Peyton Williams Manning

Manning, Peyton Williams, 1976-, American football player, b. New Orleans. Part of a National Football League quarterback dynasty (his father, Archie, led the New Orleans Saints; his brother Eli plays for the New York Giants), Manning was All-America at the Univ. of Tennessee. The number-one pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, he has quarterbacked the team ever since, becoming the most successful passer in Colts history. With a powerful arm, pinpoint accuracy, and an ability to read the defense, he led the Colts to victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI (2007) and was named game MVP. He also has been named the NFL's MVP a record four times (2003-4, 2008-9), surpassing Brett Favre.

See his Manning: A Father, His Sons, and a Football Legacy (2000), with Archie Manning.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Peyton Manning

Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of his era. He previously played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. Manning was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998. He is the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the older brother of current New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning who won the Super Bowl in 2008.

Manning holds NFL records for consecutive seasons with over 4,000 yards passing and the most total seasons with 4,000 or more yards passing in a career. Among active NFL QB's, Manning has the highest career passer rating (94.4), and ranks second all-time to Steve Young's 96.8. He is also the all-time career passing yards and passing touchdowns leader for the Colts franchise.

Manning is well-known for his pre-snap routine, as the Colts prefer to have him call plays at the line of scrimmage, accompanied with numerous hand gestures.

Manning has become the NFL's most marketable player. He has appeared in numerous commercials, was featured on the covers of the NFL Fever games for the Xbox, and appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Early life

Manning was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Archie and Olivia Manning, the second of three boys. At Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, Manning was the team's principal starter for three seasons. He finished his high school career with 7,207 passing yards and 92 touchdowns. During that time, his team won all but five of 39 games. In addition to football, Manning was the baseball team's starting shortstop and played basketball for two years.

In his sophomore year, Manning's team went 8–2 in the regular season and made it to the state semifinals, equaling the school's best season. The following year, they went 11–2 and advanced to the state quarterfinals, with Manning throwing 30 touchdown passes. As a senior, his team won all ten of their regular season games. Manning passed for over 2,500 yards and 39 touchdowns and won the award for the national Gatorade High School Player of the Year. Isidore Newman lost in the second round of the play-offs with Manning throwing for 395 yards and 3 touchdowns.

College career

Manning stunned many when he chose to attend the University of Tennessee. He became Tennessee's all-time leading passer with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns and won 39 of 45 games as a starter, breaking the Southeastern Conference (SEC) record for career wins.

As a freshman, Manning was the third-string quarterback, but injuries to Todd Helton and Jerry Colquitt forced him to take over the Mississippi State game, a 24–21 loss. In his first start, the following week against Washington State, the Vols won, 10–9, and the Vols won all but one of their remaining games, finishing the season 8–4 with a 45–23 victory over Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl.

Manning and the Vols started off the 1995 season with victories over East Carolina and Georgia, before heading off to Gainesville to play the Gators. Against Florida, he threw for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading the Vols to a 30–21 halftime lead. However, the Gators outscored the Vols 41–7 in the second half, winning 62–37. This would be the Vols' only loss of the season, as they won their remaining 8 regular season games, including a 41–14 win over Alabama and then defeated Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl. The Vols ended the season ranked third and Manning came in sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.

The Vols opened the 1996 season ranked second behind Nebraska and one of the favorites to win the national championship. However, after winning their first two games against UNLV and UCLA, the Vols again lost to Florida, 35–29, with Manning throwing four interceptions. After winning their next four games, the Vols were upset by Memphis, despite Manning passing for 296 yards. The Vols won the remainder of their games, including a 48–28 win in the Citrus Bowl over Northwestern, a game in which Manning passed for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns; he was named the game's MVP.

Manning completed his degree in three years, and was projected to be the top overall pick in the NFL Draft, but returned to Tennessee for his senior year. In his senior season, the Vols opened the season with victories against Texas Tech and UCLA, but for the third time in his career, Manning fell to Florida, 33–20. The Vols won the rest of their regular season games, finishing 10–1, and advanced to the SEC Championship game against Auburn. Down 20–7, Manning led the Vols to a 30–29 victory. Throwing for 4 touchdowns, he was named the game's MVP, but injured himself in the process. The 3rd-ranked Vols were matched-up with 2nd-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl; if Tennessee won and top-ranked Michigan lost to Washington State in the Rose Bowl, the Vols would win the national championship. However, the Vols' defense could not stop Nebraska's rushing attack, giving up over 400 rushing yards in a 42–17 loss. As a senior, Manning won numerous awards; he was a consensus first-team All-American, the Maxwell Award winner, the O'Brien Award winner, the Johnny Unitas Award winner, and the Best College Player ESPY Award winner, among others; however, he did not win the Heisman, finishing runner-up to Charles Woodson. In 2005, Tennessee retired Manning's number (#16). One of the streets leading to Neyland Stadium has been re-named Peyton Manning Pass.

Scandal

In 1996, while he was still quarterback at the University of Tennessee, Manning was involoved in an incident where he allegedly "dropped his pants in front of (female assistant athletic trainer) Jamie Ann Naughright". TheSmokingGun.com reports this incident as being a "mooning" gone awry and not sexual in nature.. In 2003, The University of Tennessee chose to settle the lawsuit with Naughright (then named Jamie Whited) for $300,000. When Peyton signed with the Colts, he donated $300,000 to the Tennessee athletic department to cover this cost..

Professional career

Early career (1998–2003 seasons)

Manning was selected first overall in the 1998 draft by the Indianapolis Colts. In his rookie season, he passed for 3,739 yards with 26 touchdowns, set five different NFL rookie records, including most touchdown passes in a season, and was named to the NFL All-Rookie First Team. Manning's first win came against fellow rookie quarterback Ryan Leaf, 17–12 over the Chargers. Weeks later, Manning faced off against Steve Young; he threw three touchdowns, tying a Colts rookie record, but the 49ers kicked a late field goal to win, 34–31. In November against the Jets, Manning threw for three touchdowns in a 24–23 win; he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. It was the first game-winning drive of Manning's career, as he hit Marcus Pollard with the game-winning TD pass. The Colts lost many close games, including five games in which they had led by double-digits at some point, and finished 3–13.

The Colts opened the 1999 season with a 31–14 victory over Buffalo, but gave up a 28–7 lead the following week against the Patriots and lost. After defeating San Diego 27–19 in a game in which Manning threw for over 400 yards, and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for they lost again, to Miami. The Colts responded by winning 11 of their remaining 12 games, finishing 13–3 and the AFC East champions. The 10 game turnaround from the previous year set an NFL record. As the second seed in the AFC, the Colts earned a first round bye, and faced Tennessee in the play-offs. The Colts lost 19–16 to the Super Bowl bound Titans and Manning was held without a touchdown. Manning finished the year with 4,135 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns, and was named both Second Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl, both firsts for him. In the Pro Bowl, he passed for 270 yards with 2 touchdowns.

The Colts started off the 2000 season inconsistent. Following an opening week victory against Kansas City, they blew a 21–0 lead against the Raiders. The Colts responded with a Monday Night victory against Jacksonville, a 43–14 win in which Manning threw for 430 yards and 4 touchdowns; Manning was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. The Colts won 4 of their next 5 games, including one against New England in which Manning posted the first perfect passer rating of his career, but then lost 4 of the 5 games following that. The Colts regained their momentum, winning their final 3 games, including a 31–10 win over Minnesota on Week 17. Manning threw for 4 touchdowns in the win and was again named AFC Offensive Player of the Week and the win gave the Colts a 10-6 record as well as a wild card spot in the play-offs. In the wild card game, the Colts fell to the Dolphins, 23–17 in overtime. Manning passed for 194 yards and a touchdown in the loss. He finished the season with and and was named Second Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl. At the Pro Bowl, Manning threw two touchdown passes.

During the 2001 season, Manning and the Colts introduced the league to their now-signature no-huddle offense, and used it to great effect in a Week 1 rout of the Jets, 45–24. The next week, the Colts advanced to 2–0 with a win over Buffalo, behind Manning's 421 yards passing. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this game. However, the Colts lost the following week to New England, and continued their slide losing their following two games. The Colts briefly rebounded, winning two games, but then lost seven of their last nine, finishing the season 6–10. Despite the poor record, Manning finished the season with and .

