Is Peyton That Bad In The Playoffs - version 2012
Let me begin at the beginning. I know, you know, and any knowledgeable football fan is aware that Peyton Manning did not play this past season. There will be little discussion of any playoff shortcomings he may have endured, because most coverage of him is dedicated to whether or not he will be dropped by his longtime franchise.
Four years ago I was determined to discover whether Peyton Manning was as bad in the playoffs as seemingly every sportscaster believed. There is little doubt that the veteran quarterback is one of the greatest of all time. However, no one had done any statistical comparisons to support the assertion that he was at fault for the Colts' ineptness in the post-season.
This year two interesting wrinkles occurred in the fabric of Peyton Manning's NFL timeline. Eli Manning doubled his older brother's Super Bowl victory total and the elder Manning's statistics remained unchanged for the first time since the experiment was begun. Eli Manning has routinely scored higher than his brother in these ratings. Now where will he rank among the contemporaries?
The calculation factors in straight forward categories like playoff winning percentage, road playoff record, and the percentage of which a quarterback leads his playoff team to the Super Bowl. Of course a quarterback may often shoulder the blame for wins and losses when a team is inferior. But we can't discount the playoff records completely because that was the essential Manning question.
To measure the quarterbacks individual results there are two basic statistics used: completion percentage and touchdown to interception ration. However, I also expand those stat categories by taking the differential between a quarterback's regular season performance with his playoff stats. The theory behind the differentials is simple: if a team won enough games to secure a playoff berth, they did so by moving the chains and limiting turnovers. They need the same performance, or better, from their quarterback to survive the post-season.
The goal was to measure Peyton against the all-time greats and his contemporaries. Each of the last few seasons I've posted the results:
2009
2010
2011
PLAYOFF WINNING PERCENTAGE (In games as starting quarterback)
Peyton vs Eli
Eli Manning: 72.7% (11 games)
Peyton Manning: 47% (19 games)
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Terry Bradshaw: 74% (19 games)
Troy Aikman: 73.3% (15 games)
Tom Brady: 72.7% (22 games)
Joe Montana: 69% (23 games)
Roger Staubach: 66% (18 games)
John Elway: 63% (22 games)
Brett Favre: 54% (24 games)
Steve Young: 53% (15 games)
Jim Kelly: 52% (17 games)
Peyton Manning: 47% (19 games)
Dan Marino: 44% (18 games)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Tom Brady: 72.7% (22 games)
Eli Manning: 72.7% (11 games)
Ben Roethlisberger: 71.4% (14 games)
Kurt Warner: 69.2% (13 games)
Brad Johnson: 57.1% (7 games)
Donovan McNabb: 56.2% (16 games)
Drew Brees: 55.5% (9 games)
Brett Favre: 54.1% (24 games)
Steve McNair: 50% (10 games)
Peyton Manning: 47.3% (19 games)
Matt Hasselbeck: 45% (11 games)
For this year's totals I added the Peyton vs Eli section for direct comparison. But the most important happening in the first category was the dramatic increase by Eli. Tom Brady had a slight decline in playoff winning percentage, but he was assisted in the rankings thanks to Ben Roethlisberger's early elimination.
COMPLETION % DIFFERENTIAL - (SEASON TO PLAYOFFS)
Peyton vs Eli
Completion % Differential
Eli Manning: + 3.1%
Peyton Manning: - 1.8%
Playoff Completion Percentage
Peyton Manning: 63.1%
Eli Manning: 61.5%
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Terry Bradshaw: +5.3% (51.9-57.2%)
Troy Aikman: +2.2% (61.5-63.7%)
Joe Montana: +0.1% (63.2-63.3%)
Tom Brady: -0.9% (63.8-62.9%)
Jim Kelly: -1.0% (60.1-59.1%)
Brett Favre: -1.2% (62.0-60.8%)
Peyton Manning: -1.8% (64.9-63.1%)
Steve Young: -2.3% (64.3-62.0%)
John Elway: -2.3% (56.9-54.6%)
Roger Staubach: -2.4% (57.0-54.6%)
Dan Marino: -3.4% (59.4-56.0%)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Eli Manning: +3.1% (58.4-61.5%)
Kurt Warner: +1.0% (65.5-66.5%)
Drew Brees: +0.9% (65.9-66.8%)
Donovan McNabb: +0.1% (59.0-59.1%)
Steve McNair: -0.6% (60.1-59.5%)
Tom Brady: -0.9% (63.8-62.9%)
Brett Favre: -1.2% (62.0-60.8%)
Peyton Manning: -1.8% (64.9-63.1%)
Matt Hasselbeck: -1.9% (60.3-58.4%)
Ben Roethlisberger: -2.5% (63.1-60.6%)
Brad Johnson: -5.9% (61.7-55.8%)
It is truly impressive how similar Eli's numbers are to Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw. Regular season completion percentages that were embarrassing for their era, post-season completion percentages that allowed their teams to never lose a Super Bowl. Seriously, the three of them combined are 9-0 in the big game.
The 63% that Peyton completes in the playoffs is also impressive. But he is on a team that depends on him for offense, so any decline from his regular season totals would be a detriment. Examine how Kurt Warner, another quarterback from pass heavy offenses, improved his numbers when he hit important games. The former Rams and Cardinals legend went to three Super Bowls in five post-seasons. Peyton has been to two big games in 11 playoff runs.
TD/INT RATIO DIFFERENTIAL - (SEASON TO PLAYOFFS)
Peyton vs Eli
TD/INT Ratio Differential
Eli Manning: + .69
Peyton Manning: -.49
Playoff TD/INT Ratio
Eli Manning: 2.12 - 17/8
Peyton Manning: 1.52 - 29/19
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Troy Aikman: +.24 (1.41, 24/17)
Joe Montana: +.18 (2.14, 45/21)
Terry Bradshaw: +.15 (1.15, 30/26)
John Elway: -.04 (1.28, 27/21)
Brett Favre: -.06 (1.47, 44/30)
Roger Staubach: -.19 (1.21, 23/19)
Dan Marino: -.33 (1.33, 32/24)
Peyton Manning: -.49 (1.52, 29/19)
Steve Young: -.63 (1.53, 20/13)
Jim Kelly: -.64 (0.71, 20/28)
Tom Brady: -.70 (1.90, 38/20)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Drew Brees: +3.58 (5.50, 22/4)
Eli Manning: + .69 (2.12, 17/8)
Matt Hasselbeck: +.64 (2.00, 18/9)
Kurt Warner: +.58 (2.21, 31/14)
Brett Favre: -.06 (1.47, 44/30)
Ben Roethlisberger: -.48 (1.17, 20/17)
Peyton Manning: -.49 (1.52, 29/19)
Donovan McNabb: -.59 (1.41, 24/17)
Tom Brady: -.70 (1.90, 38/20)
Brad Johnson: -.78 (0.58, 7/12)
Steve McNair: -.92 (0.54, 6/11)
The greats category displays how a quarterback can guarantee post-season success for his team if his individual numbers improve. Aikman, Montana, and Bradshaw are the only three quarterbacks among the legends who increased their TD/INT ratios. It is probably not a coincidence that they are a combined 11-0 in the Super Bowl.
Drew Brees really is the anomaly among all the quarterbacks listed. Despite producing amazing individual statistics in the postseason he has only one championship ring to display. While the same could be said for Peyton Manning, the difference is that Brees's numbers improve in the playoffs. The Saints quarterback is so far ahead of all competitors when it comes to TD/INT ratio, the only reasonable assumption that can be made about his supporting cast is that they are to blame for the quarterback's limited post-season success.
ROAD PLAYOFF GAME WINNING PERCENTAGE (games started)
Peyton vs Eli
Eli Manning: 83.6% (6 games)
Peyton Manning: 29% (7 games)
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Roger Staubach: 80% (5 games)
Tom Brady: 60% (5 games)
John Elway: 50% (6 games)
Terry Bradshaw: 40% (5 games)
Brett Favre: 30% (10 games)
Joe Montana: 29% (7 games)
Peyton Manning: 29% (7 games)
Jim Kelly: 25% (4 games)
Troy Aikman: 20% (5 games)
Dan Marino: 14% (7 games)
Steve Young: 0% (3 games)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Eli Manning: 83.6% (6 games)
Ben Roethlisberger: 75% (4 games)
Tom Brady: 60% (5 games)
Steve McNair: 60% (5 games)
Donovan McNabb: 43% (7 games)
Kurt Warner: 33% (3 games)
Brett Favre: 30% (10 games)
Peyton Manning: 29% (7 games)
Brad Johnson: 25% (4 games)
Drew Brees: 0% (4 games)
Matt Hasselbeck: 0% (4 games)
There are sane, rational people who will assert that home-field advantage is not as insurmountable a challenge as it once once. While there may be some substance to that claim, the statistics above would indicate that either Roger Staubach was the greatest quarterback of all time or Drew Brees is the most inept post-season passer in history. Since neither of those statements is certifiable, I think it's fair to assume that home-field advantage in the post-season still matters.
