There are a select number of football greats that can be immediately recognized by their last names alone. Rice. Favre. Marino. Tomlinson. Unitas. Mentioning them instantly brings to mind glory, winning, and the Hall of Game. But one name in particular breaks that pattern. Manning.

When someone says “Manning is a great player”, you have to ask which one. Eli? Peyton? Or even their father, Archie. The name Manning has become synonymous with football. While all three men had highs and lows in their careers, they were all remarkably gifted athletes, and Eli’s not even done yet. So let’s take a closer look at one of the most prominent families in the game.

Archie

Elisha Archie Manning III was born on May 19, 1949, in Cleveland, MS. He attended college at Ole Miss where he finished fourth in Heisman voting in 1969, and third in 1970. The Rebels went 22-10 (0.687) during his tenure and won two of their three bowl games. He was drafted second overall in 1971 by the New Orleans Saints, a young team entering only their fifth season as a franchise.

New Orleans

Archie played 134 games for the Saints from 1971-1982, and from ’71-’81 (his time as a starter) he wasn’t too shabby:

• 7th most passing yards (21,731)
• 4th most games started (129)
• 5th most completions (1,848) and 4th most attempts (3,328)

Not bad. Well, until you look at some of this other stats over the same period:

• 5th most interceptions, 154, to only 115 touchdowns
• Most sacks (338) and total yardage lost (2,622)
• Most losses (91) and ties (3)

His final record with the team was 35-91-3 for a win percentage of 0.306. But how much of that was Archie’s fault? From 1971-1981 the Saints only had one player-season where a wide receiver had over 1000 receiving yards, which was Wes Chandler in 1979 when the team finished with a then franchise-best 8-8 record that year. No player ever had more than 65 receptions in a season, that title also held by Chandler. There were only two player-seasons where a running back broke 1000 rushing yards, the same two where a running back had more than 10 rushing touchdowns. The offense almost always ranked in the bottom third for points scored and yards gained, and the defense was equally terrible. The team was just bad. In fact, the franchise still has a losing record of 362-435-5 and a playoff record of 9-11.

 Legacy

Despite all of this, Archie is still the 10th most valuable player to the franchise (according to Pro-Football-Reference approximate value). He has the second-most completions, attempts, and passing yards, and third-most touchdowns in franchise history. Makes sense when you were the starter for over 20% of the team’s existence.

Archie never won a Super Bowl, in fact, he never played a playoff game. But he did make the Pro Bowl in 1978 and 1979. After 11 years in New Orleans he moved to the Oilers for a couple years, and then the Vikings, where he lost all ten of his starts. After 14 years and 151 games, the quarterback called it a career and retired.

The 1982-83 Oilers had a total record of 3-22, and the Vikings 1983-84 record was 11-21. Still can’t blame Archie. The leading man never had a supporting cast.

Peyton

Peyton Williams Manning is the second child of Archie and Olivia Manning (the oldest is Cooper). He was born on March 24, 1976, in New Orleans. Peyton went to Knoxville to play for Tennessee, where he obliterated almost every school he faced. From 1994-97 the Volunteers had a 40-9 (0.816) record and won three of their four bowl games. Peyton still holds the school records for completions, attempts, passing yards, and touchdowns. He finished second in Heisman voting his senior season. It’s no shocker that in 1998 he was drafted first overall by the Indianapolis Colts.

Indianapolis

Peyton’s pro career began with not a bang, but a whimper. The 1998 Colts finished 3-13 for the second season in a row, and although he led the league in pass attempts (575), Peyton also led the league in interceptions (28). He set the rookie record for interceptions, a record he still holds today.

The ’99 season was a different story. The team finished 13-3, won their division for the first time in 12 years, and Indy entered the playoffs as the 2-seed in the AFC. Leading the league with seven game-winning drives, Peyton was selected to his first Pro Bowl. It was nothing but sunny skies from then on.

In 2003, after leading the NFL in completions, completion percentage, and passing yards, Peyton earned his first Associated Press First-Team All-Pro nomination. He was also named the league MVP.

Ring One

Going to the playoffs for the fifth straight year, in 2006 the Colts finally made the Super Bowl, their first appearance since 1970. Peyton wasn’t perfect in that playoff run; in fact, he had six interceptions to only two touchdowns before making the big game. But he got the job done, and the Colts won their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Despite only having one touchdown in that performance, Peyton was still named Super Bowl MVP. After nine years Peyton was finally atop the league.