The Colts started off the 2002 season 4–1, before a 3 game losing streak sent them to 4–4. The Colts responded by winning all but two of their remaining games, including a 35–13 upset of the Eagles in which Manning had a perfect quarterback rating for the second time in his career, giving them a 10–6 record and a spot in the play-offs. However, the Colts were pummeled by the Jets in the Wild Card game, 41–0, with Manning passing for only 137 yards. He finished the year with and and was named to the Pro Bowl team. In the Pro Bowl, Manning completed five of eleven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.

The 2003 Colts began the season 5–0, including a 55–21 blowout of the Saints in which Manning played his third perfect game, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. After an overtime loss to Carolina, the Colts won all but three of their remaining games, finishing 12–4. In a Week 14 win against Atlanta, Manning threw for five touchdowns and was named player of the week a second time. He also earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for the month of October. In the Wild Card playoff round Manning and the Colts defeated the Denver Broncos 41-10, his first playoff win. He passed for 377 yards and 5 touchdowns in the game, earning him a perfect passer rating, his second of the season and the fourth of his career. After the game, Manning was awarded Player of the Week honors for the third time that season. In the divisional playoffs, Manning led the Colts to a 38–31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. In the AFC title game Manning was shut down by the New England Patriots defense and posted the third lowest passer rating of his career at 35.5. The Patriots defense intercepted Manning four times and sacked him another four, as the Colts lost the game 24–14. During the season, Manning was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September and was named the AP NFL co-MVP along with Titans quarterback Steve McNair. Manning also received the ESPY Award for Best NFL Player. Manning led the league with and threw 29 touchdowns; he was named First Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl. He passed for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Pro Bowl, a 55–52 loss.

Breaking records (2004 season)

The 2004 Colts opened the season with a 27–24 loss to the Patriots, after Mike Vanderjagt missed a potentially game tying field goal in the closing seconds of the game. The Colts won their next four games including a 45–31 win over Green Bay in which Manning threw 5 touchdowns, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, but then lost their next two games, to Jacksonville and Kansas City, despite Manning throwing for 840 yards combined in the two games. The Colts responded well, winning their next 8 games before losing their final regular season game to Denver, a game in which Manning played only one series. During the month of November, Manning was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week twice; once for his 5 touchdown performance in a 49–14 blowout of Houston and once for his performance in a 41–9 win at Detroit in which he threw 6 touchdowns in less than three quarters. Due to his performances in November, Manning earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for a fourth time in the week 16 game against San Diego where he led the Colts to a 34–31 victory after trailing by fifteen in the fourth quarter.

During the season, Manning threw for 4,557 yards, had a record 121.1 quarterback rating and 49 touchdowns, which was also a record (since broken)., He was selected as the 2004 NFL MVP drawing 49 of 50 votes, was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year and was named the Best NFL Player at the ESPY Awards for the second consecutive year; Manning also received the ESPY Award for Best Record-Breaking Performance for his 49 touchdown passes. The Colts finished the season with a 12–4 record and their second straight AFC South title. They were the third seed in the AFC. Three Colts receivers had 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns that season.

In the Wild Card game against Denver, Manning passed for 458 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, the Colts' 2004 season ended in Foxborough for a second straight year with a 20–3 loss against New England, when Manning recorded a season-low passer rating of 69.3. It was Manning's seventh consecutive loss to the Patriots in Foxborough and the Colts' three points were their lowest single game point total since their opening game of the 2003 season. Manning was named a Pro Bowl starter; in the Pro Bowl, he threw 3 touchdowns in a 38–27 victory and was named the game's MVP. Manning was also a unanimous First Team All-Pro selection.

2005 season

In 2005, the Colts had a greatly improved defense over that of recent years. Combining this with their offense, they won their first 13 games, including a 40–21 rout of the two-time defending Super Bowl Champions, New England. This was Manning's first win against the Patriots in 8 attempts, and his 3 touchdowns passes earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. By week 15, the Colts had a perfect 13–0 record, and had secured the AFC South and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Nevertheless, Tony Dungy made the decision to play all of his regular starters against the Chargers. However, the Colts played a sub-par game against the Chargers and fell short of the win; the score was 26–17. Manning finished the season with , the first time he had thrown for under 4,000 yards since his rookie season of 1998, largely due to the fact that Manning sat out much of the final two games with the top AFC seed clinched. His quarterback rating of 104.1 was the highest in the league for the season.

