Super Bowl 2012: Is Tom Brady or Eli Manning Playing Better Headed into Sunday?

Tom Brady and Eli Manning are playing some of their best football down the stretch, but which one is playing better?

Judging by their most recent performances, the easy answer is Eli. He did, after all, post an impressive 82.3 passer rating against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship.

Meanwhile, Brady "sucked" by his own admission against the Baltimore Ravens, with a passer rating of just 57.5 in the AFC Championship Game.

But the real answer may not be that simple.

Numbers

Of course, they have played against different opponents, but their overall performances have been similar over the past five games.

As was the case in 2007, Manning is playing his best football at the right time and has helped the Giants reach the big game. Brady, meanwhile, has played well over the past five games and willed his team to victory against the Ravens despite a rough outing.

Looking at the whole body of work—a game-by-game comparison—though, shows that both have been up and down over the past five games.

Both Brady and Manning have had some tough days at the office in the past five weeks, and it's not surprising that each performed their worst against their toughest competition.

Just like Brady's worst performance came against the league's No. 1 defense in defensive passer rating, Eli's worst game was against the league's No. 3 unit in defensive passer rating. It just so happens to be the last example we have headed into the Super Bowl.

Brady had been getting better until running into a brick wall in the Ravens defense. And though Brady's last performance is the worst of the two, Eli's performances have gotten progressively worse, albeit against progressively better competition.

But wait: Is Brady's utter domination of the Broncos defense lost on everyone in the aftermath of his performance against the Ravens? An NFL postseason record five touchdown passes in the first half, combined with a record-tying six on the game are unforgettable numbers by any measure.

Advantage: Tom Brady

Under pressure

Pressure is often perceived as just the pass rush, but quarterbacks face another kind of big-time pressure: the game clock.

Eli has led six fourth-quarter comebacks this season so far, while Brady has led just two. To be fair, the Patriots haven't trailed much headed into the fourth quarter this season, and his late-game mettle has proven strong throughout his career with 24 fourth-quarter comebacks. And he could have had three and left Eli with five were it not for a defensive collapse in the final two minutes in Week 9.

But for 45 minutes leading up to the fourth quarter, the two quarterbacks will also have to play well under pressure in the pocket.

Once again, it's a statistical dead heat when the two are under pressure. Eli has far more yards, but has been under pressure far more. Still, his advantage of a full two yards per attempt is a bit eye-grabbing. He has more explosive downfield threats, but it's telling that his big-play ability isn't hindered too greatly when he's under pressure.

Although Brady has been under less pressure, Eli has performed better down the stretch this year in the face of a fierce pass rush. The advantage goes to Eli, even though he's at a disadvantage because he's been under more pressure.

Advantage: Eli Manning

Leadership

Brady's performance against the Ravens may not have been that great on the stat sheet, but considering his competition, it wasn't all that bad. But Brady isn't settling for that.

"I’ll do better in two weeks," said Brady to Patriots owner Robert Kraft after the victory, according to the Boston Herald. "You can count on that."

The simple fact is Brady was able to shake off his rough performance to put a drive together when it mattered most. Not only that, the 33-year-old quarterback did his best impersonation of a 20-something-year-old LaDainian Tomlinson as he got to the one-yard line and leaped over the trenches for a score.

Not to be outdone, though, Eli has done things the hard way for the second time. While not as dramatic as winning Super Bowl XLII as the No. 6 seed, they went through the first-seeded Packers and the second-seeded 49ers on their way once again.

Eli led his team in the face of adversity to make the Super Bowl once again.

As unfair as it may seem to judge these players based on factors that are out of their control, Brady has shown his mettle as a leader all season long, and has done so in the face of the constant adversity of one of the most porous pass defenses in NFL history.

To lead his team back from down nine, 17 and 21 points in consecutive weeks is unprecedented.

Advantage: Tom Brady

Difficulty of opponent

As unfair as it may seem to judge these players based on things that are out of their control, it just wouldn't be fair at all not to look at the opponents they've faced.

As mentioned above, the Patriots and the Giants have each faced one of the best pass defenses in the league in the Ravens and the Jets. 

The Dolphins were a different team down the stretch, but the Patriots had the good fortune of facing the Bills (defensive passer rating of 90.4) in their final regular-season game. Getting two cracks at the Broncos, the only team in NFL history to make the postseason with a defensive passer rating over 90 (93.1), certainly helps.

Eli? He's just been doing it against three of the top 10 defenses in defensive passer rating—the Jets (69.6), Packers (80.6) and 49ers (73.6).

It's tricky to compare the opponents, especially with their performances against those opponents in the background, but with so many top defenses in his face, Eli Manning has continued to produce.

Advantage: Eli Manning

Conclusion

After four rounds, it's a dead heat. Rather than using this as a predictive tool to see which quarterback will play better, let's allow Super Bowl XLVI to be the final piece to the puzzle that shapes which quarterback actually does play better to help their team earn a victory.

In the end, it will come down to which of the two quarterbacks is better prepared on Sunday. But as we all know, they won't ever be on the field at the same time.

That is, until the game is over.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter.