Sunday NFL Action: AFL And NFC Championship Games Are Decided

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will renew their storied rivalry in Sunday’s AFC title game but the clash will be unlike any other as it may be the last between two of the National Football League’s greatest quarterbacks. Brady holds an 11-5 edge, but is only 4-3 vs. Manning in games outside MA.

The Denver Broncos game on KCNC-Channel 4 Sunday averaged an 83 share of total households and an 84 share of adults 25-54.

Peyton Manning and his Broncos will face Tom Brady and his Patriots for a trip to the Super Bowl.

Cam Newton and the top-seeded Carolina Panthers repelled a spirited second-half surge by their nemesis team, the Seattle Seahawks, for a 31-24 victory on Sunday to reach their first NFC championship since the 2005 season.

The Broncos beat New England 30-24 in overtime on November 29 – a victory that earned Denver home-field advantage for Sunday’s game.

10 – AFC Championship Game berths now for the Orange & Blue, who have won seven of their previous nine, losing only to the Bills (10-7) following the 1991 season and the Steelers (34-17) to end their 2005 campaign.

Brady is still vintage Brady, passing, bootlegging and QB sneaking the Super Bowl champion Patriots past the Chiefs on Saturday and into the AFC title game for a fifth straight season. Denver is 10-3 in games decided by seven points or fewer, and Manning said being battle-tested helped them on this blustery day.

For the more important game this weekend, the Panthers are four point favorites over the Cardinals.

But the Steelers hit back with a Toussaint touchdown to take the lead, the running back crossing from one yard out to put the seal on a five-play, 80-yard drive marshalled by the battle-weary quarterback Roethlisberger.

-On the play before Fowler’s 31-yard reception, cornerback William Gay had a chance to intercept a Peyton Manning pass, but Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders broke it up. As a defense, we relish those moments where it’s all on our backs.

“I don’t really want to analyze this play too much, ” he said. Let’s make that clear. You got Ben (Roethlisberger), you know, gutsy effort by him tonight. “They were dominant today against a high-powered offense”. “But I’ll be talking about them on Wednesday”. Kubiak’s biggest concern was the non-call on an onside kick in the closing seconds: “The ball was touched at 7½ yards and there was no flag, so thank God we survived that one”.

So far, Brady has managed to get the better of Manning.

Ray Rice may have made a big difference in the outcome of the Broncos-Steelers playoff game had he been with Pittsburgh.