In the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Steelers visited the RCA Dome for the second AFC divisional playoff game of the 2005 season. The Steelers gained a 14–3 lead by halftime. In the 4th quarter with only a few minutes left in the game, Manning threw what looked to be the game-ending interception to Troy Polamalu, but the interception was overturned (a call the NFL later admitted was incorrect). The Colts went on to score, and were able to get the ball back down three points near the end of the game. On 4th down, Manning was sacked near his own goal line, and the game seemed to be over as the Steelers were one yard from a touchdown. On the next play, the ball was fumbled by Jerome Bettis and picked up by Colts defender Nick Harper who appeared to have a clear path down the sideline for what might have been the game-winning score. However, Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger managed to dive in front of Harper and tackle him by the leg, saving a touchdown. The Colts drove down the field to the Steelers 27 yard line, before Mike Vanderjagt missed a field goal as time ran out.

Peyton came in second in voting for the MVP award to Shaun Alexander ending his streak at two years. He was named the 2005 winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Year Award, along with Tom Brady and Carson Palmer. Manning was also named First Team All-Pro for the third consecutive year and named to the Pro Bowl squad; in the Pro Bowl, he threw one touchdown pass and three interceptions.

Super Bowl (2006 season)

The Colts started the 2006 season 9-0, including victories against Houston and Washington in weeks 2 and 7 that earned Manning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and a week 9 victory over New England. Manning was also named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after a week 17 victory against Miami. The Colts finished the season 12-4 and the AFC South Champions, and entered the play-offs as the number 3 seed. Manning ended the regular season with 4,397 passing yards and a league-leading 31 touchdown passes. His quarterback rating (101.0) was the highest in the league for the third year in a row.

Manning's Colts defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs by a score of 23–8, then won their game against the Baltimore Ravens, 15–6. In the AFC Championship game, the Colts trailed 21–3 before coming back to defeat the Patriots for the title by a score of 38–34. Late in the fourth quarter, Manning led an 80 yard touchdown drive to take the lead and finished with and two touchdowns. The comeback was the largest deficit ever overcome in a conference championship.

Manning led the Colts to a 29–17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI and was voted the Super Bowl MVP. Manning, who had been criticized for failing to win big games, exorcised his big-game demons with the win. "In years' past when our team's come up short, it's been disappointing," he told reporters. "Somehow we found a way to have learned from some of those losses and we've been a better team because of it." For his role in the Colts' championship run, Manning was awarded the ESPY for Best Championship Performance. Manning was again named to the Pro Bowl and was also named Second-Team All-Pro; in the Pro Bowl he played only two series, passing for 67 yards. Following the Super Bowl win, Manning agreed to restructure his contract to save the Colts $8.2 million in salary cap space.

2007 season

Manning's Colts opened the NFL season with 7 wins, pitting them against an undefeated Patriots squad in a match-up that was being called "Super Bowl 41.5". Manning and Addai helped the Colts to a 13–7 half-time lead, and an early fourth quarter touchdown upped the lead to 20–10. However, Brady led the Patriots to two late touchdowns, to hand Manning his first loss of the season, 24–20. Manning finished the game with 225 yards passing, including a passing touchdown. He also had a rushing touchdown.

Manning did not bounce back from the loss well. Against the San Diego Chargers he threw for a career-worst and franchise-record 6 interceptions. Despite this, he was able to rally the Colts from a 23–0 deficit to 23–21, and gave Adam Vinatieri an opportunity to take the lead with a 29-yard field goal. Vinatieri's miss sunk the Colts to 7–2. Along with six interceptions, Manning finished the day with two TDs, allowing him to pass Johnny Unitas's all-time touchdown mark. Manning did not play particularly well against the Kansas City Chiefs either, throwing no touchdowns. However, he managed to lead the Colts on a late drive for a game-winning field goal, rushing for two yards on 4th and 1 in the process. Manning finished the game with , allowing him to overtake 40,000 in his career. The victory was Manning's 100th. The Colts won their next 5 games, securing them with yet another AFC South title, as well as the AFC's number two seed in the play-offs. In the final game of the season, Manning played only two series before being replaced with back-up Jim Sorgi; the Colts lost the game to the Titans, 16–10. Manning finished the season with , , and a quarterback rating of 98.0. In the divisional round of the playoffs, Manning and the Colts lost to the Chargers, 28–24. Manning helped the Colts to 4 different leads but could not lead a final touchdown drive for the win. Manning finished the game with and . Manning was named a Pro Bowl starter and passed for 147 yards and a touchdown in three series.

