Statistically, Peyton Manning has an extremely strong case for being called the greatest quarterback in NFL history.

That is, when it comes regular season stats.

Despite an illustrious career, Manning’s legacy has largely been tarnished by disappointment in the postseason. In the regular season, Manning holds a career 186-79 record – a .702 win percentage – and has quarterbacked only two teams with sub-.500 records, the 1998 Colts (in his rookie season) and the 2001 Colts.

In the playoffs, however, "The Sheriff" has failed to find the same success. Entering Super Bowl 50, Manning’s postseason record sits at an even 13-13 and, considering the game is expected to be his last in the NFL, his legacy could hang in the balance on Sunday.

A win will not make Manning’s playoff losses disappear, but it will enter him into the elusive multi-Super Bowl win club. That list currently consists of 11 quarterbacks, seven of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and another three who remain active. Former Oakland Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett is only the quarterback to win two or more Super Bowl wins and not be enshrined in Canton. 

Manning’s Hall-of-Fame credentials are not up for debate. The 39-year-old, who was the first overall pick in 1998, is only the player in NFL history to win the league’s MVP trophy five times – two more than those in the next closest group, which includes Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas and Jim Brown.

His numbers speak for themselves. He ranks first in career passing yards and first touchdown passes despite ranking ninth in career interceptions thrown. His passer rating sits fifth in NFL history, behind just one Hall of Famer; Steve Young. He’s also led more fourth-quarter comebacks than any other quarterback.

Still, his postseason history often leaves him behind the likes Tom Brady and Joe Montana in the greatest quarterback of all-time debate. Despite his one Super Bowl win – XLI over the Chicago Bears – Manning is often roped in with ringless Dan Marino, given the qualification of, “he was great, but…”
 

The Greats (Ranked by career wins)

 
Player Record TDs INTs MVPs Super Bowl record SB MVPs
Peyton Manning 186-79 539 251 5 1-2 1
Brett Favre 186-112 508 336 3 1-1 0
Tom Brady 172-51 428 150 2 4-2 3
John Elway 148-82-2 300 226 1 2-2 1
Dan Marino 147-93 420 252 1 0-1 0
Joe Montana 117-47 273 139 2 4-0 3
 

Entering Sunday’s game, Manning’s legacy remains tarnished by the images of New Orleans Saints cornerback Joey Porter’s pick-six to clinch Super Bowl XLIV and the first snap of Super Bowl XLVIII whizzing by his head for a safety. The latter proved to be an omen of what was to come in a 43-8 rout at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks.

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Now, in career playoff game No. 27, Manning has one final chance to change how history remembers him; to win his final game – the Super Bowl – as an underdog.

His season was far from perfect (nine touchdowns to 17 interceptions), but that will be forgiven with a win over the juggernaut Carolina Panthers. 

Will a win put Manning ahead of Brady and Montana on the oft-debated list? Probably not. But it will build his case, where a loss will move him even closer to Marino in the conversation of elite quarterbacks who failed when it mattered most.

With a win Sunday, Manning can join the likes of Jerome Bettis, Ray Lewis, Michael Strahan and current Broncos general manager John Elway as players who rode off into the sunset with their Super Bowl ring. The careers of those players are often remembered with one final picture; of the Lombardi Trophy held proudly above their head. 

For Manning, joining that list could forever change the perception of his career.