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It will be remembered as the greatest quarterback rivalry in NFL history.
It boasts more post-season promise than Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas, more regular season fireworks than Dan Marino and Joe Montana and more longevity than Steve Young and Troy Aikman.
It has featured two of the NFL’s greatest players duelling it out at the peak of their powers almost every year since 2000.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady met for the 16th time on Sunday, etching another chapter of their epic rivalry into the history books. The Patriots won comfortably 43-21 and Brady was superb, throwing four touchdowns and more than 300 yards.
The win gave Brady a 9-3 regular-season record against his old foe, ensuring he would retire with a rare individual achievement – the upper-hand head-to-head against one of the NFL’s best.
In the lead-up to the game an age-old debate reignited again. It was discussed on social media, in newspapers and on blogs, argued in bars and restaurants. Who is the better player, Peyton or Tom? And who would you rather have quarterbacking your team?
Brady has got the rings, Manning the records, right? That’s what fence-sitters will say. Brady detractors will remind you his last championship was 10 years ago and even then he had the help of that great Patriots defence. Whereas if you find a Brady fan they will be quick to tell you Manning can’t get it done in the post-season or that he plays lousy in cold weather.
You can make a case for and against either quarterback. The fact is both are among the top five signal callers of all-time. Both have enjoyed incredibly durable and efficient careers. Both have been named league MVP, made All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams and won Super Bowls. And both have only a few seasons left to win another.
Manning is 38 and Brady 37. So the debate about who is better aside, let’s examine who has the better chance of going out on top and winning another title before they retire.
Manning and Brady have both spent their careers in the AFC, meaning NFL fans have been robbed of the chance of watching the pair duel it out in a Super Bowl. But they have met in the post-season four times, splitting the games 2-2. The year Manning won his maiden Super Bowl title his Colts beat the Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship game, while Brady and the Patriots eliminated the Colts in both 2003 and 2004 on their way to back-to-back titles.
But now in the twilight of their respective careers, it is likely that only one of them will win another title before they retire. Both franchises know their ageing superstars have only a few seasons left, but the Patriots and Broncos have approached these final years very differently.
The Broncos’ current roster has been engineered to win a Super Bowl. And win one sooner rather than later. John Elway knew when Manning chose Denver in free agency in 2011 that they had only a small window of opportunity for success. Since then the Broncos have added talent around Manning, signing high profile free agents Wes Welker, Emmanuel Sanders, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and TJ Ward.
The Broncos have been a success with Manning under centre, going 13-3 in his first two seasons before losing in the Divisional Playoffs and the Super Bowl. But consistency is not what the Broncos are after. They are not building to anything. They are trying to win a Super Bowl right now. If Denver had won Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seahawks then Manning may have hung up the cleats.
While Denver have employed the boom or bust approach, the Patriots could fool some into thinking Tom Brady has got another 10 years left in the league. They appear in no rush to win another title. Coach Bill Belichick constantly trims the fat on their roster and only occasionally takes a plunge into free agency, preferring instead for his squad to apply a workmanlike approach to winning games. But every season they are thereabouts when the playoffs roll around.
The next season or two will be pivotal to how each of the quarterbacks are remembered and how they are compared. If Brady wins another title then he will have four to Manning’s one. Which may be enough to elevate him above his adversary in some people’s minds.
If Manning leads the Broncos to a title he will become the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two franchises. It’s no easy feat, but one that is not beyond Manning. He has the team to do it and the remaining schedule for both teams should mean the Broncos finish with the best record in the AFC.
That will mean all roads to the Super Bowl go through Denver. A mountain the Patriots might find too hard to climb. The NFC has been a mixed bag this season, with the Cardinals (7-1), Eagles (6-2) and Lions (6-2) the best of the bunch.
If the Cardinals qualify then they will effectively have a home Super Bowl at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Either way it is hard to see any of these teams matching it with a determined Manning and an improving Broncos defence.
If Manning doesn’t win one this year he could more than likely return again in 2015. He is playing well enough and still has a few more of Brett Favre’s records to cross off his list. He is also relentless and a perfectionist. I wouldn’t back against him. Either way Tom and Peyton are due for at least one more showdown.
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