Two elite quarterbacks. One unforgettable rivalry. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have played each other 16 times before, with number 17 coming up in the 2015 AFC Championship Game.
November 2, 2014 - Week 9 - NE 43 - DEN 21
Recap:
The 16th matchup between the all-time great quarterbacks wasn't particularly competitive after the first quarter. Brady outdueled Manning, throwing for four touchdowns as Manning fell to 2-7 in his career at Gillette Stadium and 5-11 overall against Brady.
Stats:
Brady: 33/53, 333 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 97.4 passer rating
Manning: 34/57, 438 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 80.9 passer rating
January 19, 2014 - 2013 AFC Championship Game - DEN 26 - NE 16
Recap:
Manning threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns to lead Denver to its first trip to the Super Bowl in 15 years. Less than three years after being unable to throw a football because of his surgically ravaged neck and nerve endings, Manning got a chance for his second ring.
Stats:
Brady: 24/38, 277 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 93.9 passer rating
Manning: 32/43, 400 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 118.4 passer rating
November 24, 2013 - Week 12 - NE 34 - DEN 31 OT
Recap:
The Broncos jumped out to a 24-0 first-half lead behind strong defense and a Peyton Manning touchdown pass to Jacob Tamme. However, Tom Brady orchestrated a classic comeback, and at the end of regulation the teams were deadlocked in a 31-31 tie. The defenses held firm in overtime, until a Patriots punt bounced off Broncos cornerback Tony Carter, setting up an easy game-winning field goal for the Pats. They won 34-31 in overtime, extending Brady's record to 10-4 against Manning.
Stats:
Brady: 34/50, 344 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 107.4 passer rating
Manning: 19/36, 150 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 70.4 passer rating
October 7, 2012 - Week 5 - NE 31 - DEN 21
Recap:
This game marked the first time Brady and Manning squared off as a Patriot and Bronco. Denver's defense allowed 252 rushing yards to the Patriots, which helped Brady lead four scoring drives of at least 80 yards. Manning threw three touchdown passes, but his comeback attempt was halted by a Willis McGahee fumble in the fourth quarter.
Stats:
Brady: 23/31, 223 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 104.6 passer rating
Manning: 31/44, 337 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 115.4 passer rating
November 21, 2010 - Week 11 - NE 31 - IND 28
Recap:
Manning threw two interceptions that gave Brady and the Patriots an early 31-14 lead. Manning rallied back with two touchdown passes to Blair White to bring the score to 31-28. However, the Patriots' pass rush led to Manning's third interception on the day with only 30 seconds left on the clock, sealing the win for New England.
Stats:
Brady: 19/25, 186 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 123.1 passer rating
Manning: 38/52, 396 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT, 96.3 passer rating
November 15, 2009 - Week 10 - IND 35 - NE 34
Recap:
This game will forever be known as the "Fourth-and-2" game after Bill Belichick went for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 28-yard line, leading 34-28 late in the fourth quarter. Four plays later, Manning hit Reggie Wayne for the game-tying touchdown pass, and Adam Vinatieri's extra point gave the Colts a 35-34 lead. Brady had 375 passing yards and three touchdown passes on the day, but fell just short of victory.
Stats:
Brady: 29/42, 375 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 110.7 passer rating
Manning: 28/44, 327 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT, 97.4 passer rating
November 4, 2007 - Week 9 - NE 24 - IND 20
Recap:
Manning led the Colts to a 20-10 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, which was plenty of time for Brady to mount a comeback. He hit Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk for touchdown passes, and Jarvis Green sacked Manning, forcing a fumble to end the Colts' comeback attempt. The Patriots won 24-20 in the midst of their perfect regular season.
