Tom Brady shades Peyton Manning’s touchdown record during Fox broadcast

Tom Brady’s rivalry with Peyton Manning on the football field might be over, but that won’t stop them from chiding each other in media.

For decades, Brady and Manning entertained football fans with one of the best quarterback rivalries in NFL history. And now that they’re both in media, Brady used his microphone to take a dig at Manning during his call of the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys Sunday afternoon on Fox.

The ribbing came early in the fourth quarter of Detroit’s 47-9 statement victory over the Cowboys, as the Lions had a touchdown taken away for offensive pass interference on an illegal pick.

“I saw Peyton Manning when he threw 55 touchdowns, there were more pick plays in that offense than in the history of NFL football.” – Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/92Q0FLRYMI

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 14, 2024

“Well it’s such a good thought, it’s just not the best execution,” Brady said. “And over the years, they’ve gotten really tight on calling those pick plays. Any remote contact was a flag. I saw Peyton Manning when he threw 55 touchdowns, there were more pick plays in that offense than in the history of NFL football. Since then, they’ve been cracking down. Believe me, I tried to use them all the time too.

Jealous much? Brady doesn’t just remember Manning’s 55 touchdown season from 2013 in detail because it was an impressive performance. He undoubtedly remembers it because Manning broke his own record of 50 touchdowns in a season. Brady, meanwhile, threw 25 touchdown passes that same season, as many started to wonder if his NFL career was coming to an end.

But Brady shouldn’t lose too much sleep over Manning’s touchdown record. While the NFL may have tightened up on pick plays before he was able to take the record back from Manning, Brady would go on to throw 290 more touchdowns, win four more Super Bowl rings, and make Max Kellerman’s “fall off a cliff” prediction seem like the worst take in the history of hot takes. And the $375 million contract from Fox ain’t too shabby either.

[Fox]