(Image courtesy of NFL.com)

The 2015-16 NFL season will feature a Brady, Manning showdown after all. Manning missed the Week 12 game against the Patriots with a foot injury. Next Sunday’s AFC Championship game will mark the 17th meeting between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. It could very well be the final meeting in what some consider to be the greatest player rivalry in league history. Brady is 11-5 all time against Manning in the regular season and playoffs. 

While it’s great that these two aging legends will once again compete for the right to get to the Super Bowl, I am not looking forward to the hype that will surround this game. All we are going to hear all week is about Manning, Brady 17. The actual game itself will take a back seat to the quarterback rivalry all week. That’s a shame because this latest installment of Patriots, Broncos has the potential to be a classic.

Look, I respect Manning and what he’s accomplished in his career but the fact of the matter is, he’s been Tom Brady’s bitch for the past fifteen years. Don’t get me wrong, Manning has beaten Brady in big games but generally speaking, Brady has owned this rivalry. 

The hype machine will start spewing bullshit in earnest starting tomorrow.  For the next week we’ll hear exaggerated statements about last stands and one final showdown. I get that this could be the last meeting between the two quarterbacks but I’m not looking forward to listening to the Brady, Manning ball washing all week either. The media will hype up this game up more than the pre-fight build up to Mayweather-Pacquiao. 

The reality is, Manning looks terrible and ready to be put out to pasture. There’s a chance Sunday will be the final game of his illustrious career. I’m going on record as saying it will be. The Broncos will not beat the Patriots. But don’t worry about the game. It’s not about the AFC Championship and the right to get to Super Bowl 50, it’s about Brady, Manning. At least according to the national media anyway. I’m just saying.