Great rivalry hard to shake
With Super Bowl on line, Manning, Brady meet again
DENVER — There’s an epic NFL matchup here this afternoon.
Oh, yes, there’s also the rest of the AFC championship game between the Patriots and Broncos.
But Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will square off for the 17th time in their illustrious careers as star quarterbacks, a marquee matchup that will never feature both of them on the field at the same time.
The Patriots’ Brady is 11-5 in head-to-head meetings with Manning, dating to Peyton’s days with the Colts.
Brady might have the overall edge, but Manning walked away the winner the last two times they played and is 2-1 against the Patriots in conference championship games. What’s more, neither quarterback has beaten the other on the road since 2007.
“He’s an incredible player and any time you face that caliber of player — Peyton has been one of the best to ever play — you’ve got to be at your best,” Brady said. “You can’t play anything less than your best and expect to win because he’s going to play well and he’s going to have that team playing well.”
Old hat: The Patriots are playing in their 12th AFC title game and their fifth in a row. They’re 8-3 in their previous 11.
Should the Patriots beat the Broncos, they would make their ninth trip to the Super Bowl, an NFL record. The Patriots’ eight appearances are matched by the Cowboys and Steelers. The
Broncos have seven and the 49ers six.
Fine whine: Clearly, the Broncos weren’t concerned
with the prospect of providing bulletin-board material for the Patriots.
In an interview with NBC Sports Radio, Broncos
linebacker Malik Jackson called Brady a “whiner” who “definitely throws temper tantrums.”
That came on the heels of
another Broncos linebacker, Antonio Smith, telling reporters the same thing. Asked if the Patriots quarterback is a crybaby, Smith said (via the Colorado Springs Gazette): “That would be an accurate statement. I’ve never seen any quarterback look at the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady.
“Every time he gets sacked he looks at the ref like, ‘You see him sack me? Was that supposed to happen? He did it a little hard. Please throw a 15-yard penalty. Get him fined.’ ”
Farmer’s pick: Typically, it’s not smart to bet against Manning or Brady. Thing is, Manning only was intermittently sharp against the Steelers in the divisional round and, although he has never been a high-velocity passer, all the zip is off his throws. With Broncos cornerback Chris Harris banged up, Brady should have an easier time quickly getting the ball out and beating the pass rush.
Patriots 30, Broncos 20.