After breaking Brett Favre's record for career touchdown passes on Sunday, Peyton Manning owns or is on pace to own every important NFL career passing record. Compare him statistically with any quarterback in history and Manning wins.

Does that make him the greatest quarterback ever?

If you love numbers, yes.

If you view football as a situational sport in which winning big games trumps amassing regular-season statistics, then this is a fair question to ask:

If you could take one quarterback in history to lead a generic team in a Super Bowl, who would you choose?

I was lucky enough to see Terry Bradshaw and Johnny Unitas play live. I've covered the NFL since 1989.

Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas are congratulated after connecting for Manning's record 509th career touchdown pass during the second quarter on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. (Mark Reis/Colorado Springs Gazette/MCT)

There is no quarterback I would prefer in a regular- season game than Manning, but his postseason record is 11-12.

I'd take him over …

• Favre, another prolific passer who has experienced big-game yips, even though he was 24-13 in the postseason.

• Fran Tarkenton, who lost three Super Bowls.

• Terry Bradshaw, who won four Super Bowls but was more of a game manager of incredible rosters who played well in big moments than a truly great quarterback.

• Johnny Unitas, because for all of the lore about Johnny U, he, like Bradshaw, completed a low percentage of passes while playing on very talented teams.

• Dan Marino, because Manning is a better version of Marino: an efficient pocket passer of limited mobility and postseason success.

So the contenders are Tom Brady, Joe Montana and John Elway — three quarterbacks who combined career-long statistical excellence with big-game successes.

Montana's record in the postseason was 16-7.

He had every advantage. He played for the modern version of a dynasty. He threw to perhaps the greatest player of all time, Jerry Rice. Montana might have had the best feel for the game of any quarterback I've seen in person, but his success was mimicked by his replacement, Steve Young, and he wasn't even the best player on his own team.

Playing in the same era as Manning, Brady, whose postseason record is 18-8, has almost matched Manning's quarterback rating (97.7 to 95.8). His touchdown-to-interception ratio is better than Manning's. Manning has played with at least three exceptional receivers, in Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Demaryius Thomas, in two offenses designed to support him. Brady has won Super Bowls while throwing to converted defensive backs and handing off to interchangeable backs.

Wes Welker was Brady's No. 1 receiver in New England. When Welker signed with Denver, he became Manning's third or fourth option.

Brady has won three Super Bowls with varying levels of talent around him. Two remarkable late-game catches by Giants receivers and a fateful drop by Welker have kept him from winning five.

I'd take Brady over Manning in a big game.

But Brady wouldn't be my first choice.

My first choice would be Manning's current boss.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning celebrated his 509th career touchdown pass with Wes Welker on Sunday.

Elway, whose postseason record was 14-7, played when defensive backs mugged receivers. He played with mediocre receivers. He played with only one exceptional running back, Terrell Davis, and when Elway was given that gift he produced consecutive Super Bowl victories.

When Elway played for Dan Reeves, the Broncos masked their mediocre roster and offensive talent — mediocrity that would be exposed in four Super Bowl losses — by playing conservatively on offense and asking Elway to win games late.

When Elway played for a modern offensive thinker, Mike Shanahan, he began performing like a Mile-High Montana, increasing his efficiency and accuracy.

Elway possessed one of the strongest arms of all time, and was one of the most powerful running quarterbacks ever. He dragged mediocre teams to four Super Bowls, where those teams were overwhelmed by far-superior representatives from the NFC. When given a fair fight, thanks to Davis and Shanahan, he made the dramatic plays that beat Favre's Packers in one Super Bowl, and then whipped the Atlanta team that beat the '98 Vikings the following year.

Put Manning at the helm of Elway's Broncos, and those teams would not have won any more championships.

Put Elway, or Brady, at the helm of Manning's teams, and they might have become dynasties.

Jim Souhan can be heard weekdays at noon and Sundays from 10 to noon on 1500 ESPN. Twitter: @SouhanStrib jsouhan@startribune.com