Eli Manning: How Eli Proved He's Better Than Peyton in Super Bowl 2012

After winning a second title and Super Bowl MVP award, Eli Manning has proved that he performs better than his older brother Peyton when it counts—in the postseason.

Eli defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI the same way he beat them four years earlier: by leading his team down the field into the end zone to come from behind and win the game.

The younger Manning showed poise and an ability to play within the game, instead of trying to do too much for his team. His sublime performance backed up his preseason assertion that he was in the top tier of quarterbacks across the league.

In contrast, Peyton has often forced throws in crucial situations during the playoffs. His attempts to put his team on his back have resulted in interceptions and losses that have tainted his legacy.

Peyton has undoubtedly been the better passer in the regular season and has set numerous records. He has cast a large shadow for his brother by being voted to the Pro Bowl 11 times and an All-Pro team eight times. He's the only player ever to win four NFL MVP awards.

Peyton also reached 50,000 passing yards and 4,000 completions faster than any player in league history.

While the big brother has been the better player from September to December, his younger sibling has been unstoppable in January and February.

In his 19 playoff games, Peyton has gone 9-10 while throwing 27 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Five of these picks came in two consecutive playoff losses to New England in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, but no turnover was as costly as the ball thrown to Saints’ defensive back Tracy Porter in Super Bowl XLIV. Porter scampered into the end zone after jumping in front of Manning’s pass and denied Peyton his second championship.

Eli, on the other hand, was flawless down the stretch en route to his second ring and has been magnificent in the playoffs during his career. The younger brother has an 8-3 all-time postseason record and has thrown 16 touchdowns to eight interceptions in those games.

Starting with the 2007 title run, Eli has been especially impressive. He's 8-1 in the playoffs during the last five seasons, with all of the victories coming on the road or at a neutral site.

This postseason in particular, Eli has been unflappable in high-pressure situations. He kept his cool and moved the ball when he needed to, while rarely making a bad throw.

The two-time Super Bowl MVP threw nine touchdowns compared to just one interception during the Giants title run. A deeper analysis of his statistics shows how great he truly was in the four-game stretch.

In the 2011-12 playoffs, Eli excelled when he was under fire. Opposing defenses put the quarterback under pressure 43 times, and he completed an impressive 23 passes. In comparison, Tom Brady was pressured just 23 times in the last three postseasons and completed just seven passes on those attempts.

Against Brady in Sunday’s game, Eli was calm and consistent, moving the ball and keeping the New England quarterback off the field.

During the Super Bowl, Manning completed 28-of-32 passes that traveled less than 15 yards in the air. These short passes moved the chains and contributed to the Giants running 71 plays compared to the Pats’ 62. In addition, New York held the ball for 37:05, while Brady only had 23:55 to work with.

Eli capped off an incredible playoff campaign with another display of late game heroics. His pinpoint 38-yard pass to Mario Manningham sparked a march down the field that resulted in Ahmad Bradshaw’s go-ahead touchdown. The game-winning drive was the eight of the season for Manning—most in NFL. He also set the single-season record in 2011 with 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

Peyton’s regular-season numbers have earned him accolades, but Eli’s postseason performances have earned him titles.

When discussing how quarterbacks rank historically, championships are always the most important part of the criteria.

Many consider Joe Montana to be the greatest quarterback in history, not because of his stats, but because he won four Super Bowls. Montana does not rank in top 10 all time in passing touchdowns, passing yards or completions, but won three Super Bowl MVPs and always came through in the clutch.

John Elway always had impressive stats, but few NFL fans considered him one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks until he won two championships in his last two seasons.

Dan Marino was never able to capture a title, and because of this, he is nearly always left out of conversations about the great QBs in league history.

Both Mannings have time left in their careers and will have to continue playing at a high level to be discussed in the same light as the aforementioned passers, but Eli currently has the better chance at retiring as one of the top-tier quarterbacks in NFL history.

Peyton will never be able to erase his 10 playoff losses and is rapidly running out of time to add to his nine victories.

In contrast, Eli has a fantastic postseason résumé, and with a couple more productive playoff runs, could go down as the greatest clutch performer of all time.

When all the chips are in the center of the table and the game is on the line, Eli has come through time after time. His 2011 postseason is one of the great runs by a quarterback, and his overall body of work during January and February makes him the best football player in his family.