2008 Season

On July 14, 2008, Manning had surgery to remove an infected bursa sac in his left knee. Manning, who had worn a knee brace due to problems since he was in college, was expected to miss four to six weeks, including most of the preseason.

Pre-Snap Routine

Manning's pre-snap routine has become one of the most recognizable scenes in the NFL. Prior to each play in a football game, the offensive team generally huddles. In the huddle, the quarterback tells the other players what play they will run. Manning and the Colts skip the huddle, instead choosing to line up without a play called, known as a hurry-up offense. Once the Colts are lined up, Manning examines the opposing team's defense and chooses a play that he believes will be successful. After he makes his decision, Manning communicates this play to the rest of the team through a series of verbal and hand signals, known as audibles. In order to prevent the other team from determining what each of the signals means, Manning includes numerous fake signals that do not change the play. Under this unique play-calling system, the Colts have become one of the top offensive teams in the NFL, year after year.

Personal life

Manning married his wife Ashley in Memphis on St. Patrick's Day in 2001. Ashley was introduced to Peyton by her parents' next-door neighbor the summer before Peyton's freshman year in college.

During the summer, Archie, Peyton, Eli, and Cooper run the Manning Passing Academy, a five day camp which aims to improve the offensive skills of quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs. In addition to the Mannings, the camp has included many prominent players from football as coaches, such as Colts wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

Peyton, along with Archie, authored a book entitled Manning: A Father, His Sons, and a Football Legacy, which was released in 2000. The book covers Archie's and Cooper's lives and careers, and Peyton's life and career up to the time that the book was released, and examines football from both Archie's and Peyton's points-of-view.

Manning in popular culture

That guy's pretty good. If you like...six-five, 230-pound quarterbacks with a...laser rocket arm...|30px|30px|Peyton Manning|in disguise, referring to himself in an advertisement for Sprint

Manning has become the NFL's most marketable player, appearing in several television and printed advertisements for some of the NFL's biggest sponsors. Manning is recognized as a pitchman for the following companies: Sprint, Sony, MasterCard, Gatorade, DirecTV, H.H. Gregg, and the American Red Cross. Manning also was the spokesman for Xbox's NFL Fever games, and was featured on the covers of the games.

An ESPN This is SportsCenter ad from 2006 features the entire Manning family; parents Archie and Olivia, with their sons Peyton, Eli and Cooper, touring the SportCenter studios with Peyton and Eli engaging in Horseplay behind everybody.

He was also featured in one of a series of DirecTV commercials where celebrities are seen in their element, then suddenly begin addressing the viewer. In his commercial they parodied his pre-snap audible routine and known delay in calling for the ball by having him pitch NFL Sunday Ticket instead of changing the play during a blowout game against the Tennessee Titans. Manning also appears in advertisements for St. Mary's Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Manning also hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest Carrie Underwood on March 24, 2007, his 31st birthday. The episode earned the show's highest household rating in more than 10 months in the metered markets. During his opening, he alluded to his most-marketable status by joking that he had accomplished two of his life goals: his team, the Colts, winning a Super Bowl and his appearance on over half of America's television commercials. On May 27, 2007 Manning waved the green flag to begin the 91st Indianapolis 500.

Charitable works

Shortly after beginning his NFL career, Manning started his own charity, the Peyback Foundation. The Peyback Foundation's mission is to help disadvantaged kids, and focuses its efforts in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Indiana.

On September 6, 2007, St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis renamed its children's hospital to "Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent". Manning and his wife made a donation of an undisclosed amount to St. Vincent's and have had a relationship with the hospital since his arrival in Indianapolis.

