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Peyton Manning Gets Honest About Josh Allen Not Winning a Super Bowl
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- Peyton Manning Gets Honest About Josh Allen Not Winning a Super Bowl
Like it or not, the legacies of great NFL quarterbacks like Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen are tied to how many Super Bowl rings they win. Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning knows this reality as well as anyone.
Manning did not lift the Lombardi Trophy until he was 30 years old, when he led the Indianapolis Colts to the title after the 2006 season. It would be another nine years until he won his second Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos . It was a nice ending to Manning's NFL career, but by that time, AFC rival Tom Brady had established himself as the greatest QB of the era by winning four championships with New England Patriots .
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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (right) meets with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after a 2010 game.© Matt Detrich/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
So far, Allen's career has gone a lot like Manning's. In a feature by The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia ahead of the Bills' opening playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars , Manning spoke honestly about Allen's first seven seasons being defined by not winning a Super Bowl.
"Josh is living the same kind of start to the career that I did," Manning said . "It's kind of the, 'Yeah, but …' right? I mean, 'yeah, all these great things, but … .' And, look, he owns it. I owned it. You can't try to talk your way out of it. That's a fact."
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The "great things" Manning referenced include Allen's historic numbers in the regular season. The 2024 NFL MVP is the youngest QB in NFL history to reach 300 total touchdowns in his career and owns the record for all-time rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (now 79). This season, he has thrown for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, not to mention 579 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
And yet, Allen has never even made it to a Super Bowl, thanks in large part to the dominance of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC. Allen's career playoff record is 7-6, but he is 0-4 against the Chiefs.
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Having made it to the other side, Manning offered a positive outlook on the postseason disappointment Allen has faced early in his career with Buffalo.
"I'd rather have my heart ripped out being closer, right? Because that means we are close and we're knocking on the door," Manning said. "I think Josh and [Buffalo head coach] Sean [McDermott] have that same mentality just to keep grinding and keep putting themselves in position. And I believe it'll happen."
If there is a year to make it happen, Allen could not ask for a better opportunity than the 2025 NFL playoffs . In the AFC field, 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers is the only other QB with significant playoff experience in the absence of stars like Mahomes, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals . That is a big reason the Bills have the third-best odds in the AFC to win the Super Bowl , despite their status as the No. 6 seed.
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Allen's mission to bring Buffalo its first Super Bowl title in franchise history is deeply personal, but he insists that it does not define him.
"Winning a Super Bowl doesn't change who I am or change my life either," Allen told ESPN in September . "But it's something that the city's wanted for a very long time and to feel like I can help be a piece that brings it here, that's more important to me than a singular trophy."
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The first step comes in the NFL wild-card round on Sunday, when the Bills travel to Jacksonville to face the No. 3 seed Jaguars at 1 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount Plus.
Related: "I'm OK With It": Josh Allen's Open Admission About Wife Hailee Steinfeld
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
