Daily Archives: January 15th, 2013

Peyton vs. Eli: A statistical comparison of the Mannings

Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.

Eli Manning during a 2007 training camp

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

About a year ago I posted a blog that looked at the stats of Peyton Manning and how those numbers compared to his little brother, Eli. That blog has been, by far, the most read of the blogs I have posted in the almost two years that I have been blogging. I guess people have a significant interest in all things Manning.

The crux of that blog was that while Peyton had four MVP Awards (will he pick up a fifth for this season’s work?), many records and regular season stats that put him in an elite group of quarterbacks, Eli has had a fairly nondescript regular season career. But Eli’s post-season numbers are not only better than his regular season stats, but in some cases, his playoff stats exceed Peyton’s. (Notice below how Peyton’s numbers drop in the playoffs while Eli’s rise from the regular season to the playoffs.)

Because of that blog and the fact that we have now have another season to add to these stats, I have updated these numbers to include the 2012 regular season (and the Broncos loss in the ’12 playoffs).

With Denver’s “one-and-out,” in this year’s playoffs, the case of Peyton’s regular season numbers versus his post-season numbers is again a topic for discussion. I think you’ll see the clear difference in how Peyton’s numbers take a dip when it’s playoff time, while Eli’s stats go up in the post-season. Peyton may receive his fifth league MVP for the  just-completed season, but Eli has post-season bragging rights with a pair of Super Bowl wins and two Super Bowl MVP trophies to go with those title game wins.

Here’s a quick look at some select stats for both Peyton and Eli in regular season and postseason games. (Regular season stats listed first then playoff stats.)

Wins/losses as starter             
Peyton: 154-70 (.688)/9-11 (.450)
Eli: 78-57 (.578)/8-3 (.727)

Completion pct.
Peyton: 65.2%/63.2%
Eli: 58.6%/61.5%

QB Rating        
Peyton: 95.7/88.4
Eli: 82.7/89.3

TD/Interception Ratio             
Peyton: 436-209 (2.09)/32-21 (1.52)
Eli: 211-144 (1.47)/17-8 (2.11)

TDs per game                
Peyton: 436-224 (1.95)/32-20 (1.6)
Eli: 211-137 (1.54)/17-11 (1.5)

Yards per pass attempt           
Peyton: 7.6/7.46
Eli: 7.1/7.07

Did you know? Eli is 5-1 in road playoff games; Peyton is 2-5.

Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp

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