Career awards and records

Major High School awards

1992, 1993 Louisiana Class 2A MVP
1993 Gatorade Circle of Champions Award
1993 Atlanta TD Club's Bobby Dodd Award
1993 New Orleans Quarterback Club Player of the Year
1993 Columbus, Ohio Touchdown Club Offensive Player of the Year
1993 Gatorade High School Player of the Year (National)

College awards

1994 SEC Freshman of the Year
1995 First-Team All-SEC
1995 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Arkansas)
1995 NCAA Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Arkansas)
1996 Second-Team All-SEC
1996 Third-Team All-American
1996 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. South Carolina)
1996 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Georgia)
1997 Davey O'Brien Award
1997 Johnny Unitas Award

1997 Maxwell Award
1997 James E. Sullivan Award
1997 Today's Top VIII Award
1997 SEC Championship MVP
1997 Citrus Bowl MVP
1997 First-Team All-American
1997 SEC Player of the Year
1997 First-Team All-SEC
1997 SEC Player of the Week (vs. Southern Miss)
1998 Best College Player ESPY Award

NFL awards

NFL MVP (2003 (shared with Steve McNair), 2004)
Best NFL Player ESPY Award(2004, 2005)
Pro Bowl Selection(1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
First Team All-Pro(2003, 2004, 2005)
Second Team All-Pro(1999, 2000, 2006)
Bert Bell Award (2003, 2004)
1998 NFL All-Rookie First Team
2004 AFC Offensive Player of the Year
2004 Fedex Express Player of the Year
2005 Best Record-Breaking Performance ESPY Award
2005 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
2005 Byron “Whizzer” White Humanitarian Award
2005 Pro Bowl MVP
2007 Super Bowl MVP
2007 Best Championship Performance ESPY Award

Additionally, Manning has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month three times (9/2003, 11/2004, 10/2006) and Offensive Player of the Week on 16 occasions (15 AFC, 1 NFL/playoff).

College records

Tennessee Volunteers records

Most passing attempts (career): 1,381
Most passing attempts (season): 477 (1997)
Most passing attempts (game): 65 (09/21/96 vs. Florida)
Most completions (career): 863
Most completions (game): 37 (09/21/96 vs. Florida)
Most consecutive completions (game): 12 (11/22/97 vs. Kentucky)
Highest completion percentage (career): 62.49%
Highest completion percentage (season): 64.2% (1995)
Lowest interception percentage (career): 2.39%
Lowest interception percentage (season): 1.05% (1995)
Most consecutive passes without an interception (season): 132
Most passing yards (season): 3,819 (1997)
Most passing yards (career): 11,201
Most passing yards (game): 508 (11/22/97 vs. Kentucky)

Most offensive yards (career): 11,020
Most 500+ passing yard games (career): 1
Most 400+ passing yard games (career): 3
Most 300+ passing yard games (career): 18
Most 300+ passing yard games (season): 9 (1997)
Most consecutive 300+ passing yard games: 7
Most 200+ passing yard games (career): 30
Most wins as starting quarterback (career): 39
Most touchdown passes (career): 89
Most touchdown passes (game): 5 (08/30/97 vs. Texas Tech, 11/22/97 vs. Kentucky)
Most touchdowns (career): 101
Most offensive plays (career): 1,534
Most offensive plays (season): 538 (1997)
Most offensive plays (game): 70 (09/21/96 vs. Florida)

SEC records

Lowest interception percentage (season): 1.05% (1995)
Highest completion percentage (career): 62.49%
Lowest interception percentage (career): 2.39%
Most 300+ passing yard games (career): 18

NFL records

Career (individual)

Manning holds a number of individual career records:

Most seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards (1999–2004, 2006–2007): 8
Most consecutive seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards (1999–2004): 6
Most consecutive seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes (1998–2007; current): 10
Most games with a perfect passer rating (career): 4 (includes 1 playoff game)
Most consecutive games started to open a career by a quarterback (current): 160
Highest passer rating (season, 2004): 121.1
Most consecutive games with at least 2 touchdown passes: 13 (games 1–13, 2004)
Most consecutive games with at least 4 touchdown passes: 5 (games 7–11, 2004)
Most games with at least 4 touchdown passes (season, 2004): 6 (tied with 1984 Marino)
Most games with at least 5 touchdown passes, career: 7 (includes 1 playoff game)
Highest career TDs/game average for any QB with at least 150 TDs: 1.896 TDs/game
Highest career passing yards/game average: 260.2
Highest career completions/game average (min. 100 games played): 21.7
Most consecutive games with a passer rating over 100: 9 (games 5-13 of 2004 season; record tied by Carson Palmer, 2004-05 and Tom Brady, 2006-07)
Most seasons with 12+ wins as a starter (regular season only): 6
Only QB with at least 12 wins as a starter in 5 consecutive seasons (2003-2007)
First QB to defeat the other 31 teams in the regular season (Tom Brady did this later the same day, and Brett Favre did it the following week)