What Hangover?

The Sheriff didn’t let off the gas. The Colts came back strong in 2007, and in his last four years with the team, they won four division titles and never had less than 10 wins in a season. Peyton earned two more league MVP awards, went to the Pro Bowl every year,  and earned two more First-Team All-Pro awards. They made the Super Bowl again in 2009 but lost to Archie’s old team.

2011

Peyton signed a 5-year, $90M contract with the Colts in February 2011 before undergoing neck surgery that May. Ultimately needing a spinal fusion surgery later that summer, Peyton was unable to play in the NFL that year. The Colts utterly collapsed. They went 2-14 and earned the honor of the first overall pick in the 2012 draft. Electing to draft a younger replacement in Andrew Luck, Indianapolis released Manning in March 2012.

Denver

Already one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play, Peyton had no trouble finding a new team and after less than two weeks as a free agent, he signed a 5-year, $96M deal with the Denver Broncos. After a 31-19 win over the Steelers (a 12-4 team last year that Denver had beat in the playoffs), it became immediately clear that the grizzled 36-year-old gunslinger hadn’t skipped a beat with his year off. Peyton continued his streak of seasons with 10+ wins (a streak he started back in 2002), leading the team to their second consecutive division title and back to the playoffs.

2013

2013 was a phenomenal year. Peyton led the league in completions, pass attempts, passing yards, and touchdowns. His 55 regular season touchdowns were the most in a single season ever. He was Offensive Player of the Year and league MVP for the fifth time. 13-3 again, the Broncos looked unstoppable as they cruised to the Super Bowl. Then everything collapsed. On the first play of the game, the ball was fumbled, ultimately for a safety against the Broncos. It was only downhill from there as the Seattle Seahawks pummeled the team into the ground, beating them 43-8.

2014

Once again, you never would have known Peyton’s team had lost a Super Bowl the previous season. Denver came back at full strength in 2014, winning their division again. Stretching back to Indy, this is Peyton’s fifth consecutive division title. En route to their annual crown, Peyton passed Brett Favre to become the all-time leader in passing touchdowns. Sporting a 12-4 regular season record, the Broncos were knocked out in the divisional round by Peyton’s old team.

Ring Two

At 39 years old and entering his eighteenth season in the NFL, Peyton was old. First or second for nearly every passing record and already a proud owner of a Super Bowl ring, he had nothing left to prove. And yet he didn’t slow down. Peyton kept throwing the ball, and in Week 10 he beat another record of Favre’s, this time for the all-time passing yards title. However, Peyton began to suffer from plantar fasciitis, and backup Brock Osweiler would fill in and lead the team back to the playoffs. Peyton was back in January and took Denver to the big game for the second time in four years. Already sporting one of the greatest football careers in history, he cemented his future spot in Canton with a second Lombardi trophy, beating Carolina in Super Bowl 50 24-10.

Legacy

His accomplishments are almost unbelievable:

• 2x Super Bowl Champ, including Super Bowl XLI MVP
• 5x MVP
• 14x Pro Bowler
• 7x All-Pro
• Most Passing Yards at time of retirement (71,940), still second all-time
• Most Passing TD (539)
• Seventh-highest career Passer Rating (96.5)
• Fifth-highest career Pass Completion Percentage (65.3%)
• Most Game-Winning Drives (54) and Fourth-Quarter Comebacks (43)

He won 12 division titles in 17 seasons and had four Super Bowl appearances. He raised the standard for players both on and off the field. He was great in every sense. Shortly after Super Bowl 50, Peyton announced that he was hanging up his jersey. He gave a beautiful speech, ending with:

“I’ve fought a good fight. I’ve finished my football race and after 18 years, it’s time. God bless all of you and God bless football.”

Eli

Elisha Nelson Manning is Archie and Olivia’s third child. He was born on January 3, 1981, in New Orleans. Eli decided to attend his father’s alma mater Ole Miss. The Rebels went 31-18 (0.632) and won two of their three bowl games. Just like Peyton before him, Eli carved up the SEC and finished third in Heisman voting in 2003. Not to be shown up by Peyton, Eli was also drafted first overall. The Chargers drafted him in 2004 but he never suited up for them. Fervently against going to San Diego, Eli immediately demanded a trade and ended up going to the New York Giants.