LEADING PLAYOFF TEAM TO SUPER BOWL PERCENTAGE
Peyton vs Eli
Eli Manning: 40% (5 postseasons)
Peyton Manning: 18% (11 postseasons)
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Roger Staubach: 57% (7 postseasons)
Tom Brady: 55.5% (9 postseasons)
John Elway: 50% (10 postseasons)
Jim Kelly: 50% (8 postseasons)
Terry Bradshaw: 44% (9 postseasons)
Troy Aikman: 42% (7 postseasons)
Joe Montana: 36% (11 postseasons)
Peyton Manning: 18% (11 postseasons)
Steve Young: 17% (6 postseasons)
Brett Favre: 17% (12 postseasons)
Dan Marino: 10% (10 postseasons)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Kurt Warner: 60% (5 postseasons)
Tom Brady: 55.5% (9 postseasons)
Ben Roethlisberger: 50% (6 postseasons)
Eli Manning: 40% (5 postseasons)
Brad Johnson: 25% (4 postseasons)
Drew Brees: 20% (5 postseasons)
Steve McNair: 20% (5 postseasons)
Peyton Manning: 18% (11 postseasons)
Brett Favre: 17% (12 postseasons)
Matt Hasselbeck: 17% (6 postseasons)
Donovan McNabb: 14% (7 postseasons)
It is a fair assumption to state that teams can win a Super Bowl without the help of a quality quarterback. I believe it would be incorrect to claim that a team can continue to make trips to the big game without a quality passer. There is much to be said about Staubach, Brady, Kelly, Elway, Warner and Roethlisberger. To have a 50+% success rate at reaching the Super Bowl is an amazing feat regardless of the strength of the team as a whole.
Obviously winning the championship is the most important goal for most players in the NFL. Looking at the totals below you'll notice that the quarterbacks that win the most titles, and reach the most Super Bowls, get the highest ratings. That's no coincidence. Any quarterback who completes a high percentage of passes, wins on the road, throws more touchdowns than interceptions, and increases his completion percentage and TD/INT ratio will have more benefit to his club when it matters.
TOTALS
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
1. Joe Montana: 52 (4 SB - 4 Rings)
2. Troy Aikman: 50 (3 SB - 3 Rings)
3. Tom Brady: 49 (5 SB - 3 Rings)
4. Terry Bradshaw: 45 (4 SB - 4 Rings)
5. John Elway: 42 (5 SB - 2 Rings)
6. Roger Staubach: 35 (4 SB - 2 Rings)
7. Brett Favre: 34 (2 SB - 1 Ring)
8. Peyton Manning: 31 (2 SB - 1 Ring)
9. Jim Kelly: 24 (4 SB - 0 Rings)
-. Steve Young: 24 (1 SB - 1 Ring)
11. Dan Marino: 11 (1 SB - 0 Rings)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
1. Eli Manning: 60 (2 SB - 2 Rings)
2. Kurt Warner: 56 (3 SB - 1 Ring)
3. Drew Brees: 48 (1 SB - 1 Ring)
4. Tom Brady: 47 (5 SB - 3 Rings)
5. Ben Roethlisberger: 37 (3 SB - 2 Rings)
6. Brett Favre: 28 (2 SB - 1 Rings)
7. Peyton Manning: 27 (2 SB - 1 Ring)
8. Donovan McNabb: 26 (1 SB - 0 Rings)
9. Steve McNair: 23 (1 SB - 0 Rings)
10. Matt Hasselbeck: 21 (1 SB - 0 Rings)
11. Brad Johnson: 16 (1 SB - 1 Ring)
This isn't a scientific study. I have not isolated the team defenses for control. Still, the quarterbacks with the most championships rise to the top of the rankings. Eli Manning has proven his worth to the Giants and now ranks well ahead of his brother in terms of post-season quarterbacking. Tom Brady is ranked slightly lower in the contemporaries category than in the all-time greats. Much of that is due to the small sample size by players like Brees and Eli. The New England quarterback has more playoff starts than those rivals combined.
Peyton Manning remained a constant this season. He remains among the bottom half of both categories. Is he bad in the playoffs? Well his numbers don't improve, he's worse than his brother, and he has only one Super Bowl victory in 11 post-seasons. However, he's still better than Dan Marino.
Four years ago I was determined to discover whether Peyton Manning was as bad in the playoffs as seemingly every sportscaster believed. There is little doubt that the veteran quarterback is one of the greatest of all time. However, no one had done any statistical comparisons to support the assertion that he was at fault for the Colts' ineptness in the post-season.
This year two interesting wrinkles occurred in the fabric of Peyton Manning's NFL timeline. Eli Manning doubled his older brother's Super Bowl victory total and the elder Manning's statistics remained unchanged for the first time since the experiment was begun. Eli Manning has routinely scored higher than his brother in these ratings. Now where will he rank among the contemporaries?
The calculation factors in straight forward categories like playoff winning percentage, road playoff record, and the percentage of which a quarterback leads his playoff team to the Super Bowl. Of course a quarterback may often shoulder the blame for wins and losses when a team is inferior. But we can't discount the playoff records completely because that was the essential Manning question.
To measure the quarterbacks individual results there are two basic statistics used: completion percentage and touchdown to interception ration. However, I also expand those stat categories by taking the differential between a quarterback's regular season performance with his playoff stats. The theory behind the differentials is simple: if a team won enough games to secure a playoff berth, they did so by moving the chains and limiting turnovers. They need the same performance, or better, from their quarterback to survive the post-season.
The goal was to measure Peyton against the all-time greats and his contemporaries. Each of the last few seasons I've posted the results:
2009
2010
2011
PLAYOFF WINNING PERCENTAGE (In games as starting quarterback)
Peyton vs Eli
Eli Manning: 72.7% (11 games)
Peyton Manning: 47% (19 games)
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Terry Bradshaw: 74% (19 games)
Troy Aikman: 73.3% (15 games)
Tom Brady: 72.7% (22 games)
Joe Montana: 69% (23 games)
Roger Staubach: 66% (18 games)
John Elway: 63% (22 games)
Brett Favre: 54% (24 games)
Steve Young: 53% (15 games)
Jim Kelly: 52% (17 games)
Peyton Manning: 47% (19 games)
Dan Marino: 44% (18 games)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Tom Brady: 72.7% (22 games)
Eli Manning: 72.7% (11 games)
Ben Roethlisberger: 71.4% (14 games)
Kurt Warner: 69.2% (13 games)
Brad Johnson: 57.1% (7 games)
Donovan McNabb: 56.2% (16 games)
Drew Brees: 55.5% (9 games)
Brett Favre: 54.1% (24 games)
Steve McNair: 50% (10 games)
Peyton Manning: 47.3% (19 games)
Matt Hasselbeck: 45% (11 games)
For this year's totals I added the Peyton vs Eli section for direct comparison. But the most important happening in the first category was the dramatic increase by Eli. Tom Brady had a slight decline in playoff winning percentage, but he was assisted in the rankings thanks to Ben Roethlisberger's early elimination.
COMPLETION % DIFFERENTIAL - (SEASON TO PLAYOFFS)
Peyton vs Eli
Completion % Differential
Eli Manning: + 3.1%
Peyton Manning: - 1.8%
Playoff Completion Percentage
Peyton Manning: 63.1%
Eli Manning: 61.5%
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Terry Bradshaw: +5.3% (51.9-57.2%)
Troy Aikman: +2.2% (61.5-63.7%)
Joe Montana: +0.1% (63.2-63.3%)
Tom Brady: -0.9% (63.8-62.9%)
Jim Kelly: -1.0% (60.1-59.1%)
Brett Favre: -1.2% (62.0-60.8%)
Peyton Manning: -1.8% (64.9-63.1%)
Steve Young: -2.3% (64.3-62.0%)
John Elway: -2.3% (56.9-54.6%)
Roger Staubach: -2.4% (57.0-54.6%)
Dan Marino: -3.4% (59.4-56.0%)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Eli Manning: +3.1% (58.4-61.5%)
Kurt Warner: +1.0% (65.5-66.5%)
Drew Brees: +0.9% (65.9-66.8%)
Donovan McNabb: +0.1% (59.0-59.1%)
Steve McNair: -0.6% (60.1-59.5%)
Tom Brady: -0.9% (63.8-62.9%)
Brett Favre: -1.2% (62.0-60.8%)
Peyton Manning: -1.8% (64.9-63.1%)
Matt Hasselbeck: -1.9% (60.3-58.4%)
Ben Roethlisberger: -2.5% (63.1-60.6%)
Brad Johnson: -5.9% (61.7-55.8%)
It is truly impressive how similar Eli's numbers are to Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw. Regular season completion percentages that were embarrassing for their era, post-season completion percentages that allowed their teams to never lose a Super Bowl. Seriously, the three of them combined are 9-0 in the big game.
