Brady and Manning, one more time

Two legendary quarterbacks face off with the Super Bowl on the line

Long-time rivals Tom Brady, left, and Peyton Manning will meet in the playoffs yet again Sunday.

Google image/Creative Commons license

Long-time rivals Tom Brady, left, and Peyton Manning will meet in the playoffs yet again Sunday.

The greatest rivalry in the NFL will likely see its final matchup Sunday. It’s not, of course, New England vs. Denver, but Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning.

Manning and Brady are arguably the greatest players of the 21st century, so naturally, the last 16 times they’ve met, the spotlight has been on the two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks and their offenses.

But the storyline is much different this time around.

Manning’s career is drawing to a close and the prolific passer threw just nine touchdowns during the regular season against 17 interceptions; the latter figure was eclipsed only by Blake Bortles’ 18 picks—and Bortles needed 275 more pass attempts to do it.

Manning has battled Father Time and injury all season, starting just nine games. In those games, his quarterback rating of 67.9 is the lowest in the league among players with at least 1,000 passing yards.

“There’s no question the older you get, it’s always a transition, just as retirement is a transition,” Hall of Fame quarterback (and now executive vice president of football operations for the Broncos) John Elway told The Boston Globe.

After suffering a 29-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 15, a game in which Manning threw for 35 yards, four interceptions, and a 25 percent completion rate, the starting job was given to Brock Osweiler.

Manning, battling a plantar fascia tear in his foot that exacerbated his poor play, found himself in an unfamiliar place: the bench.

With his size and speed, tight end Rob Gronkowski presents major matchup problems.
Google image/Creative Commons license
With his size and speed, tight end Rob Gronkowski presents major matchup problems.

It appeared he would stay there—perhaps for an ignominious end to his career—as Osweiler went 4-2 as the starter, including an important win against the Patriots, entering Week 17 and a matchup with the San Diego Chargers.

The Broncos needed a win to secure the top seed in the AFC. Osweiler’s offense gave up four turnovers, the Chargers stayed in a game they had no business being in, and Manning suddenly found himself called upon to be Denver’s savior.

He played well, led the Broncos to a 17-3 victory, and put them in a position to host the Patriots with a Super Bowl berth on the line.

Manning has been a different player since that game, closer to his old self. He is not making mistakes, he seems to have grown comfortable with the team’s run-first offense, and he is letting Denver’s top-ranked defense lead the way.

“I think Peyton looks to be more comfortable with what we’re doing,” Elway said. “He’s more comfortable underneath [center]. … [T]hat may come from because he’s feeling better and he’s healthy. So I think that’s been the concept all year is to blend that.”

The question to be answered Sunday: Can Manning’s new style beat the Patriots?

While the “new” Manning certainly complements coach Gary Kubiak’s offensive philosophy, it doesn’t seem to be enough to take down Brady.

Sixteen years into his career, at the ripe age of 38, Brady is playing perhaps better than ever. His consistency has reached a level unmatched in NFL history.

Despite a plethora of injuries that, at different times, decimated his receiving corps and his offensive line, Brady led the league with 36 touchdowns. His 4,770 passing yards ranked third.

With a mostly healthy offense at his disposal, it’s hard for New England fans to see Brady losing this game, despite the team’s historic troubles playing in Denver.

What may really give the Patriots the edge in this game, however, is not Brady but tight end Rob Gronkowski. It’s become a bit of a cliché, but it cannot be overstated how much of a “mismatch nightmare” Gronkowski is.

At 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, he is too big to be covered with a defensive back, and he is too good a route-runner and has too much speed to be covered by a linebacker, even the best in the league.

His abilities demand a significant amount of attention, which then opens up opportunities for other players, such as receiver Julian Edelman, who has thrived in Gronkowski’s presence throughout his career.

The Broncos’ defense is as talented as any this year, but they need to play the perfect game to beat a Brady-led offense with a healthy Gronkowski and Edelman.

“The New England Patriots will head into Mile High [Stadium] and knock off the AFC’s No. 1 seed behind an indefensible offense that is poised to shred the Denver Broncos’ star-studded defense,” analyst Bucky Brooks wrote for NFL.com.

Should be an exciting closing chapter to an historic rivalry.