The Associated Press
Pat Graham
DENVER—The last time Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came to Denver, Peyton Manning watched the game on television from inside the locker-room.
Not next Sunday, though. The Broncos’ quarterback will take in his customary spot in the huddle.
Manning meets Brady for a 17th time—with a trip to Super Bowl 50 at stake.
Perhaps it’s only fitting these two quarterbacks meet in the AFC title game since Manning didn’t get to suit up against New England on Nov. 29 because of a foot injury.
That game was a thriller, too, with Brock Osweiler leading the Broncos to a 30-24 victory in overtime.
Manning’s foot is healed—at least as healed as it’s going to get for now—and he guided the Broncos to a 23-16 comeback win over Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday.
Brady, meanwhile, is still vintage Brady—passing, bootlegging, and quarterback-sneaking the Super Bowl champion Patriots past the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday and into the AFC title game for a fifth-straight season.
Brady’s Patriots opened as a 3.5-point favourite over Manning’s Broncos.
Manning didn’t want to start reflecting on the rivalry with Brady right away.
“We’ll deal with that on Wednesday,” he said.
Manning is now 12-13 in the playoffs over his career. This one, though, possibly means a little more—given his comeback from a foot ailment that sidelined him for six weeks.
“It’s been a unique season, a lot of new things have happened this season, kind of like tonight,” said Manning, who replaced Osweiler in the season-finale, leading the Broncos to a win over San Diego to secure the No. 1 seed.
“We stayed patient tonight,” he added..
“We never really got frustrated and that served us well tonight, and it served me well this season.”
Denver surrendered 339 yards passing to Roethlisberger, who entered the game with a sore shoulder.
The challenge doesn’t get any easier.
Brady has long gotten the better of Manning, who is 5-11 lifetime against his counterpart but 2-2 in the playoffs, including a win two years ago in the AFC final in this stadium.
“I’m honoured to be a part of it and I’m looking forward to playing [this Sunday] in the AFC championship,” Manning said.
But this is hardly the same Manning anymore. He doesn’t rely on his arm nearly as much as his ability to decipher schemes.
He also leans heavily on the running game.
And Denver’s top-ranked defence, too.
“Our defence is guiding us. Let’s make that clear. They played great all season,” Manning stressed.
“They were dominant today [Sunday] against a high-powered offence.”
Manning and Brady were paired on this stage following the 2013 season, when the Broncos held on for a 26-16 to advance to the Super Bowl.
“We’ve had a lot of different players contribute to our success when we’ve been successful,” noted Broncos’ coach Gary Kubiak.
“I told them it would take them all today [Sunday]. It sure did.
“It will continue to take all of us as we move forward,” he added.
Brady has one of his security blankets back in Julian Edelman, who returned from a broken foot on Saturday to help the Patriots beat Kansas City.
Of course, Brady also has tight end Rob Gronkowski.
“They’re one of the best teams in the AFC,” Broncos’ linebacker Von Miller said of the Patriots.
“Let’s go out and play and see who wants the Super Bowl.”
