10 best individual player rivalries in NFL history

1. Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning

After 23 seasons, Tom Brady has silenced any debate about who is the greatest quarterback of all time. He’s won more Super Bowls than any other player or team in NFL history and retired as the leader in passing yards, touchdowns and a multitude of other career and post-season records.

A decade ago, the situation looked starkly different, as Brady’s case for the greatest didn’t have the same statistical support. From 2000 to 2013, Brady had won three Super Bowls and appeared in five, which was more than any other quarterback through the 2000s. Still, a fierce rivalry raged on between Brady and Peyton Manning, one that many contemporary fans consider to be the greatest quarterback rivalry of all time.

Through that time, Manning had won one Super Bowl and appeared in three total, including the Denver Broncos’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks following the 2013 season. Like Sammy Baugh, Johnny Unitas and Dan Marino, Manning was considered the more skilled passer, evidenced by his passing numbers throughout the 2000s. Upon both their retirements, Manning still has the edge over Brady in completion percentage and yards per attempt during the regular season and post-season, while Brady has more attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns. Manning has five NFL MVP awards compared to Brady’s three NFL MVPs, but Brady has five Super Bowl MVPs compared to Manning’s singular Super Bowl MVP with the Colts.

From 2001 to 2015, the two quarterbacks faced each other 17 times, with Brady having the advantage at 11-6. Except for 2002, 2008 and 2011, they played each other at least once per season. Although Brady saw the playoffs much more often than Manning did, when they did play each other in the postseason, Manning maintained the edge. Through five postseason matchups, Manning won three out of five, with all three of them being AFC Championship games. When Brady beat Manning in the 2003 and 2004 postseason, the Patriots won the Super Bowl; Manning won two of the three Super Bowls he advanced to after defeating Brady in the playoffs.

In 2023, it’s difficult to contextualize how heated this rivalry was, especially among NFL fans. Perhaps due to winning fatigue, Brady’s status was debated for a long time, despite the fact that the Patriots had established and maintained a dynasty for nearly two decades. In 2014, an ESPN poll of 320 NFL players indicated that the majority preferred Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck as starters over Tom Brady, with Manning also commanding more respect than Brady. As a response, Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman asked seven NFL scouts and a general manager about their preference between the two. Seven of the eight chose Brady.

In that same year, the Denver Post’s Mike Klis claimed that Brady “will never catch” up to Manning in terms of career touchdowns and passing yards. Klis was wrong. At the time, Klis was comparing Brady to Sid Luckman and Manning to Sammy Baugh, implying that both Baugh and Manning were ultimately the superior quarterbacks.

Brady outlasted every debate and talking point that counted against him, meaning that he now has numbers like Baugh and championships like Luckman. In that way, Brady versus Manning has changed the conversation about individual versus team success. Now, one quarterback finally has both, causing him to claim victory in every possible quarterback comparison.