TV Schedule: Sunday, Jan. 24, 3:05 p.m. ET, CBS
Stadium: Sports Authority Field at Mile High-Denver, Colo.
Current Line: Patriots (-3)
Over/Under: 44 (Vegas Insider.com)
It’ll be Brady vs. Manning Chapter 17 in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, but this won’t be like many of the previous times the two best quarterbacks of their era have been on the same field. Tom Brady is still the driving force of the Patriots’ offense, and he’s playing as well as he ever has at age 38, while Peyton Manning’s physical limitations at 39 years old have become clear and he’s essentially become a game manager.
The Broncos’ have the NFL‘s best defense, and even by Manning’s own admission that unit is the key to the team’s success. Getting to Brady will be a challenge for Denver since he averaged less than two seconds from snap to throw during New England’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs last Saturday. Having wide receiver Julian Edelman back in action definitely helped Brady get the ball out quickly, and with cornerback Chris Harris (shoulder) playing at less than 100 percent, the Broncos may struggle to take Edelman away Sunday afternoon.
The key for Denver’s offense is the running game, both to keep the New England offense off the field and to keep Manning from having to make downfield throws he is not consistently able to pull off. Running backs C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman combined for 172 rushing yards (on 29 carries) and three touchdowns during Denver’s Week 12 win over New England, as they possessed the ball for over 36 minutes, and that formula has to be the same in the rematch.
A Broncos loss will fuel talk that Manning will retire, though he surely won’t rush into a decision during the offseason. But there is a chance Sunday’s game will be the final time we see a unique, well-documented quarterback rivalry that has helped shape an era in the NFL.
Prediction: Patriots 23, Broncos 20
