It seemed like yesterday when Indianapolis Colt’s Quarterback Peyton Manning was forced to sit out the entire season due to a neck injury that required multiple surgeries. Leaving many fans and analysts to wonder if he would even play football again, and if that would be the end of the rivalry between Manning and other future Hall of Fame quarterback, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. Now even with Manning on a new team, the Denver Broncos, we are still treated to one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport, with huge implications.
This upcoming Sunday the New England Patriots will travel to Denver to face the aforementioned Broncos in the AFC Title game, and the right to go to Superbowl 48. It may say on paper that it’s the Patriots vs. the Broncos but every fan will instantly look at this Quarterback matchup, which leads to the inevitable debate of which future Hall of Fame quarterback is better than the other? On one side you have a quarterback with regular season records and statistics, on the other side you have a quarterback with championships and the clutch factor. That leaves this debate at a stand-still and really just up for each individual’s interpretation of greatness among quarterbacks.
So what does it all mean when you put this entire matchup together? It means that we should step back for a moment and take in the fact that, regardless of this outcome Sunday, both of these quarterbacks are the best of this generation and in a class with others as the best to have ever played the game. So let’s enjoy history being made in front of us!