For the 15th time in their already legendary careers, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will face off. For just the third time in their rivalry, a Super Bowl berth is on the line. In a pairing of the top two seeds in the AFC, Brady brings the No. 2 New England Patriots (12-4) to Mile High to face Manning’s No. 1 Denver Broncos (13-3)
AFC Championship Game
Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots
LOCATION: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver
TIME: 3:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
These teams delivered one of the most remarkable games of the 2013 regular season when Brady rallied the Patriots past the Broncos 34-31 in overtime. The game was a tale of two halves: Manning staked the Broncos to an early 24-0 lead, but Brady delivered a rousing comeback in the second half.
Despite the outcome of that game and Brady’s 10-4 record in the previous meetings between the two Canton-bound quarterbacks, the Patriots were underdogs heading into the AFC title tilt. Brady relished the role.
"I know when we played Baltimore nobody picked us to win," Brady said during an appearance on WEEI radio, via The Associated Press. "I'm sure no one's going to pick us to win this week. We've had our backs against the wall for a while. Really, the whole season we've lost players, and teams have really counted us out."
Will Brady’s so-called “underdog” Patriots pull off the upset? Will Peyton take a second franchise to the Super Bowl? How will either result impact the legacies of both players?