NFL Playoff Predictions: AFC and NFC Conference Championship Games

There’s no time to savor the experience, because there’s too much work to be done to beat a Peyton Manning-led team, and vice versa.

Since then, of course, Butler saved the Super Bowl for New England by intercepting a Seattle Seahawks’ pass on the goal line in the final minute a year ago.

While it is every quarterback’s dream to win the Super Bowl and retire, Peyton Manning may have a decision to make regarding his future if the Broncos lose to the Patriots on Sunday.

But with history to be written at the end of this weird, wild, witch-hunting year, this way – Patriots at Broncos, Brady vs. Manning – just seems fitting. While Brady remains as good as ever, Manning is clearly in his twilight. Belichick won’t be afraid to dare Manning to beat him while at the same time asking Brady to go win it. Like so many great rivalries of the past that we still love to discuss today – Bird and Magic, Ali and Frazier, Russell and Chamberlain, Agassi and Sampras, Nicklaus and Palmer, Gretzky and Lemieux, Williams and DiMaggio – Brady and Manning are destined to join them, set up to be talked about decades from now. Johnson and the Lakers went 22-15 against Bird and the Celtics.

Sirius satellite radio listeners can hear the AFC title game on channel 88, 83 (New England call) or 82 (Denver call).

Attempting to stop that will be DE Chandler Jones (95), a real force on the pass rush and improved against the run; DEs Ron Ninkovich (50) and Jabaal Sheard (93); and rookie DT Malcom Brown (90).

But even New England’s youngest fans don’t think it will be a problem.

I’ve got a ton of respect for the whole organization. Bill Belichick’s a great coach. His Hall of Fame bust has been waiting for him for years.

Image: Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.

They’ve both been so successful.

Another factor to be aware of is the Broncos’ run game, as this is what led to the Pats loss the last time these two teams played. If there’s one place in football where Brady has something to prove, it’s there.

Brady vs. Manning: One last showdown?

Yet, here they are, as if on cue.

“These are the money games”, said former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.

“For me, it’s always been kind of outside looking in”. “I don’t know by how much, but they are going to win”.

Kickoff for Sunday’s Broncos-Patriots matchup is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET (1:05 p.m. MT) on Sunday, Jan. 24.

When the Patriots suffered their first loss of the season to Denver in Week 12, the offense performed very well considering Julian Edelman missed the game and Rob Gronkowski was injured late.

If this is Manning’s last game, he’ll go down as one of the best players the National Football League has seen. He’s also the all-time leader in postseason passing yards (7,647), TD passes (55), completions (711) and attempts (1,127).

Manning’s task is to play an error-free game, let his formidable defense help him get the game into the fourth quarter, when muscle memory alone perhaps can remind him how champions respond. Danny Trevathan was the Broncos leading tackler with 109, Brandon Marshall had 102, Von Miller had 11.5 sacks, and DeMarcus Ware had 7.5 sacks.

Interesting stat: 12 – Consecutive home victories by the Panthers. It’s Brady versus an elite Broncos defense. Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 176 yards and a touchdown last week.

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif. The only other team in the Super Bowl era to make five conference championship appearances in a row were the 1973-77 Raiders.

Last year’s game was the most-watched television show of all time with a record average of 114.4 million viewers in the United States, according to the Nielsen Co.