The first game of the Championship Weekend comes with no shortage of hype. Most people will be talking about how this is a matchup between two of the best quarterbacks of this generation, but this one will break down into much more than just Brady vs Manning.  A little earlier in his career, Manning could take over games and win them by himself.  Nowadays he needs help, as evident last week in the Broncos’ 23-16 victory over the injury riddled Pittsburgh Steelers.  Peyton threw for only 222 yards and zero touchdowns, while the stacked defense behind him constantly bailed him out by holding the Steelers to several field goals instead of touchdowns when it mattered most.  Although his receivers did him no favors with several drops that put the offense in bad down and distance situations, he still would deliver wobbly balls that somehow were not picked off.  I saw more ducks on the field than a Chip Kelly football team.  During the season those ducks were picked off more often than not, as he was responsible for 17 interceptions in his first 9 starts before being replaced by rookie Brock Osweiler.  Osweiler would eventually falter as well, putting a healthier Manning back in charge of the Broncos’ fate after a few weeks off.

The Patriots looked to be scuffling towards the end of the season. They were unable to beat the Miami Dolphins in the final week of the regular season, and many were picking Kansas City to upset them last week.  That proved to be foolish, as the return of Julian Edelman and a healthier Rob Gronkowski looked to get the offense back on track.  Look for the defensive matchups against those two weapons to prove much more important than Brady vs. Manning.  The Patriots defense will prove to be an important factor as well.  They were a top ten unit during the season, and Malcolm Butler and Devin McCourty will be much more of a test than the burnable Steelers defense Manning faced last week.

Ultimately the game should remain close, provided Manning can keep the turnovers to a minimum. The spread has the Patriots as a 3 point favorite, so Vegas is expecting a close one as well.  This does not bode well for the Broncos, as the favorite has won every game during these playoffs except for the Packers win over the Redskins in Wildcard Weekend.  As much as I would love to see Peyton Manning ride off into the sunset with one more Super Bowl victory, I don’t think the Broncos will make it beyond this week.  Despite valiant efforts from their strong defensive unit, Brady will victimize them with short passes and come away with the win. Unfortunately, it will remain a travesty that Peyton has less Super Bowl rings than his less talented brother Eli.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com

Cover photo courtesy of Boston.com