On The Road To MetLife Stadium, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos were able to derail another trip to the Super Bowl by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Entering the AFC Championship Game, all most people wanted to talk about was how badly Manning needed to beat Brady and win this game. Critics said that Manning has often come up short in big games, pointing to his overall postseason record of 9-11 entering this past Sunday. After defeating the Patriots to raise his career playoff record to 10-11, including the fact that Manning is 8-5 in his last 13 postseason starts, including two trips to the Super Bowl that culminated in a championship in the 2006 NFL season. For those keeping track, since beginning his playoff career 10-0 with three Super Bowl championships, Brady is 4-6 with zero titles, although he did lose twice in the Super Bowl, with both losses taking place against the New York Giants. Those teams were both led by Eli Manning, who is the younger brother of Peyton.
Irony?
In the spirit of full-disclosure, I’m working as part of the Road to MetLife Stadium Preferred Blogger Program. Throughout the year I’ll be receiving special access to MetLife events and be conducting reader giveaways, with prizes provided by MetLife and Sony Electronics. However, no payment was given or expected for posting about the program, and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own.
Long story short, it is time to stop talking about Manning as a great player who comes up short in big games. I suggest that we replace his name with that of Brady, who has struggled mightily in key situations in the postseason since winning his third Super Bowl championship. It often makes me wonder why Brady is given free passes when he loses big game after big game in the playoffs, yet Manning remains chastised.
Either way, regardless of your thoughts on Manning and Brady, it is Manning who boasts the better postseason record over the past seven or eight seasons. It is Manning who is battling for another title on February 2 in MetLife Stadium in Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seattle Seahawks. Not Brady. It is Manning who continues to set postseason record after record. Not Brady. Yet it is Brady who is constantly let off the hook after coming up short in the playoffs. Not Manning.
Hopefully, after Super Bowl XLVIII, Manning will be able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and officially silence all of his critics. If he can, that will mean that a Manning has held and won four Super Bowl championships since Brady last won one.
If you are looking for which team may have a greater edge, make sure to check out Stats.com. If the temperatures dip below 40 degrees on Super Bowl Sunday, which is nearly a foregone conclusion, Stats.com will tell you how things could play out when the Broncos face the Seahawks in MetLife Stadium in Super Bowl XLVIII. It would appear that Denver may have an edge on special teams and the kicking game with Matt Prater over Steven Hauschka, but Stats.com has plenty of eye-opening numbers that may cause you to bet on one team over the other.
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