Peyton Manning v Tom Brady for the AFC

November 24th 2013

Before their last match-up, Manning had never lost a game in which he led by at least 22 points, going 50-0 in the regular season in that scenario, and 2-0 in the playoffs. So 52-0 with that type of three-touchdown-plus lead (the Broncos led 24-0 at halftime), and for all places for that streak to end, it came in Manning's personal House of Horrors (Gillette Stadium), against Brady, his longtime nemesis. We keep billing it as the best quarterback rivalry in NFL history, but Brady keeps making sure it's pretty one-sided. It's 10-4 in Brady's favor, and No. 12 had by far the better night, completing 34-of-50 passes for 344 yards, with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 107.4 passer rating. Manning turned in his worst game of the season, throwing for just 150 yards on 19-of-34 passing, with two touchdowns, one interception and a 70.4 rating. As the two prepare for Brady vs. Manning XV in this weekend's AFC Championship game in Denver, SI.com looks back at the Brady-Manning rivalry, starting from the beginning...

Reference and image credits: The Brady-Manning Rivalry.

This coming Sunday, two football legends, very much in the making, are playing each other, yet again, this time for the AFC championship.  Of course Peyton Manning and Tom Brady don't actually go head-to-head with each other, but why not, if only for the sake of juxtaposing two quarterbacks who stand shoulder-to-shoulder in some rarefied football atmosphere.

I missed that November 24th 2013 game between the Broncos and Patriots (photo, above), but it has to be one of Manning's most devastating, stunning defeats at the hands of Brady & Co.

September 30th 2001

October 21st 2001

September 9th 2004

January 16th 2005

November 7th 2005

November 5th 2006

November 4th 2007

November 15th 2009

November 21st 2010

October 7th 2012

This weekend, I'm rooting for the Patroits and the 49ers to win their respective conferences, and play head-to-head in Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2nd 2014.  But with the Seahawks in the mix, I'm not wedded to any particular teams, really, coming out of this weekend's matchups.  All four are superb teams, and all I look forward to are good, competitive football among them.  

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD