Another year, another showdown between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
The two legendary quarterbacks will meet for perhaps the final time Sunday in the AFC Championship Game when Manning’s Denver Broncos host Brady’s New England Patriots. It will be the 17th time the two quarterbacks have squared off.
Over the years, Brady and Manning have developed a relationship away from the field, despite their ongoing rivalry. Unsurprisingly, Brady, on his weekly radio appearance on WEEI’s “The Dennis and Callahan Morning Show” had nothing but nice things to say about Manning.
“I think we’ve just known each other for a long time, and being in the same profession for all these years and being at different events, we’ve developed a good friendship,” Brady said Monday. “I’m not sure how things take place over the course of the week. It’s pretty remarkable for him, what he accomplished this season and to lead the team to a great win — the Steelers were playing as well as any team in the league, so that was a huge win for them (Sunday). It will be fun to play another Peyton Manning-led team.”
That being said, Brady and the Patriots have struggled in Denver. He and the Pats are just 2-6 on the road against the Broncos, a number Brady will have to improve upon if he wants to reach the seventh Super Bowl of his career.
“Well, it’s a great football environment,” Brady said of playing in Denver. “They’ve had some great teams when we’ve played out there. … I didn’t realize we were 2-6, but the crowd gets into it and they have a good team. Just like this year, the crowd will be into it, and they’ve got a great team.
“We’ve gotta just play our best, that’s what it comes down to. We’ve had a lot of close games there. It always comes down to something at the end. We’ve already been out there once this year, and I think we learned a lot from that experience.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
