In case you missed the regular season, Manning took the Broncos to a AFC western division title and a 13-3 record. Tom Brady faired similarly with the Patriots, having them go 12-4 and winning the AFC East for the 5th time in as many years and 11 out of the last 13 years.
That's all well and good but the key point to this is the exciting history that these two athletes have shared together. The first meeting between these two sure fire hall-of-famers was way back in 2001 during week 3; This was Brady's first professional start. Brady wasn't exceptional but was effective, throwing for 168 yards. The Patriots won in blowout fashion although you can attribute that win more to Peyton's 3 picks in the game.
Tom Brady and his Patriots have taken Manning to town 10 out of the 14 times they have played so far including this season 34-31 OT win.
In what is basically a season playing together we can look at their stats in games that the Patriots have won.
Peyton Manning Tom Brady | Touchdowns 27 23 | Interceptions 19 12 | Completion % 62.4 67 |
Three years later they met again in the 2006 AFC championship game. Manning had the Patriots number all day in this game as he threw for 349 yards and a touchdown as they pulled off the victory 38-34. This was an 18 point comeback and at the time was the fifth largest margin overcome in the history of the NFL. Manning took his Colts to a rainy Miami and felled the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl that year.
Brady has a three game winning streak over Manning's team to this point. Can he continue his domination over Manning in this years AFC Championship game?