By every statistical measure, Peyton Manning is among the top five (three?) quarterbacks ever to play the game. Many place Manning’s career above the rest, for sheer virtuosity at his position. (We acknowledge that Brady/Montana fans think this is bunk, but…) The other names that float in the QB stratosphere are all familiar: Favre, Brady, Marino, Bradshaw, Staubach, Unitas, Starr, Montana, Griese, Namath, Tarkenton, Aikman, Elway. One well-known name that’s absent from the list is Eli Manning, Peyton’s younger brother, the New York Giant who has been a very good NFL quarterback for a very long time.
[Eli Manning Wants Thomas Davis Prize — and Vice Versa]
Eli won’t make this list unless he somehow wins another title. But the younger Manning already has two Super Bowl rings, winning Super Bowl MVP both times. That puts him one up on Peyton, who is superior in pretty much every other category. Peyton Manning holds countless NFL passing records and is one of only two quarterbacks in history to have beaten 31 different NFL franchises. (Favre is the other.) Eli Manning holds none of those big records. He’s just won more Super Bowls. Big brother Peyton will be trying to even this up on February 7 in Super Bowl 50. Oddsmakers currently believe that at the end of the game Peyton Manning will still have one ring, Panthers QB Cam Newton will have one, and Eli Manning will still have two. Only Montana, Brady, Bradshaw and Aikman have more.
