THE BRADY CRUNCH
Denver defence takes out Patriots, earns date with Carolina at the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 in Santa Clara, Calif.
DENVER — Never underestimate the old guy, especially when he’s running with a crew of younger assassins like those who populate the Denver Broncos defence.
Peyton Manning won the 17th and likely final battle against Tom Brady on Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, tossing a pair of touchdown passes to Owen Daniels in the opening 17 minutes and then relying on the Broncos’ smothering defence in the hairy second half of the AFC Championship.
The result was a nerve-racking 20-18 triumph over Brady’s New England Patriots that propelled the Broncos to Super Bowl 50 against the NFC champion Carolina Panthers in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 7. It will be the second trip to the Super Bowl for the Broncos in Manning’s three years with the club.
The Seattle Seahawks destroyed the Broncos 43-8 two years ago.
The Patriots were favoured by three points, but Manning came out firing and the Denver defence made life miserable for Brady.
As a result, Manning is going to his fourth Super Bowl at age 39. The icing on the cake? His playoff record in head-to-head meetings against Brady is now 3-2, including a 3-1 mark in the AFC Championship.
We assume he couldn’t care less about his 3-9 record against Brady in the regular season. He’s going back to the Super Bowl in search of his second crown, which is notable considering many said he was finished just four weeks ago. Manning can’t throw the ball like he used to, but Daniels, whose touchdown grabs were 21 and 16 yards long, said Manning’s leadership in the last month is a testament to the success he has enjoyed throughout his career.
“He’s a really unselfish guy,” Daniels said. “... He was there to help everyone with input and around the building and in meetings. You can’t say enough about that.”
Manning was asked after to reflect on the big picture and how special it is. He’s not ready to go there right now, and nor should he. He has the Carolina Panthers to think about for two weeks.
And if he, Gary Kubiak and offensive co-ordinator Rick Dennison can come up with a solid game plan for Super Bowl 50, there’s a good chance he’ll be able to ride off into sunset as a two-time champ instead of the guy who could win only one.
“There is no question this is a sweet day,” Manning said.
“This was a sweet victory. To me, this victory is a great example of what this entire season has been like. It hasn’t been easy.”
Manning completed only 17 of 32 attempts for 176 yards and the two scores, but he also had a 12-yard run for a first down.
As expected, the biggest and most important battle of the afternoon was Brady against the Denver defence.
And even though Brady ended up with 310 passing yards and got his team to within a two-point convert of sending the game to overtime, Denver’s No. 1 ranked defence won that clash decisively.
They say defence wins championships, which is why you shouldn’t count out the Broncos in the Super Bowl. Their 39-year-old quarterback will probably have a little something to say about it, too.
“This victory is a great example of what this entire season has been like. It hasn’t been easy.”
— Peyton Manning