Rookie Slump

If one thing is common about the Mannings, it’s that their first years in the league were all terrible. Starting seven games in 2004 for the Giants, Eli went 1-6 for a passer rating of 55.4 and completed less than 50% of attempts. But just like Peyton, he shook his rookie season off and came back next year to go 11-5 and win the division. Eli doubled his yards per game and sported a 75.9 passer rating, respectable for a sophomore quarterback.

Ring One

While Eli has spent most of his life living in Peyton’s shadow, he didn’t have to wait as long for his first championship ring. One year after his older brother hoisted the Lombardi trophy, Eli did the same. Coming into the playoffs as a wild card team, no one expected the Giants to win it all. Eli had actually led the league in interceptions in 2007. And facing a New England Patriots team led by Tom Brady that had already won three Super Bowls this decade, certainly, the Giants wouldn’t win. But champions they were, and after only four years in the NFL Eli was Super Bowl MVP.

Hiccups

The Giants won their division the next year, but despite going 12-4 and being the 1-seed in the NFC they lost to the Eagles in the divisional round. The team would miss the playoffs the next two seasons, going 18-14. Eli made his first Pro Bowl in 2008, but in 2010 led the league in interceptions again. He seemed to always be good, but never great.

Ring Two

And then they accidentally won the Super Bowl again. The Giants narrowly won the NFC East and lucked their way back to the big game. Eli was on fire, with eight touchdowns and only one pick before their 2012 rematch against New England. But surely Brady and head coach Bill Belichick wouldn’t be fooled again only four years later, right? Nope. Eli went 30 for 40, 296 passing yards and a 103.7 passer rating for his second Super Bowl MVP title.

…and then?

From his rookie season through 2011, Eli went 69-50, averaging 3647 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions per season. New York won three division titles and went to the playoffs five times. Since then, Eli has gone 47-64, averaging 4094 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 16 picks per season. His passer rating increased from 82.1 to 86.1. So why did the Giants only make the playoffs in 2016, losing the wild card game? If Eli hasn’t changed, what happened to the team?

Tom Coughlin was still the head coach up until 2016. He became the head coach the same year Eli joined the team, so he knew his quarterback very well. And the Giants have had no shortage of offensive talent, drafting superstars like Victor Cruz, Odell Beckham Jr, and Saquon Barkley. Overall they’ve been middle of the pack offensively. The answer is defense. While Eli has done his job, the other side of the team has failed to stop opponents from scoring, turning Giants games into races to see who can rack up more points quicker. Recent seasons have seen very high totals in both points for and against. The Giants don’t play a balanced football game, and despite being an outstanding athlete, Eli can’t bring the team to the playoffs alone.

Legacy

Eli hasn’t retired yet and will remain the Giants starter for the 2019 season, but his days are numbered. He just turned 38, and after going 8-23 the past two years it’s hard to see an extension into 2020. Regardless, Eli has left his mark on the NFL:

• 2x Super Bowl MVP
• 4x Pro Bowler
• Seventh-most Passing Yards (55,981)
• Eighth-most Passing TD (360)
• Sixth-most Passes Completed (4804) and Pass Attempts (7972)
• 37 Game-Winning Drives and 27 Fourth-Quarter Comebacks

He’s not the greatest, but he is great and deserves a spot in Canton besides his brother.

Comparisons

Here is a per-game comparison of Archie, Peyton, and Eli:

The Manning Bowl

Yes, Peyton and Eli have played each other. Here are the stats for those games:

Game 1: Colts vs Giants, September 10, 2006

Peyton: 25/41, 276 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 Sack, 78.9 rating

Eli: 20/34, 247 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 88.7 rating

Final Score: 26-21 Colts

Game 2: Giants vs Colts, September 19, 2010

Peyton: 20/26, 255 yards, 3 TD, 1 Sack, 145.5 rating

Eli: 13/24, 161 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 4 Sacks, 85.6 rating

Final Score: 38-14 Colts

Game 3: Giants vs Broncos, September 15, 2013

Peyton: 30/43, 307 yards, 2 TD, 105.5 rating

Eli: 28/49, 362 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT, 1 Sack, 53.3 rating

Final Score: 41-23 Broncos

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As always, a huge thank you to Sports-Reference.com for all of the free data their sites provide. If you enjoyed this piece please share it and follow me on Twitter @AdamNelson22_ to never miss a new article!