Follow me on Twitter @ICRMONWell, here we go again. Manning has another shot to get to the Super Bowl. And it's only fitting it comes against his biggest rival, Tom Brady. The Brady/Manning matchup will probably go down in NFL history as one of the best QB rivalries of all time. However, it cannot be overlooked that Tom Brady definitely has the edge in their history against each other, winning 10 times out of 14. So, can the Broncos actually come out on top in what might the last playoff matchup between these two Hall of Fame quarterbacks?
For the Broncos want to win, they definitely have to shut down the Patriots run game. If the Patriots can run all over the Broncos defense and control the clock, I don't see the Broncos coming out with the W. Yet, the Broncos have fared quite well against the run this year, posting the 7th best run defense during the regular season. The Broncos D showed up last week, keeping both Danny Woodhead and Ryan Matthews in check. What impressed me last week about the Broncos defense was how much pressure they were able to get on Philips Rivers. If the Broncos can bottle up the Patriots running attack and get pressure on Brady, then the game will be in the hands of the Broncos offense.
Which is EXACTLY where the Broncos will need the game to land if they want to win. Their offense has been almost unstoppable this year because they have so many weapons. The Patriots defense is decent, but if the game comes down to them making a stop, I think Peyton Manning will get it done. Manning knows that his days in the NFL are numbered, and I think that will be enough to prevent him from making the costly mistake.
So, ultimately, what will happen? I honestly think that Brady and Belichick will have Manning's number yet again, but I predicted that the Broncos would beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl in my pre-season predictions, so I have to stick with the Broncos here - Peyton will do enough to pull it out.
Prediction:
Broncos 31
Patriots 28
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