You’ve heard the narrative. Tom Brady is 11-5 against Peyton Manning. Therefore, Brady has dominated the Manning-Brady rivalry.

On the surface that’s true, and there’s merit to it. Brady has won 11 of the 16 games that the quarterbacks have played against each other, and he probably played better than Manning in a majority of those contests.

But it goes deeper than that.

It’s a team game. It’s not as if the two quarterbacks are playing Madden and control how their entire team fares. With that being the case, it seems important to examine how the teams have done in these so-called head-to-head showdowns.

In those 16 games, the home team is 11-5, as Mile High Report’s Kyle Montgomery pointed out. Yes, 11-5, which is also Brady’s record against Manning.

Related NFL Network analyst says Peyton Manning played better than Tom Brady in Divisional Playoffs

If it’s fair for one to say that Brady has dominated the Manning-Brady rivalry, then it’s also fair for one to say that the home team has dominated the Manning-Brady rivalry.

It’s true overall, and it’s true in the postseason, too.

Here’s something you probably haven’t heard from the mainstream media: with a win on Sunday, Manning would likely go on to end his career with a winning playoff record against Brady, as SB Nation’s Cyd Zeigler noted.

The two quarterbacks have played each other four times in the playoffs, splitting the series 2-2. And, as has been the theme of their rivalry, the home team has dominated, going 4-0.

It seems that home field advantage is the most important stat to consider when it comes to Manning-Brady. The quarterbacks can’t control their defenses, they can’t control receiver drops, and they can’t control if their counterpart struggles to communicate with his teammates over crowd noise.

It’s true that the quarterback is the most important position on the team. They are the leaders, and they are arguably the most responsible for securing wins.

But the other factors must be considered. Factors including defense and home field. This meeting, Manning seems to have the edge on both counts, including the one that has historically been the most important.

Brady could make a strong case for himself this weekend with a win, pulling ahead in the postseason head-to-head record and winning on the road, something both quarterbacks have struggled to do against the other.

That’s easier said than done, especially for Brady, who owns a 2-6 record in Denver. If he pulls it off, there will be no question that he won the rivalry with better overall and postseason marks.

But if Manning wins, it will show just how important home field advantage has been throughout the series, and that we may have thought about the rivalry all wrong all these years.

May the best team win.