Stats:
Brady: 21/32, 255 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 95.2 passer rating
Manning: 16/27, 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 83.1 passer rating
January 21, 2007 - 2006 AFC Championship Game - IND 38 - NE 34
Recap:
Brady and the Patriots struck quickly, and thanks to an Asante Samuel interception return for a touchdown, went into halftime with a 21-6 lead. Manning and the Colts wasted no time and brought the game to a 21-21 tie in the third quarter. The teams traded blows until the Colts finally went ahead, 38-34, after a Joseph Addai touchdown run with 1:00 left on the clock. Marlin Jackson intercepted a Brady pass to close out the win for the Colts and send Manning to his first Super Bowl.
Stats:
Brady: 21/34, 232 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 79.5 passer rating
Manning: 27/47, 349 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 79.1 passer rating
November 5, 2006 - Week 9 - IND 27 - NE 20
Recap:
Stats:
Brady: 20/35, 201 yards, 0 TD, 4 INT, 34.0 passer rating
Manning: 20/36, 326 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 93.1 passer rating
November 7, 2005 - Week 9 - IND 40 - NE 21
Recap:
Manning and Brady were electric in this game, each completing over 66 percent of his passes, and combining for 586 passing yards and six touchdowns. Ultimately, it was the Colts defense that rose to the challenge, stymying a number of Patriots drives and forcing a crucial Corey Dillon fumble that Manning turned into seven points in the 40-21 victory.
Stats:
Brady: 22/33, 265 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 121.4 passer rating
Manning: 28/37, 321 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 117.1 passer rating
January 16, 2005 - 2004 AFC Divisional Round - NE 20 - IND 3
Recap:
It was a defensive battle in the first half, as Manning and Brady led their teams to a combined nine points. However, Brady and company got going in the second half. Brady threw a touchdown pass to David Givens, and ran in a touchdown himself to give the Patriots a 20-3 victory.
Stats:
Brady: 18/27, 144 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 92.2 passer rating
Manning: 27/42, 238 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 69.3 passer rating
September 9, 2004 - Week 1 - NE 27 - IND 24
Recap:
The Patriots were the defending Super Bowl champions, and opened the season against Manning and the Colts. Brady out-dueled Manning, completing almost 70 percent of his passes for 335 yards with three touchdown passes.
Brady: 26/38, 335 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 111.2 passer rating
Manning: 16/29, 256 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 93.5 passer rating
January 18, 2004 - 2003 AFC Championship Game - NE 24 - IND 14
Recap:
The Colts and Patriots squared off at Gilette Stadium with a trip to Super Bowl XXXVIII at stake. Peyton Manning threw four interceptions that turned into to six points for the Patriots, while Brady led six different scoring drives to send the Pats to their second Super Bowl in three years.
Stats:
Brady: 22/37, 237 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 76.1 passer rating
Manning: 23/47, 237 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT, 35.5 passer rating
November 30, 2003 - Week 13 - NE 38 - IND 34
Recap:
Stats:
Brady: 26/35, 236 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 87.3 passer rating
Manning: 29/48, 278 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 95.7 passer rating
October 21, 2001 - Week 6 - NE 38 - IND 17
Recap:
Brady was brutally efficient against the Colts defense in the second showdown of the 2001 season (the only year Brady and Manning were starters in the same division), completing over 70 percent of his passes with three touchdowns to boot. Manning had 335 passing yards on the day, but only found the end zone once, spelling defeat for the Colts.
Stats:
Brady: 16/20, 202 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 148.3 passer rating
Manning: 22/34, 335 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 106.9 passer rating
September 30, 2001 - Week 3 - NE 44 - IND 13
Recap:
The first game in what became a historic rivalry. Brady got the win, but it was his defense that did the heavy lifting, returning two Manning interceptions for touchdowns. Brady only threw for 168 passing yards with no touchdowns, but he recorded the only statistic that matters in the end: a win.
Stats:
Brady: 13/23, 168 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 79.6 passer rating
Manning: 20/34, 196 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 48.2 passer rating
Alex Gelhar writes features and fantasy pieces for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @AlexGelhar.