Playoff records

Most 400+ yard passing games: 2 (tied with Dan Marino)
Most yards passing, 1st half of game: 360 vs. Denver Broncos, 1/9/05
Led the biggest comeback in conference championship game history (18 pts), 1/21/07 vs. New England
One of only four QB's to post a perfect 158.3 rating in a game (Don Meredith, Terry Bradshaw, Dave Krieg)
One of only three QB's to complete 30 or more passes in 2 playoff games (Warren Moon, Tom Brady)
Most consecutive games with 20+ completions: 7 (tied w/Tom Brady)

Rookie records

Most passing attempts: 575
Most completions: 326
Most passing yards: 3,739
Most touchdown passes: 26
Most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (games 4-16): 13

With Marvin Harrison

Manning and Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison hold a number of QB-WR tandem records:

Most completions (career): 971
Most passing/receiving yards (career): 13,090
Most passing/receiving touchdowns (career): 110

Pro Bowl records

Most passing attempts (career): 150
Most passing attempts (game): 41 (2004)
Most completions (career): 92
Most completions (game): 22 (2004)
Most passing yards (career): 1,278
Most passing yards (game): 342 (2004)
Most passing touchdowns (career): 13

Colts franchise records

Most passing attempts (career): 5,525
Most passing attempts (season): 591 (2002)
Most passing attempts (rookie season): 575 (1998)
Most 40+ passing attempt games (career): 37
Most completions (career): 3,539
Most completions (season): 392 (2002)
Most completions (rookie season): 326 (1998)
Most completions (game): 37 (11/03/02 vs. Tennessee; tied with Jeff George)
Most completions (rookie game): 30 (11/01/98 vs. New England)
Most consecutive completions: 17 (09/25/05–10/02/05 vs. Cleveland/Tennessee; tied w/Bert Jones)
Most games with 20+ completions (career): 114
Most consecutive games with 20+ completions: 12 (games 3-14, 2003)
Highest completion percentage (career): 64.1%
Highest completion percentage (season): 67.6% (2004)
Highest completion percentage (rookie season): 56.7%
Highest completion percentage (game): 87.5% (14/16 for 95 yards, 12/30/07 vs. Tennessee)
Most passing yards (career): 42,410
Most passing yards (season): 4,557 (2004)
Most passing yards (rookie season): 3,739
Most passing yards (game): 472 (10/31/04 vs. Kansas City)
Most 300+ passing yard games (career): 43
Most 300+ passing yard games (season): 6 (2004 and 2006)
Most 300+ passing yard games (rookie season): 4
Most consecutive passing 300+ yard games: 3 (games 6–8, 2006; tied w/Johnny Unitas)
Most seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards (1999–2004, 2006–2007): 8
Most consecutive seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards (1999–2004): 6
Most touchdown passes (career): 309
Most touchdown passes (season): 49 (2004)
Most touchdown passes (rookie season): 26

