Manning and Brady played each other seventeen times.
[9] Brady led the head-to-head series 11–6. From 2001–2015, the two quarterbacks met at least once every season, with the following exceptions: the Colts and Patriots, longtime
AFC East division rivals from 1970–2001, did not meet in 2002 following the
NFL's divisional re-alignment; Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 of the
2008 season; Manning missed the entire
2011 season due to recovery from multiple neck surgeries, as well as the
2015 regular-season meeting due to recovery from a torn
plantar fascia. Brady led the
Colts–Patriots series 8–4
[10] and also led the
Broncos–Patriots series 3–2,
[11] though Manning's two wins with the Broncos both occurred in the
AFC Championships in
2013 and
2015. Brady led the series in
Foxborough 8–2 (7–2 at
Gillette Stadium), while Manning led the series in
Indianapolis/
Denver 4–3.
[11] The home team won each of the final seven games, with the last road win for either quarterback in the rivalry coming in Brady's
2007 win at Indianapolis.
The two quarterbacks met five times in the
NFL Playoffs, in which Manning led the playoff series 3–2. Each of the five games was won by the home team. Brady led 2–1 vs. Manning's Colts' teams, while Manning's Broncos' teams led 2–0. Four of the five matchups were in the AFC Championship Game, with Manning winning three out of four, one with the Colts and two with the Broncos.
The winner of the playoff games went on to be the eventual
Super Bowl winner, with the exception of the 2014 matchup.
[11]