99 Stats Until Kickoff (#99) Peyton vs. Eli: A statistical analysis of the Mannings
From May 30 and every day until September 5… the start of the 2013 NFL season… Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ will publish “99 Stats Until Kickoff” a daily dose of NFL stats that will get you ready for the 2013 NFL season.)
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, 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 was 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, whereas Eli’s stats go up in the post-season. Peyton received a lot of mention for 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.
“99 Stats Before Kickoff” (Stats you need to know before the start of the 2013 NFL season) is available from e-book publisher Smashwords. Go to www.smashwords.com to download a copy, including a pdf version which can be viewed on your home computer. Cost is $2.99.
How did Peyton Manning perform at the home fields of his four suitors?
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog that is published multiple times weekly focusing on stats that go beyond the numbers.
As the Peyton Manning sweepstakes draws to a conclusion, there is a lot of speculation about where Peyton will land. Some media sources have recently mentioned that it’s down to two teams, Denver and Tennessee. Other sources have the Miami and Arizona still in the mix.
There’s several theories about what factors will determine Manning’s destination. Well, here’s a “stats” look at another factor that may (or may not) play a role in where Peyton wants to play. Below is a look at each of the four teams vying for Manning’s services and how well Peyton played at those home fields of the four suitors. Did Peyton perform especially well as a member of the Indianapolis Colts playing at these venvues?
W-L record 1-0 3-1* 4-3 6-3
Pass pct. 68.6 68.0 62.3 69.9
Yds per attempt 10.8 7.1 6.9 7.8
TDs/Ints 4/1 6/1 7/8 16/9
QB Rating 130.5 100.6 78.4 97.9
* Played only one series in the loss to Denver in their last regular season game before the playoffs. The Miami numbers do not include Peyton’s two Super Bowl appearances, which took place in Miami.
Unfortunately, there is not an equal sample of games to make any significant evaluation of Peyton’s numbers in these away games. If there is one key factor playing in the favor of the Titans, it’s that the Colts and Titans have played in the same division since 2002. Familiarity with the division would be an advantage.
If there is a factor playing in the favor of Arizona, it’s that Peyton has compiled better career stats against NFC opponents than AFC opponents (although his team has a better win-loss record against AFC teams). Here’s a breakdown of Peyton’s career stats versus AFC and NFC teams.
Stat AFC NFC
W-L pct. .686 .654
Pass pct. 64.5 66.1
Yds per attempt 7.48 7.98
TD/Int ratio 1.9 2.4
QB Rating 93.0 100.7
Note: TD/Int ratio means number of TD passes for every one interception.
Still confused? No clear-cut winner in these numbers. What’s my prediction? Peyton signs with Tennessee.
SIX STATS you might not know about… Archie Manning
“SIX STATS…” is a bonus feature of Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ and is published every Friday.
Over the past several weeks, the Manning boys, Peyton and Eli, have garnered a little ink and publicity for on-the-field (in Eli’s case) and off-the-field (in Peyton’s case) activities. Here’s a change of pace for those of you who might be tired of all the talk about Peyton and Eli… a few stats about their dad, Archie, a pretty darn good QB in his day.
1. Archie made 139 starts as a quarterback in his 13-year NFL career. As a starter, he was 35-101-3. In his 10 years with the New Orleans Saints, the Saints had nine losing seasons and finished at .500 only once. Both Peyton and Eli won 42 games in their first five years in the league; Archie won only 15 in his first five seasons. Archie made eight starts with the Houston Oilers and two starts with the Minnesota Vikings in brief stints with those teams at the end of his career; he did not win any of those starts with the Oilers or Vikings.
2. Archie finished his career with a passer rating of 67.1. His best season passer rating was 81.8. Peyton’s career passer rating is 94.9; Eli’s is 82.1.
3. Of the three Manning QBs, Archie has the most rushing TDs with 18. Peyton has 17, Eli only four rushing touchdowns.
4. Archie led the league in most times sacked in three seasons. The most times Peyton has been sacked in a season is 29; the most Eli has had in a season is 30. Archie was sacked 35 or more times in six seasons.
5. Archie threw 32% of his TD passes in the fourth quarter. Eli has thrown 33.5% of his TD passes in the fourth quarter; Peyton has thrown 23.3% of his TD passes in the fourth quarter. Of Archie’s 125 TD passes, 21 (16.8%) were for 40 yards or more. Of Eli’s 185 TD passes, 14.6% were 40 yards or longer. Of Peyton’s 399 TD passes, 14.3% were 40 yards or more.
6. Archie was sacked 396 times in 151 games, an average of 2.6 per game. Peyton has been sacked an average of 1.1 times per game; Eli has been sacked an average of 1.6 times per game. Archie ranks 11th on the all-time sacked list.
6b. Both Peyton and Eli have played in two Super Bowls, with Peyton winning one and Eli winning a pair. Archie never played in an NFL postseason game.