The Legacy Championship game Sunday in Denver will be downplayed by the protagonists, to no avail. The scoreboard reads “Tom Brady 10, Peyton Manning 4,” and this could very well be Manning’s last chance to settle the score to some degree and win a second Super Bowl championship that would change so much for him, and leave him one Lombardi Trophy behind Brady.
A game-by-game review of the High Noon showdowns that have whetted the nation’s appetite for the AFC Championship game, a.k.a Brady vs. Manning, a.k.a. Patriots vs. Broncos.
I. BRADY 44, MANNING 13 (Sept. 30, 2001)
Brady (13-for-23, 168 yards) was making his first start after Jets linebacker Mo Lewis knocked Drew Bledsoe out of the starting job the previous week.
“Drew said the most important thing was to go out there and have fun, because you’re as prepared as you’re going to be at that point,” Brady said.
Manning was intercepted three times, including pick-6s by Ty Law and Otis Smith, in his last game at antiquated Foxboro Stadium.
“I’m not going to miss this place,” Manning said. “We were just outplayed.”
Brady didn’t throw a TD pass or an interception.
“As a quarterback, you’re glad you’re not in situations where you have to throw every down,” Brady said. “It seemed like our day. It was one of those days where the ball bounced our way.”
II. BRADY 38, MANNING 17 (Oct. 21, 2001)
Brady (16-for-20, 202 yards, three TDs) rode a career game from WR David Patten, who became the first player since Walter Payton in 1979 to run, catch and pass for touchdowns in the same game. One of his two touchdown catches was a 91-yarder. Manning finished 22-for-34 for 335 yards and one TD.
“It’s about going out and executing our plays,” Brady said. “We executed them today.”
III. BRADY 38, MANNING 34 (Nov. 30, 2003)
Brady (26-for-35, 226 yards, two TDs, two INTs) prevailed over Manning (29-for-48, 278 yards, four TDs, one INT) thanks to his defense stuffing Edgerrin James fourth-and-goal at the 1 with 14 seconds left.
“We got to the 1 and I called timeout, thinking … we’re going to get in our goal-line offense and pound it in,” Manning said. “I go over and we don’t have goal-line. The whole team’s hurt. We had no fullback, no other tight ends. Everybody was in street clothes over there.”
IV. BRADY 24, MANNING 14 (Jan. 18, 2004, AFC Championship)
Brady (22-for-37, 237 yards, one TD, one INT) handled the snow better and didn’t have to throw against Ty Law, who intercepted Manning (23-for-47, 237 yards, one TD, four INTs) three times.
“Any time you throw interceptions, it’s on the quarterback,’’ Manning said. “So, it was disappointing from my standpoint. I just made some bad throws, bad decisions.’’
His 35.5 QB rating was the third worst of his career.
V. BRADY 27, MANNING 24 (Sept. 9, 2004)
Brady (26-for-38, 335 yards, 3 TDs, INT) led the Pats to their 16th straight win as Willie McGinest sacked Manning (16-for-29, 256 yards, two TDs, one INT) for a 12-yard loss before Mike Vanderjagt missed a 38-yard field goal with 19 seconds left.
“You’re supposed to score when you get down there. We just made mistakes,” Manning said. “This stinks.”
VI, BRADY 20, MANNING 3 (Jan. 16, 2005, AFC divisional playoffs)
Another snow day, another notch in Brady’s cap (18-for-27, 144 yards, one TD).
“We made plays when we needed to,” Brady said.
Manning (27-for-42, 238 yards, one INT) dropped to 0-7 in Foxboro.
“When you have the opportunity, you want to take advantage of it,’’ Manning said. “This is my seventh year, and I’ve always played every year like it’s going to be your last. You play with a sense of urgency. I’ve heard guys talk about, ‘Well, next year …’ You just don’t know what’s going to happen next year. We’ll keep fighting and try to give ourselves a chance next year.’’
VII. MANNING 40, BRADY 21 (Nov. 7, 2005)
The 8-0 Colts silenced a Monday Night Foxboro crowd. Manning (28-for-37, 321 yards, three TDs, one INT) finally solves Bill Belichick and outguns Brady (22-for-33, 265 yards, three TDs).
