Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are often compared in terms of stats and winning. Manning's superior stats are touted by his supporters as to why he is better than Brady. And Brady's superior winning is touted by his supporters as to why he is better than Manning.
One area of comparison that is often mentioned is postseason winning. Let's compare the raw numbers:
Manning: 23 games, 11-12, .478
Brady: 26 games, 18-8, .692
So right off the top, Brady's postseason numbers dominate, obviously. However, one thing to consider is the bye factor. That is, if you finish with a 1 or 2 seed, obviously you get a first round bye. And really, a first round bye is a "free" win. It's free because you don't have to play a game to advance to the divisional round. You just get there by virtue of being the 1 or 2 seed. Of course, it's not "free" because you have to be one of the two best teams in your conference over a 16 game schedule in order to get that "free" win. So it's hard-earned, perhaps even more so than an actual wild card round victory, since it's won over the course of a grueling season instead of one single anything-can-happen game.
Manning has had byes in 7 seasons:
- #1 seed: 05-06, 09-10, 12-13, 13-14
- #2 seed: 99-00, 07-08, 14-15
Brady has had byes in 9 seasons:
- #1 seed: 03-04, 07-08, 10-11, 11-12, 14-15
- #2 seed: 01-02, 04-05, 12-13, 13-14
So if you add these games as "wins", here are their adjusted playoff records:
Manning: 30 games, 18-12, .600
Brady: 35 games, 27-8, .771
Now, I don't think that if either the Patriots or Colts/Broncos had played all 16 of those extra games, that they would have won them all. However, the point is that they did not have to play them, because they earned an automatic win in those rounds.
Let's see how Brady stacks up to other great QBs….
Brady: Was: 18-8 (.692). Adjusted: 18 wins, 9 byes, 8 losses = 27-8 (.771)
Manning: Was: 11-12 (.478). Adjusted: 11 wins, 7 byes, 12 losses = 18-12 (.600)
Montana: Was: 16-7 (.696). Adjusted: 16 wins, 7 byes, 7 losses = 23-7 (.767)
Elway: Was: 14-8 (.636). Adjusted: 14 wins, 7 byes, 8 losses = 21-8 (.724)
Bradshaw: Was: 14-5 (.737). Adjusted: 14 wins, 2 byes, 5 losses = 16-5 (.762)
Brady's 9 byes are the most in the Super Bowl era. It gives him the greatest adjusted playoff winning percentage in history (minimum 10 games), heading into this postseason.
And this really isn't a "gimmick" idea. It's very real. Getting that first round bye IS essentially earning a free win. It means not only don't you have to play that first round playoff game, but it guarantees that your first game (which is in the second round of the playoffs) is played at home.
One area of comparison that is often mentioned is postseason winning. Let's compare the raw numbers:
Manning: 23 games, 11-12, .478
Brady: 26 games, 18-8, .692
So right off the top, Brady's postseason numbers dominate, obviously. However, one thing to consider is the bye factor. That is, if you finish with a 1 or 2 seed, obviously you get a first round bye. And really, a first round bye is a "free" win. It's free because you don't have to play a game to advance to the divisional round. You just get there by virtue of being the 1 or 2 seed. Of course, it's not "free" because you have to be one of the two best teams in your conference over a 16 game schedule in order to get that "free" win. So it's hard-earned, perhaps even more so than an actual wild card round victory, since it's won over the course of a grueling season instead of one single anything-can-happen game.
Manning has had byes in 7 seasons:
- #1 seed: 05-06, 09-10, 12-13, 13-14
- #2 seed: 99-00, 07-08, 14-15
Brady has had byes in 9 seasons:
- #1 seed: 03-04, 07-08, 10-11, 11-12, 14-15
- #2 seed: 01-02, 04-05, 12-13, 13-14
So if you add these games as "wins", here are their adjusted playoff records:
Manning: 30 games, 18-12, .600
Brady: 35 games, 27-8, .771
Now, I don't think that if either the Patriots or Colts/Broncos had played all 16 of those extra games, that they would have won them all. However, the point is that they did not have to play them, because they earned an automatic win in those rounds.
Let's see how Brady stacks up to other great QBs….
Brady: Was: 18-8 (.692). Adjusted: 18 wins, 9 byes, 8 losses = 27-8 (.771)
Manning: Was: 11-12 (.478). Adjusted: 11 wins, 7 byes, 12 losses = 18-12 (.600)
Montana: Was: 16-7 (.696). Adjusted: 16 wins, 7 byes, 7 losses = 23-7 (.767)
Elway: Was: 14-8 (.636). Adjusted: 14 wins, 7 byes, 8 losses = 21-8 (.724)
Bradshaw: Was: 14-5 (.737). Adjusted: 14 wins, 2 byes, 5 losses = 16-5 (.762)
Brady's 9 byes are the most in the Super Bowl era. It gives him the greatest adjusted playoff winning percentage in history (minimum 10 games), heading into this postseason.
And this really isn't a "gimmick" idea. It's very real. Getting that first round bye IS essentially earning a free win. It means not only don't you have to play that first round playoff game, but it guarantees that your first game (which is in the second round of the playoffs) is played at home.
