Written by Brad Gagnon at The Comeback
For quite possibly the last time, the two most accomplished quarterbacks of this era — Tom Brady and Peyton Manning — will go toe-to-toe next Sunday with a trip to Super Bowl 50 on the line.
This is their 17th meeting (including the playoffs): Brady’s Patriots have defeated Manning in 11 of their 16 matchups.
This is their fourth meeting in the AFC championship game: Brady’s Patriots won the first (2003) but then lost to Manning’s Colts in 2006 and his Broncos in 2013. Throw in a divisional playoff meeting in 2004 and this is their fifth postseason matchup, with each having won two.
Brady’s statistics have been superior in those four playoff matchups: Although Manning has still averaged more yards per pass attempt.
But it’s there’s more to that story: Manning had an abysmal performance in a 24-14 loss when they first met in the playoffs in 2003, throwing four interceptions. If you remove that game from the equation for both quarterbacks, Manning has actually been a little better.
A lot more: Manning has had to do a lot more heavy lifting in those matchups. He’s thrown 44.8 passes per game, compared to Brady’s 34.0. His team has also surrendered 23.5 points per game, while the Patriots have given up 20.3. Brady has also received more support from his running game in those contests.
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