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Tom Brady Doesn’t Hesitate to Name the QB Who Challenged Him the Most

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 6:12 AM ET

Tom Brady had several quarterback-to-quarterback rivalries throughout his 23-year NFL career.

Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, and Drew Brees were just a few of the top QBs Brady battled over the years, but he recently admitted there was one who stood out above them all.

Few would argue that Peyton Manning was Brady’s biggest rival during his time with the Indianapolis Colts, and Brady admitted as much on Monday in his 199 newsletter, where he credited Peyton for being the passer that challenged him most in his career.

The 47-year-old Brady had an 11-6 record against Manning head-to-head—he won eight of 12 meetings when Manning was with the Colts and three of five when he was with the Broncos—but Manning bested Brady 3-1 in AFC Championship games.

Brady never lost to Manning in the postseason in New England (he was 2-0), and Manning never lost to Brady in the postseason at home either (he was 3-0 between Indy and Denver).

“I had the privilege during my playing career to participate in two amazing rivalries,” Brady wrote. “…There was my rivalry with Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, which developed over about fifteen years. From 2001 to 2015, we played each other every season but three.

“… Peyton won more regular season MVPs, but we won more Super Bowls. And over that whole time, we won a very similar number of games. Ours was a pretty even rivalry for a decade and a half—a rare thing.”

Brady also admitted that the weeks his Patriots were playing Manning’s Colts, he knew he had to be “locked in all week” and “laser-focused all game” because one bad play against a Manning-led team was all it took to swing momentum.

“Peyton Manning was a gift to my NFL career,” Brady added. “I maybe didn’t fully know it at the time, but I needed someone to look up to, who inspired me to be better, and who gave me a target to aim for. Now when I see him, the only thing I can say is thank you.

“Thank you for challenging me to be the best I could be, to dig deep in March and April and May when nobody was watching, and to have expectations for myself that were above and beyond what others thought was possible.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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