Eli Manning of the New York Giants (R) and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts embrace following the Colts 38-14 win at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
A few years ago, the very notion of younger brother Eli being the equal or – perish the thought! – superior football player to Peyton Manning would have been laughable. But since 2007, the New York Giants quarterback has won two Super Bowls (one more than Peyton), and was awarded Most Valuable Player in both victories over the favored New England Patriots, coming from behind to win each time. While some in the sport and media had mocked him for claiming that he was an “elite” QB, it’s hard to dispute that he’s risen to big occasions. Not that Peyton isn’t an all-time great. He’s also won the Super Bowl, and been named the NFL’s MVP four times, which is a record, as are his career passing yards (54,828) and touchdown passes (399) for the Indianapolis Colts. After recovering from neck surgery, Manning signed with the Denver Broncos this year: his new team was the top seed in the AFC playoffs, but fell in overtime to the Baltimore Ravens.