The 63% that Peyton completes in the playoffs is also impressive. But he is on a team that depends on him for offense, so any decline from his regular season totals would be a detriment. Examine how Kurt Warner, another quarterback from pass heavy offenses, improved his numbers when he hit important games. The former Rams and Cardinals legend went to three Super Bowls in five post-seasons. Peyton has been to two big games in 11 playoff runs.
TD/INT RATIO DIFFERENTIAL - (SEASON TO PLAYOFFS)
Peyton vs Eli
TD/INT Ratio Differential
Eli Manning: + .69
Peyton Manning: -.49
Playoff TD/INT Ratio
Eli Manning: 2.12 - 17/8
Peyton Manning: 1.52 - 29/19
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Troy Aikman: +.24 (1.41, 24/17)
Joe Montana: +.18 (2.14, 45/21)
Terry Bradshaw: +.15 (1.15, 30/26)
John Elway: -.04 (1.28, 27/21)
Brett Favre: -.06 (1.47, 44/30)
Roger Staubach: -.19 (1.21, 23/19)
Dan Marino: -.33 (1.33, 32/24)
Peyton Manning: -.49 (1.52, 29/19)
Steve Young: -.63 (1.53, 20/13)
Jim Kelly: -.64 (0.71, 20/28)
Tom Brady: -.70 (1.90, 38/20)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Drew Brees: +3.58 (5.50, 22/4)
Eli Manning: + .69 (2.12, 17/8)
Matt Hasselbeck: +.64 (2.00, 18/9)
Kurt Warner: +.58 (2.21, 31/14)
Brett Favre: -.06 (1.47, 44/30)
Ben Roethlisberger: -.48 (1.17, 20/17)
Peyton Manning: -.49 (1.52, 29/19)
Donovan McNabb: -.59 (1.41, 24/17)
Tom Brady: -.70 (1.90, 38/20)
Brad Johnson: -.78 (0.58, 7/12)
Steve McNair: -.92 (0.54, 6/11)
The greats category displays how a quarterback can guarantee post-season success for his team if his individual numbers improve. Aikman, Montana, and Bradshaw are the only three quarterbacks among the legends who increased their TD/INT ratios. It is probably not a coincidence that they are a combined 11-0 in the Super Bowl.
Drew Brees really is the anomaly among all the quarterbacks listed. Despite producing amazing individual statistics in the postseason he has only one championship ring to display. While the same could be said for Peyton Manning, the difference is that Brees's numbers improve in the playoffs. The Saints quarterback is so far ahead of all competitors when it comes to TD/INT ratio, the only reasonable assumption that can be made about his supporting cast is that they are to blame for the quarterback's limited post-season success.
ROAD PLAYOFF GAME WINNING PERCENTAGE (games started)
Peyton vs Eli
Eli Manning: 83.6% (6 games)
Peyton Manning: 29% (7 games)
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Roger Staubach: 80% (5 games)
Tom Brady: 60% (5 games)
John Elway: 50% (6 games)
Terry Bradshaw: 40% (5 games)
Brett Favre: 30% (10 games)
Joe Montana: 29% (7 games)
Peyton Manning: 29% (7 games)
Jim Kelly: 25% (4 games)
Troy Aikman: 20% (5 games)
Dan Marino: 14% (7 games)
Steve Young: 0% (3 games)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Eli Manning: 83.6% (6 games)
Ben Roethlisberger: 75% (4 games)
Tom Brady: 60% (5 games)
Steve McNair: 60% (5 games)
Donovan McNabb: 43% (7 games)
Kurt Warner: 33% (3 games)
Brett Favre: 30% (10 games)
Peyton Manning: 29% (7 games)
Brad Johnson: 25% (4 games)
Drew Brees: 0% (4 games)
Matt Hasselbeck: 0% (4 games)
There are sane, rational people who will assert that home-field advantage is not as insurmountable a challenge as it once once. While there may be some substance to that claim, the statistics above would indicate that either Roger Staubach was the greatest quarterback of all time or Drew Brees is the most inept post-season passer in history. Since neither of those statements is certifiable, I think it's fair to assume that home-field advantage in the post-season still matters.
