Tom Brady and Peyton Manning had one of the greatest rivalries in NFL history with legendary matchups in the playoffs between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts.
During his tenure in the AFC, Brady won six Super Bowls with the Patriots as the leader of an unforgettable dynasty. Meanwhile, Manning became the first quarterback to win the Vince Lombardi trophy with two different teams: Colts and Broncos.
This week, during an event in Mexico City, Tom Brady praised Peyton Manning with an extraordinary message when asked about this never-ending debate about the greatest player of all time.
“After every season, you know what I did? I studied Peyton Manning, because he was the guy that I looked up to. He was my archrival. He was my nemesis. He was the guy that always kept me and our team from where we wanted to go. I studied him, because I thought he was so great.”
Tom Brady (Getty Images)
Are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning friends?
Contrary to what one might think, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are great friends. In fact, they often tease each other through social media, but the respect is tremendous.
Even as rivals, Brady has always acknowledged Manning was a mastermind and a key factor for the Patriots to improve their playbook. These were Tom’s words at the event in Mexico. “He was so great that I tried to look at their plays, see how they were running plays and try to bring them into our own offense. Because they were so prolific.“
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Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning: What is the head to head record?
Throughout history, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning faced each other 17 times, with a positive record of 11-6 in favor of the New England Patriots legend. However, Manning has the distinction of having “stopped” Brady in three out of four occasions in AFC Championship Games.
Both quarterbacks met five times in the NFL playoffs. Manning won three of them and, in a very peculiar detail, all the victories were for the home team in the individual rivalry.
