FOXBOROUGH — It’s barely even an argument at this point as to whether Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are in the midst of the greatest quarterback rivalry in NFL history.
Combined, they have four Super Bowl titles, five Most Valuable Player awards, three Super Bowl MVPs, and six All-Pro nods.
Brady has won 76.5 percent of his starts (104-32) — the best mark all-time. Manning has won 68.2 percent (137-64), even after starting as a rookie with a 3-13 team.
There have certainly been other great quarterback duels.
Bobby Layne (Lions) and Otto Graham (Browns) met in three straight NFL championship games from 1952-54. Both are in the Hall of Fame.
Steve Young and Troy Aikman were the last two Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks to meet in the regular season. Their 49ers and Cowboys met in the NFC Championship game from 1992-94, with the winner taking the Super Bowl.
Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr combined to win eight championships in 13 seasons with the Colts and Packers. Both are in the Hall of Fame.
And if there’s any rivalry that comes close to Brady-Manning, it would be the Cowboys’ Roger Staubach vs. the Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw. They entered the league a year apart at the dawn of the 1970s and would leave with a combined six Lombardi trophies and three Super Bowl MVPs. They met in two classic Super Bowls, which Brady and Manning may never have the opportunity to do.
But when you consider how much emphasis is put on the passing game today, the frequency of the matchups, their statistical superiority, and their team accomplishments, Brady-Manning is about as good as it gets.
The easy thing to do would be to lump Brady-Manning in with some of the great rivalries across all sports. Larry Bird-Magic Johnson. Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier. Jack Nicklaus-Arnold Palmer. Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer.
Don’t do that.
Not only is it meaningless, it’s wrong.
As great as Brady and Manning have been, it is not about them when the Colts and Patriots meet on the field. That’s because football is the consummate team sport. Television and its thirst for ratings might not see it — what’s better than a rivalry, even a contrived one, to attract viewers? — but the players do.
“I can’t speak for Tom, but I think he would certainly see it the same way I do,’’ Manning said. “I still see it as team vs. team. Basketball, maybe there is a little more — even though it’s a team sport — maybe there’s a little more one-on-one to it because there are just five guys out there. Football still is the ultimate team sport.’’
That’s why when others talk this week about the matchup between Brady and Manning, do yourself a favor and think about the recent Colts-Patriots matchups.
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