Tom Brady looks like he’s still got some miles left on his career. The same, however, doesn’t look like it could be said for Peyton Manning.
The two legendary quarterbacks will meet again Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, their 17th overall meeting since first doing battle in 2001. No one knows for sure what will happen, but one of the biggest reasons the Patriots are favored despite playing on the road has to be the difference between Brady and Manning.
Brady looks to have at least a few more years left in his career. He’s methodical about how he takes care of himself. His fanatical diet and exercise habits have been frequently discussed. He doesn’t get hurt very often and doesn’t seem to have many physical ailments at the moment. And he’s still able to move around in the pocket, delivering lasers to receivers through seemingly airtight windows.
If there’s such thing as a “young 38” in NFL circles, Brady personifies it.
The same can’t be said for Manning, who after multiple neck surgeries looks like he’s just about done at age 39. His passes have little zip on them. It’s purely speculation, but would anyone really be that surprised if Manning calls it a career whenever his season comes to an end?
None of this is very surprising. It’s mostly common sense. Heck, even Brady himself could see it coming. As part of the entire Deflategate investigation, 4,000 documents were filed by the NFLPA and some of the information went public as the union geared up for a potential court case with the NFL. Among the “evidence” uncovered were Brady’s emails.
One email exchange between Brady and a childhood friend from 2014 in regards to a Bill Simmons article about the Brady-Manning rivalry looks rather prescient right about now.
In hindsight, maybe Brady was being kind, as that exchange came less than a week before the Patriots stomped out the Broncos 43-21 on national TV. The Patriots did lose to the Manning-less Broncos earlier in the season, but a resounding win Sunday could truly be the “final chapter” in this storied rivalry.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
