Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, two of the greatest quarterback of all-time, will face off on Sunday as the Denver Broncos travel to play the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
The two stars have played each other numerous times, including every regular season from 2003 to 2010 and three times in the postseason, two of which were in the AFC Championship game. All those matchups had Manning in a Colts uniform, this time he will be sporting a Broncos jersey.
"We've had our fair share of meaningful games against a Peyton Manning-led offense when he was with the Colts," Brady said to the Associated Press. "He seems like he's got this team really in the hunt as well. They lost two very close games and were in it right until the end. He's a phenomenal player, leader and quarterback and it's great watching him play out there."
Both teams enter the game 2-2 and are looking to take control in their divisions. Brady holds the advantage in all-time matchups, winning eight of the 12 played between the two according to ESPN.com.
After Manning was hurt last season, many fans and players wondered if they ever would see another matchup between the two. Along with this meeting ion the regular season, there is always a chance for a rematch later in the playoffs.
The Broncos are coming off an impressive win last week against the Raiders. Denver easily won 37-6 and was able to keep Manning from being sacked during the game. He passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns and looked much like the Peyton of old.
"The key that I've said all along is just trying to keep making progress somehow," Manning said. "That doesn't always show on the scoreboard -- you'd like to win every game as you're feeling your way and learning about your team and learning about yourself a little bit. So, there's still a lot of that going on, for me out there as the quarterback, and for our team, sort of figuring things out."
The Patriots exploded on offense last week, beating the Buffalo Bills 52-28, and will look to continue that trend this week. Brady led the team on six straight scoring drives and threw for three touchdowns while also scoring a rushing touchdown.
Although the New England defense gave up over 300 yards to the Bills, the team also forced a season-high six turnovers.
"We need to do a better job starting the game and that's what we're focused on," wide receiver Brandon Lloyd said, "starting the game, staying out of long-yardage situations, being more productive on second and third down. We're not going to sit here and take any moral victories about how we performed in the second half because our first half was not what we expect to perform like on Sunday."
The Patriots faced off against the Broncos in the second round of the playoffs last year, but that team was led by Tim Tebow at quarterback. Since then, Tebow has been traded to the Jets and the Broncos have replaced him with a first ballot Hall of Famer.
"They're active. They're very fast. Their secondary is quite different than what we played back in January," said Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Denver's former head coach. "We have to do a good job of trying to defend, if you will, all the different things that they throw at you."
Manning and Brady are two of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history.
Manning has won four MVP awards and is an expert at reading defenses and picking apart defensive backfields. Brady has won three Super Bowls, two MVP awards and set the record for touchdowns in a season with 50.
Fans may never see a matchup of two quarterbacks with such polished resumes. According to ESPN.com, the two have combined for "269 wins, 714 touchdown passes and 97,196 passing yards."
The biggest matchups in the game will be Manning against a weak Patriots secondary and Brady fighting off a strong pass rush from Denver. The Patriots are ranked 24th in the league in pass defense, but are in the top ten in stopping the run.
New England has been without tight end Aaron Hernandez since week two and will rely heavily on tight end Rob Gronkowski and receivers Wes Welker and Lloyd.
Both quarterbacks enter the game with fairly similar statistics, with Brady throwing for slightly more yards and Manning throwing eight touchdowns to Brady's seven.
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