Brady Vs. Manning: A Look At Their Past Playoff Showdowns
By Daniel Friedman
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Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will face off yet again in the AFC championship game with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. They have met four previous times in the postseason and have each won two games. Here's the history:
1. January 18, 2004: Patriots 24, Colts 14
Brady came out on top the first time the titans clashed in the playoffs. Manning threw four interceptions and was sacked just as many times in the AFC championship game. Meanwhile, Brady threw for a mere 237 yards but made them count. The Patriots went on to beat Carolina in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
2. January 16, 2005: Patriots 20, Colts 3
New year, same outcome. Brady wasn't much of a factor (he threw for just 144 yards) in the AFC divisional round, but he did find a way to navigate through the ballgame. Manning had the better performance, but was never able to get the Colts into the end zone. New England repeated as world champs that year, beating the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX
3. January 21, 2007: Colts 38, Patriots 34
Score one for Manning, who threw a touchdown pass to Joseph Addai in the final minutes of the game to give Indianapolis the lead in the AFC championship game. Two weeks later, Indianapolis beat Chicago in Super Bowl Super Bowl XLI.
4. January 19, 2014: Broncos 26, Patriots 16
Manning threw for 400 yards and delivered a pair of touchdown strikes to give the Broncos a fairly commanding victory. Brady was without Rob Gronkowski to throw to, but he still didn't play to his level of capability. The win sent the Broncos to Super Bowl XLVIII in the Meadowlands, where they were blown out by Seattle.
Follow Daniel Friedman on Twitter @bardownhowitzer.
