Peyton Manning and Tom Brady appear to be lending credence to their stereotyped roles of Manning winning the accolades and Brady winning the games the way this season has shaped up.
While Brady took the Nov. 24 matchup between the two, winning a thriller in overtime, Manning has had an incredible season. With 41 touchdowns through 12 games, he’s threatening Brady’s single-season touchdown record of 50, and he just passed 4,000 yards in a season for the 13th time in his career.
The regular season has a full quarter left, and the Super Bowl is still far away, but with Pro Bowl voting nearing its end, NFL fans have already made their pick, and it’s clearly Manning.
Manning leads all players in fan voting for the Pro Bowl with 926,432 votes, according to Pro Football Talk. He’s followed by Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, Lions receiver Calvin Johnson, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, Bengals receiver A.J. Green and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
That leaves Brady, who was having one of his worst seasons statistically until he went on a tear a few weeks ago against the Steelers (and shortly after Rob Gronkowski returned), out of the top 10.
The fan vote only makes up a third of final pick, with players and coaches also voting. The Pro Bowl is scheduled for Jan. 26 this year, the week before the Super Bowl, meaning both Brady and Manning likely have no plans to play anyway.