LEADING PLAYOFF TEAM TO SUPER BOWL PERCENTAGE
Peyton vs Eli
Eli Manning: 40% (5 postseasons)
Peyton Manning: 18% (11 postseasons)
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
Roger Staubach: 57% (7 postseasons)
Tom Brady: 55.5% (9 postseasons)
John Elway: 50% (10 postseasons)
Jim Kelly: 50% (8 postseasons)
Terry Bradshaw: 44% (9 postseasons)
Troy Aikman: 42% (7 postseasons)
Joe Montana: 36% (11 postseasons)
Peyton Manning: 18% (11 postseasons)
Steve Young: 17% (6 postseasons)
Brett Favre: 17% (12 postseasons)
Dan Marino: 10% (10 postseasons)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
Kurt Warner: 60% (5 postseasons)
Tom Brady: 55.5% (9 postseasons)
Ben Roethlisberger: 50% (6 postseasons)
Eli Manning: 40% (5 postseasons)
Brad Johnson: 25% (4 postseasons)
Drew Brees: 20% (5 postseasons)
Steve McNair: 20% (5 postseasons)
Peyton Manning: 18% (11 postseasons)
Brett Favre: 17% (12 postseasons)
Matt Hasselbeck: 17% (6 postseasons)
Donovan McNabb: 14% (7 postseasons)
It is a fair assumption to state that teams can win a Super Bowl without the help of a quality quarterback. I believe it would be incorrect to claim that a team can continue to make trips to the big game without a quality passer. There is much to be said about Staubach, Brady, Kelly, Elway, Warner and Roethlisberger. To have a 50+% success rate at reaching the Super Bowl is an amazing feat regardless of the strength of the team as a whole.
Obviously winning the championship is the most important goal for most players in the NFL. Looking at the totals below you'll notice that the quarterbacks that win the most titles, and reach the most Super Bowls, get the highest ratings. That's no coincidence. Any quarterback who completes a high percentage of passes, wins on the road, throws more touchdowns than interceptions, and increases his completion percentage and TD/INT ratio will have more benefit to his club when it matters.
TOTALS
Greats of Super Bowl Era (minimum 15 starts)
1. Joe Montana: 52 (4 SB - 4 Rings)
2. Troy Aikman: 50 (3 SB - 3 Rings)
3. Tom Brady: 49 (5 SB - 3 Rings)
4. Terry Bradshaw: 45 (4 SB - 4 Rings)
5. John Elway: 42 (5 SB - 2 Rings)
6. Roger Staubach: 35 (4 SB - 2 Rings)
7. Brett Favre: 34 (2 SB - 1 Ring)
8. Peyton Manning: 31 (2 SB - 1 Ring)
9. Jim Kelly: 24 (4 SB - 0 Rings)
-. Steve Young: 24 (1 SB - 1 Ring)
11. Dan Marino: 11 (1 SB - 0 Rings)
Peyton vs Contemporaries (minimum 7 starts + 1 Super Bowl appearance)
1. Eli Manning: 60 (2 SB - 2 Rings)
2. Kurt Warner: 56 (3 SB - 1 Ring)
3. Drew Brees: 48 (1 SB - 1 Ring)
4. Tom Brady: 47 (5 SB - 3 Rings)
5. Ben Roethlisberger: 37 (3 SB - 2 Rings)
6. Brett Favre: 28 (2 SB - 1 Rings)
7. Peyton Manning: 27 (2 SB - 1 Ring)
8. Donovan McNabb: 26 (1 SB - 0 Rings)
9. Steve McNair: 23 (1 SB - 0 Rings)
10. Matt Hasselbeck: 21 (1 SB - 0 Rings)
11. Brad Johnson: 16 (1 SB - 1 Ring)
This isn't a scientific study. I have not isolated the team defenses for control. Still, the quarterbacks with the most championships rise to the top of the rankings. Eli Manning has proven his worth to the Giants and now ranks well ahead of his brother in terms of post-season quarterbacking. Tom Brady is ranked slightly lower in the contemporaries category than in the all-time greats. Much of that is due to the small sample size by players like Brees and Eli. The New England quarterback has more playoff starts than those rivals combined.
Peyton Manning remained a constant this season. He remains among the bottom half of both categories. Is he bad in the playoffs? Well his numbers don't improve, he's worse than his brother, and he has only one Super Bowl victory in 11 post-seasons. However, he's still better than Dan Marino.
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