“It’s funny,” Manning said. “They say, ‘You were focused more this week or whatever,’ but the last two playoff games here, we came in here real hot and we hadn’t punted for two games. This year, we came in, I spent last week dressed up as Elvis for Halloween.
“I hear, ‘I could tell you had the look in your eye.’ I don’t know what that means.”
VIII. MANNING 27, BRADY 20 (Nov. 5, 2006)
Manning’s third straight 300-yard game for the first time in his career led the Colts to another 8-0 start.
“We had them in a chase position most of the night,” Manning said. “That was part of the plan, and it worked out well for us.”
Brady (20-for-35, 201 yards, four INTs) was picked off twice by Cato June.
“They were around the ball,” Brady said. “They’ve got good aggressiveness on defense. They got their hands on it. They didn’t drop any.”
IX. MANNING 38, BRADY 34 (Jan. 21, 2007 AFC Championship game)
Manning (27-for-47, 349 yards, one TD, one INT) caps a wild comeback from a 21-3 deficit at the RCA Dome with an 80-yard TD drive that began with 2:17 left. One back free of monkey at last.
“I don’t play that card,’’ Manning said. “I don’t get into monkeys and vindication. I know how hard I’ve worked this year. I know how hard I’ve worked this week.’’
X. BRADY 24, MANNING 20 (Nov. 4, 2007)
Brady’s 13-yard TD pass to Kevin Faulk made it 24-20 when Manning got the ball back at his 24 with 3:10 remaining. On third-and-9 at the Colts 49, Jarvis Green forced a Manning fumble that Roosevelt Colvin caught in midair.
“I was getting ready to throw it, and the guy knocked it out of my hand,’’ Manning said. “I guess the guy caught it. I didn’t really have a great view of it.’’
The Pats were on their way to 16-0.
XI. MANNING 35, BRADY 34 (Nov. 15, 2009)
Best remembered for Bill Belichick’s ill-fated decision to end the game by going for it fourth-and-2 from his 28 with 2:08 remaining and a 34-28 lead. A Brady pass to Kevin Faulk was stuffed, and Manning’s 1-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne won it.
“They could never think it was in the bag, even when it was 31-14,” Manning said. “We just kept making plays.”
Brady, naturally, supported Belichick.
“Coach is being aggressive, and I love that about him,” Brady said. “He gave us a chance to make the play, and we just came up a little short.”
XII. BRADY 31, MANNING 28 (Nov. 21, 2010)
James Sanders sealed it with an interception at the 6 with 31 seconds left.
“I just did not get everything I wanted on the throw,” Manning said. “I feel sick about it, about not extending the game.”
Brady was 19-for-25, 186 yards, two TDs, while Manning was 38-for-52, 396 yards, four TDs, three INTs.
“Any time you play these guys, you’ve got to play to the end,” Brady said.
Manning signs with the Broncos after sitting out the Colts’ 2011 season due to multiple neck surgeries.
XIII. BRADY 31, MANNING 21 (Oct. 7, 2012)
Down 31-7, Manning’s bid for a 37th fourth-quarter comeback falls short.
“Nobody I’d rather have than Tom Brady,” Belichick said, “but Manning’s a great player.”
Brady was 23-for-31 with 223 yards and one TD, while Manning was 31-for-44 with 337 yards and three TDs.
“It’s Patriots-Broncos,” Brady said. “It was a great team win. We got some turnovers from our defense, and I thought offensively we capitalized at times. There were a few lulls in there, which I wish we had executed a little bit better, but for the most part it’s a good day.”
XIV. BRADY 34, MANNING 31 (OT) (Nov. 24, 2013)
Brady (34-for-50, 344 yards, three TDs) led a furious second-half comeback from a 24-0 halftime deficit at Gillette Stadium.
“We didn’t give ourselves a chance in the first half with the turnovers,” Brady said. “We found a way to put one play in front of the next one and the next one.”
Manning (19-for-36, 150 yards, two TDs, one INT) managed to throw a game-tying TD pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to force overtime, but was helpless as Nate Ebner recovered a punt that deflected off Tony Carter.
“Hated the way that ended, not getting a chance to get our hands on the ball,” Manning said. “We helped them with some short fields. It’s hard to do that to our defense.”
XV. BRADY VS. MANNING (Jan. 19, 2014, AFC Championship game)