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For well over a decade, the greatest rivalry in all of sports was thought to be between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, two of the greatest quarterbacks who ever lived and fought annually for the right to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, usually at the expense of thee other. When Peyton retired in 2016, Tom had won the head-to-head (11-6) and was ahead in Super Bowl rings (3-2), while Manning had a lead in their playoff meetings (3-2). Overall, Brady had the slight edge (though having Bill Belichick on his sideline played a huge-to-major role in the results). But, with the benefit of hindsight, it turns out Manning actually got the better of Tom Brady and it wasn’t even close.
Eli Manning, that is.
The youngest Manning brother twice defeated Brady and Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl, stunning the undefeated Pats in the 2007 season and then backing it up with another upset win in 2011. Up until Sunday, Manning was the only quarterback who’d bested Brady in a Super Bowl.
(Getty Images)
So when Eli showed up in Minneapolis, it had to be seen as a good sign for Nick Foles, who now was in the presence of the only man to take the terrific out of Tom. And while you can say it was the Eagles pressuring defense or Nick Foles poise under pressure of Doug Pederson’s gutsy play calling that won Philadelphia its first Super Bowl ever, there’s only one stat that matters – one stat that tells the whole story:
Tom Brady’s Super Bowl record in an Eli-less stadium: 5-0.
Tom Brady’s Super Bowl record when Eli’s in the house: 0-3.
By the transitive property, Eli Manning is the world’s greatest athlete.
Are those numbers coincidence? I don’t know. I do know that Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books, once wrote, “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times, it’s enemy action.”
Who knew that Tom Brady’s biggest enemy on Sunday would be a guy in a suit watching from a luxury box and dancing dirtily with Odell Beckham?
Even when he’s not playing, Eli Manning is winning – at least against Tom Brady.