Most touchdown passes (game): 6 (09/28/03 vs. New Orleans and 11/25/04 vs. Detroit)
Most touchdown passes (rookie game): 3 (4 times; tied with Johnny Unitas and Jeff George)
Most games with at least 4 touchdown passes (career): 17
Most games with at least 4 touchdown passes (season, 2004): 6
Most games with at least 3 touchdown passes (career): 48
Most games with at least 1 touchdown pass (season): 15 (5 times)
Most games with at least 1 touchdown pass (rookie season): 15 (1998)
Most consecutive games with at least 4 touchdown passes (games 7–11, 2004): 5 (2004)
Most consecutive games with at least 3 touchdown passes: 8 (games 5–12, 2004)
Most consecutive games with at least 2 touchdown passes: 13 (games 1–13, 2004)
Most consecutive games with at least 1 touchdown pass (rookie season): 13 (games 4–16)
Most consecutive seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes (1998–2007, current): 10
Highest touchdown percentage (career): 5.66%
Highest touchdown percentage (season): 9.86% (2004)
Highest touchdown percentage (game): 24.00% (09/28/03 vs. New Orleans)
Most interceptions thrown (game): 6 (11/11/07 vs. San Diego)
Most interceptions thrown (season): 28 (1998)
Highest passer rating (career): 94.2
Highest passer rating (season): 121.1 (2004)
Most games with a perfect passer rating (career): 4 (includes 1 playoff game)
Most consecutive games started to open a career by a quarterback (current): 163
Most consecutive games started, franchise history: 163 (current)
Most game-winning drives in the 4th quarter/overtime (career): 31 (tied w/Johnny Unitas)
Most game-winning drives in the 4th quarter/overtime (season): 7 (1999)

NFL career statistics

All statistics from Pro Football Reference, CBS Sportsline, and ESPN

Regular season

Year	Team	Games	Starts	Wins	Passing							Rushing				Rating
Year	Team	Games	Starts	Wins	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	YPA	TD	Int	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rating
1998	IND	16	16	3	326	575	56.7	3,739	6.5	26	28	15	62	4.1	0	71.2
1999	IND	16	16	13	331	533	62.1	4,135	7.8	26	15	35	73	2.1	2	90.7
2000	IND	16	16	10	357	571	62.5	4,413	7.7	33	15	37	116	3.1	1	94.7
2001	IND	16	16	6	343	547	62.7	4,131	7.6	26	23	35	157	4.5	4	84.1
2002	IND	16	16	10	392	591	66.3	4,200	7.1	27	19	38	148	3.9	2	88.1
2003	IND	16	16	12	379	566	67.0	4,267	7.5	29	10	28	26	0.9	0	99.0
2004	IND	16	16	12	336	497	67.7	4,557	9.2	49	10	25	38	1.5	0	121.0
2005	IND	16	16	14	305	453	67.3	3,747	8.3	28	10	33	45	1.4	0	104.1
2006	IND	16	16	12	362	557	65.0	4,397	7.9	31	9	23	36	1.6	4	101.0
2007	IND	16	16	13	337	515	65.4	4,040	7.8	31	14	20	-5	-0.3	3	98.0
2008	IND	3	3	1	71	120	59.2	784	6.5	3	4	3	12	4	0	73.1
Career		163	163	106	3,539	5,525	64.1	42,410	7.7	309	157	292	708	2.4	16	94.2

League Leader NFL Record

Post-season

Year	Team	Games	Wins	Passing							Rushing				Rating
Year	Team	Games	Wins	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	YPA	TD	Int	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rating
1999	IND	1	0	19	42	45.2	227	5.4	0	0	2	22	11	1	62.3
2000	IND	1	0	17	32	53.1	194	6.1	1	0	1	-2	-2	0	82.0
2002	IND	1	0	14	31	45.2	137	4.4	0	2	1	2	2	0	31.2
2003	IND	3	2	67	103	65.0	918	8.9	9	4	4	3	0.8	0	106.4
2004	IND	2	1	54	75	72.0	696	9.3	4	2	2	7	3.5	1	107.4
2005	IND	1	0	22	38	57.9	290	7.6	1	0	0	0	0	0	90.9
2006	IND	4	4	97	153	63.4	1,034	6.8	3	7	8	3	0.4	1	70.5
2007	IND	1	0	33	48	68.7	402	8.4	3	2	1	-6	-6	0	97.7
Career		14	7	323	522	61.9	3,898	7.5	21	17	19	29	1.5	3	84.6

Position on passing statistics leaderboards

Manning is currently on pace to break the career records in every major statistical category for a quarterback, including most career passing touchdowns, most career completions, and most career passing yards. Manning is currently ranked in the top ten in all of these categories:

Touchdown Passes: 306 (4th)
Passes Completed: 3,468 (8th)
Passing Yards: 41,626 (9th)
Passer Rating: 94.4 (2nd)
Passing Yards per Game: 260.2 (1st)
Completion Percentage: 64.2% (4th)