Manning, Brady meet in AFC championship game

The Broncos deactivated quarterback Trevor Siemian, defensive backs Shiloh Keo and Lorenzo Doss, running back Juwan Thompson, offensive linemen Sam Brenner and Robert Myers and defensive lineman Darius Kilgo.

On the surface, Steelers vs. Broncos in the Divisional Round of the AFC Playoffs would conjure images of a classic battle between franchise quarterbacks – Ben Roethlisberger vs. Peyton Manning.

Manning and the Broncos took a late lead and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16 on Sunday in Denver.

Well the National Football League got the AFC Championship matchup it wanted as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will meet one more time.

Be sure to stay with us on BTSC as we cap off this season and get us ready for the National Football League combine and draft.

“It’ll be the Broncos against the Patriots”, Manning said.

“I think everybody understands when you’re in the fourth quarter that there’s a sense of urgency, especially when you’re behind, you’re losing the game and you realize your opportunities are getting fewer and fewer”, Manning said.

“Our defense is guiding us, let’s make that clear”, Manning told reporters after completing 21-of-37 passes for 222 yards with no scores or interceptions. They never gave up.

Brady has won 11 of the 16 meetings against Manning, but they’re 2-2 in the playoffs, including Denver’s 26-16 win in the conference championship game two years ago.

This would’ve been no way to send Peyton Manning into the offseason. Manning’s play declined badly in the second half of the 2014 season and he was completely ineffective early in 2015 before being sidelined by a foot injury and replaced by Brock Osweiler. Manning had just gotten out of his cast and watched that game from the locker room after shaking Brady’s hand in pregame warmups.

“It’s been a unique season, a lot of new things have happened this season, kind of like tonight”, said Manning, who replaced Osweiler in the season finale, leading the Broncos to a win over San Diego to secure the No. 1 seed. One time, two times… seven times, everybody from Demaryius Thomas to C.J. Anderson dropped a pass.

Manning then went to work, driving Denver to its only touchdown. His plunge in from a yard gave Pittsburgh a 7-6 lead in the first quarter and the Steelers played with the lead most of the game. He is 5-6 in 11 games against the Broncos – the only team he owns a losing record against in his career.

Boswell’s 47-yard field goal cut the Denver lead back to seven points with 19 seconds remaining, but when the Broncos successfully gathered Pittsburgh’s onside kick attempt, the game was over.

– Graham Gano, Panthers, kicked a 48-yard field goal and made four extra points in Carolina’s 31-24 win over Seattle.

Denver Broncos players celebrated a gritty, grind-it-out playoff win yesterday, but the reveling contained something of a regular-season feel.

“We had some good field position early and had to settle for field goals”, Manning said. “We’ve got to be better than that”, added the MVP favorite, who went 16-for-22 for 161 yards. The Steelers had a chance to put this game away, but a brutal Fitzgerald Toussaint fumble in the fourth quarter ultimately did in Pittsburgh.

Ben Roethlisberger – 24-37 in the passing game with 339 yards.

Bryant had two carries for a team-high 40 yards and nine receptions for a game-best 154 yards. It had 10 plays of 15 yards or longer, totaling 311 yards.