Why would you pick either Brady or Manning as the better quarterback? (comment with your response)

7 thoughts on “Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning: Who Is The True Quarterback GOAT?”

  1. All things equal, I’d have taken Peyton Manning in his prime over Tom Brady. I still give Manning the nod as the GOAT. Not a dig on Brady, at all. I just think that Manning on the Patriots gets more rings, and Brady on the Colts/Broncos gets less.

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    1. Manning is not even the greatest player in the history of his 2 teams. I’d take Unitus and certainly Elway over Manning. Brady did so much more than Manning that it’s not even close. And the 2 Super Bowls Manning did win were against the Bears/Rex Grossman, and with Denver when his defense won for them. He threw a pick 6 to lose to the Saints, and never showed up against Seattle. I’d go into Brady’s playoff and Super Bowl greatness, but would need several more pages. – Silly argument, case closed

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  2. Sorry, truth hurts. Nothing against Brady (except that he did get caught cheating and tried to cover it up by destroying his cell phone, shame) he is still considered a great QB in my book. However, statistics definitely favor Manning in the GOAT argument. Brady had a VERY CLEAR supporting cast advantage playing for the best team in football for 20 years.

    One of the stats missing from here is how many times a Brady led team won when he played poorly. You should show that stat… Oh wait I have that stat compared to Manning! See Below:

    Brady Win/Loss Record with QB Rating < 80 (including playoffs):

    47-51

    Manning Win/Loss Record with QB Rating < 80 (including playoffs):

    28-48

    Brady's team bailed him out a hell of a lot more than Manning's did. Just saying…

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  3. one guy played OUTSIDE in nasty weather… the other was in a dome for a massive amount of his career
    so when you look at just numbers… always remember.. brady had a harder go at it.. bill never drafted him top end weapons on O.. while the colts literally LOADED up for manning.. seriously, go look at the drafts and the first round picks.. you can also look at the number of pro-bowl and all pro people both had at their disposal.. manning DWARFS brady in this, these things MATTER.. they HELP a guy win MVPs and all pro’s.. both were great at doing their job, manning ran a pass attack O.. brady ran a BALANCED O .. now comes the REAL part… impact!!
    manning failed with his top end O so many times.. he always threw way more int’s all while being sacked LESS than brady ( yeah look it up) brady always took care of the ball BETTER…and sorry folks… that just as important as getting a TD pass.. if you really want to dive deep.. go on state muse and search for their stats when throwing 40 or more times in a game… this cuts out all the BS and basically shows you who was best when they HAD TO THROW..and its the same for reg season and playoffs!! brady is better in literally EVERY CATAGORY..
    people love peyton because he like jordan were a friendly face and super nice guys.. the hype train was theirs! the NFL did everything they could to pump the tires on manning from the day he entered the league… nobody wanted a 6th round pick to steal any of his thunder.. brady had to literally smash the hell out of the league before people woke up and said… well, he does have a case here… none of this even mentions the god like CLUTCH gene brady has than nobody has ever possessed.. you can look at literally all TEN superbowls and see him leading every team to a win… even when he lost it was only after he got the pats a lead LATE and needed a stop.. i mean.. we all love a good QB debate.. but 505 yards in a SB loss should be the end all… not to mention his last 5 years where he’s STILL DOMINATING… ya wanna say manning a the best ever season..ok.. fine tip of the cap…
    but CAREER… its not even close!!! the simple fact that brady did what he did with the D minded coach of bill belichick should tell you all you need to know… brady was handed the keys once..it was 07… and look what he did
    now imagine him in a dome with the wepons peyton had…for his CAREER..not just a 3 year window with moss- one of which he was injured for the entire year..
    for any fan.. reg season stats are basically JUNK now.. both these guys had long careers..both were on teams with home field advantage.. and playoff caliber teams every year.. one guy won.. one guy didnt..
    debate over
    NEXT

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    1. This ignores the comment above. You say Brady did more with less, yet when Brady played poorly or was absent, his team still won. The same can’t be said for the teams Manning was on. Brady will always be remembered as a great QB, but Manning > Brady.

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  4. Manning changed the game, Brady did not…
    As a comparison, was Sam Jones of the Boston Celtics better than Michael Jordan? The Brady fans would say “ Yes” because Jones won more rings…
    Brady knows who the GOAT really is…
    Ask the people who played against them both who was better…

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