GAMES OF THE WEEK

BUCCANEERS AT SAINTS 6:40 P.M., SUNDAY, FOX

Drew Brees goes into Sunday’s big playoff matchup against the Buccaneers as the young gun, the QB with fewer Super Bowl rings than his counterpart and the one out to prove something.

The other quarterback? Tom Brady.

Yes, even Drew Brees pales in comparison to Brady, the one with six Super Bowl rings. So it seems that Brees is the one who will have all the pressure on his shoulder pads on Sunday.

But Brady will have plenty too. And, believe it or not, he’s also out to prove something himself.

Brady – the elder of the two veterans at 43 to Brees’ 42 – is looking to show that he can win a Super Bowl without Bill Belichick, his old dance partner in New England. Brady has already shown he can win enough to make the postseason in a uniform other than the Patriots’. But can he go the distance?

Brees has one Super Bowl ring and this could be his final chance to win another. He’s rumored to be considering retirement after this season so winning it all would likely make that decision much easier for him.

As for the actual on-field battle, it is one of the great quarterback matchups of all time – if not the greatest ever. If these guys were six or eight years younger, well, we shudder just thinking about it.

One advantage Brady will have is that the Saints will not benefit from the homefield advantage like they normally would. With a limited amount of fans in the Superdome, it will not be nearly as loud as it usually would be.

So the old man behind center for the Bucs should have no issues hearing things on the field. WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Two QB legends in one game? Why wouldn’t you tune in?