Two of the most respected quarterbacks in the National Football League are making their final preparations before they meet for the 15th time in their stellar careers. With a trip to Super Bowl XLVIII on the line, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will travel to the Mile High City for the 2014 AFC Championship game against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Looking to take his Patriots to their third Super Bowl in seven seasons, Tom Brady understands that his squad will be viewed as underdogs when the conference title kicks off Sunday from Sports Authority Field at Mile High but nonetheless, the future Hall of Famer relishes the opportunity to take down the Broncos for the second time this season.
“I'm sure no one's going to pick us to win this week,” said Brady, whose Pats took down the Broncos in a Week 12 thriller at Gillette Stadium. “We've had our backs against the wall for a while. Really, the whole season we've lost players, and teams have really counted us out.” Set to square off against Peyton Manning for the fourth time in the AFC Championship, the task of advancing to the season’s biggest game will certainly be a tough one but the battle won’t solely be against the two quarterbacks.
New England’s run game has really taken off since Week 17 thanks in large part to LeGarrette Blount. The former University of Oregon star rushed for a career-high 189 yards in New England’s season-ending victory over the Buffalo Bills and then scorched the Indianapolis Colts for 166 yards and four scores in last weekend’s AFC Divisional round contest. While Blount has been stellar of late, Peyton Manning is happy to have the balance of rookie back Montee Ball and veteran Knowshon Moreno in his backfield. Due to the fact that both backs provide significant balance to the offense, Manning understands that this AFC title match is bigger than just the men under center.
“Tom Brady has just been an outstanding quarterback, but the game next week is the Broncos and the Patriots,” he said following Denver’s AFC Divisional win over the San Diego Chargers. “It will be a battle between two good teams, teams that have been through a lot, have overcome a lot to get to this point and that's where my focus will be: trying to help the Broncos get a win against the Patriots.”
With eight of the previous fourteen match-ups between the two quarterback legends decided by seven points or less, expect the 2014 version of the AFC Championship Game to be another thriller.
2014 AFC Championship – New England at Denver: DATE, TIME & VIEWING INFO
DATE: Sunday, January 19
TIME: 3:00pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: CBS
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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