Peyton Manning once got candid about how intense his rivalry with Tom Brady was

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady played each other seventeen times including five high-stake playoff meetings spanning from 2001 to 2015.

Peyton Manning once got candid about how intense his rivalry with Tom Brady was

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning post their encounter at Gillette Stadium on November 21, 2010 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Image via Getty Images)

In the historic run of the New England Patriots and Tom Brady, very few gave the goated quarterback some form of competition. Amongst the few, Peyton Manning rings one too many bells for his intense rivalry with Brady.

Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, and Tom Brady clashed seventeen times. Their matchups became must-watch events, particularly in the regular season and high-stakes AFC Championship Games.

Brady led the New England Patriots with unmatched consistency and precision, while Manning orchestrated dynamic offenses in Indianapolis and Denver. Each quarterback brought a unique style of play, contrasting Brady’s structured efficiency with Manning’s audibles and improvisation.

In a podcast hosted by Barstool Sports, Bussin’ with the Boys, Peyton Manning opened up about the intensity of playing the New England Patriots. He noted that even if they lost to the Patriots in the regular season, there was always a playoff meeting to anticipate at most times.

You just knew when we played them in the regular season so many times and if we lost to them, you just knew we’re going to have to go play at New England in the playoffs… Like, we lost to him Week 1 one time, and I’m like, ‘We’re coming back here in January’.

Peyton Manning told the Bussin’ With The Boys crew

While Brady held the overall edge in head-to-head matchups, winning 11 out of 17 games, Manning delivered during the playoffs. Of their 17 encounters, 12 came during Manning’s time with the Indianapolis Colts, while the remaining five occurred during his time with the Denver Broncos.

Brady dominated the early phase of their rivalry, winning the first six meetings, including two critical playoff games. In both of those postseason victories, the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl. Notably, those first two playoff wins by Brady would be the last he recorded against Manning in the postseason.

Manning secured his first victory over Brady in the 2005 regular season, breaking the losing streak. Manning won three of their five playoff meetings, including the pivotal 2006 AFC Championship Game, which led to his first Super Bowl title with the Colts. Later, at Denver, he defeated Brady twice more in the playoffs, including the win that paved the way for Denver’s Super Bowl 50 triumph.

The quarterback intensity was equally hard for Tom Brady as well

Tom Brady, who came into the league as the 199th overall pick, couldn’t have imagined half the things he did in his career. On the other hand, Peyton Manning had three more seasons of experience and had been a first pick.

Tom Brady
Tom Brady (Image via InStyle)

In an Instagram post by the ex-Colts and Broncos QB announcing a reunion of the Super Bowl-winning team of 2006, Tom Brady commented his thoughts.

“That group still gives me nightmares,” Brady commented.

Despite fierce competition on the field, their relationship off it has grown with time. Brady attended Manning’s Hall of Fame induction, and Manning returned the gesture.

The Manning-Brady rivalry was more than a quarterback fight

In the podcast, Peyton Manning added on the nature of the rivalry. He confessed that the rivalry was more than just quarterback versus quarterback; it was about facing the entire Patriots machine.

Bill Belichick, Tom Brady
Tom Brady with Bill Belichick (Images via NBC News)

It was Tom, it was Belichick, it was the whole thing, right? It was just this kind of this triple-headed monster… You knew their defense was going to be stingy. They always took away the things you really like to do, so you had to find something else to do well that game.

Manning added.

According to Manning, the most challenging aspect was Belichick’s unpredictability. Manning admitted that Bill Belichick employed a tactic carefully curated to exploit the other’s strengths instead of weaknesses.

The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach used to take out what the other teams were good at. Furthermore, Manning confessed that he frequently found himself rewriting game plans midweek, just to stay competitive against the Patriots’ evolving strategies.