Peyton Manning was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Sunday, August 8, 2021. Scott Heckel/Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK

Peyton Manning's words of rivalry wisdom to Josh Allen ahead of the biggest game of his career

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Brian Letscher | Last updated Jan 26, 2025 11:35 AM ET

Peyton Manning knows a thing or two about feeling behind. The clock is ticking and it's now or never. In what some consider the greatest quarterback rivalry of all-time -- think Ali-Frasier or Magic-Bird -- Manning was on the losing end to a Mr. Tom Brady for the first eight years of his career. A time-frame and position that Josh Allen knows well in his battles with Patrick Mahomes.

Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes is the best QB rivalry in the NFL today – the "modern-day version" of Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, Jim Nantz has said.

In fact, Manning and Brady are the only QB duo in NFL history to meet more frequently in the playoffs than Mahomes and Allen. pic.twitter.com/otnZAMOIwH
— Nick Veronica (@NickVeronica) January 24, 2025

But, finally, in his 8th year in the league, after a couple heartbreaking playoff losses to Brady's Pats, Manning and his Colts finally came out on top in what is considered one of the greatest games ever played.

As Allen, in his 7th season, steps onto the field against the Chiefs yet again, Manning offered some words of wisdom in a conversation with Kevin Clark.

What does Josh Allen need to do to win a Super Bowl? I asked Peyton Manning earlier this month. He was great.

"I lived that world, my first eight years. I know Josh hears that from time to time: 'oh he does these great things 'but' and I'd love for him to get rid of that 'but." pic.twitter.com/tRio5r0WOY
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) January 24, 2025

While Allen slyly hinted that he had considered a risky move against the Ravens - "press and stress...trying to make plays" as Manning said -- he did not. A sign of the growth and maturity. In fact, earlier this week, Allen seemed to echo Manning's words with some of his own about "playing free" instead of pressing and "fearing the consequences of failure."

If Allen and the Bills can truly take this mentality into Arrowhead, they significantly up their chances of doing what Manning did in the 2006 AFC Championship game against his arch-nemesis, Tom Brady: walk away with a massive win.