Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning a must-see matchup
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady yells as he runs onto the field before the game against the Houston Texans. (Jan. 13, 2013) Credit: AP
The Tom Brady-Peyton Manning matchup, one of the great quarterback rivalries in NFL history, is renewed on Sunday when the Brady’s Patriots host Manning’s Colts on Sunday. But neither quarterback is taking much time to behold the magnificence of their matchup.
It’s the 14th head-to-head meeting between the two (including playoffs), with Brady holding a 9-4 edge so far. But most of the games have been close; seven of the 13 have been decided by a touchdown or less. All but one matchup came when Manning was with the Colts.
“It’s just hard to think about too much in the past with kind of just what’s going on now,” said Manning, whose Broncos are 9-1 after beating Kansas City last Sunday night. “It’s a new team for me, we’re in the middle of an extremely tough conference stretch coming off a physical game, going to play New England, who’s always been outstanding at home. I just know that every game is so critical in the conference right now, so it’s hard to think about anything else besides that.”
Brady isn’t obsessing over Manning, either.
“I don’t have to play against him,” he said. “I think that’s the thing. It’s more of the defense that plays against him. You realize that when you play a good team, another good quarterback, that you’re going to have to score a lot of points. We try to score points anyway, but this is a very good football team, led by a great quarterback, one of the best of all time. I’m excited to see how we do.”
So are the rest of us. Brady-Manning is must see.
