Saving the best for last: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning put on thriller as both their careers come to a close

It was cold, almost Siberian cold. The air was uneasy, jolting around and carrying anything with it as if the wind itself was like a powerful arm flicking away anything that tried to test its power. However, amidst these single digit temperatures and strong winds, a glowing metropolis of its own casts a bright tower of light into the sky above Foxborough Massachusetts. This piece of infrastructure, known throughout its days as any number of different names is the economic center of nearly every piece of Massachusetts land south of it’s capital and yet it is not even the biggest cash cow that calls Gillette Stadium home. 

On Sunday night, one man who has played his best in the cold was at it again, facing off against the only human being who can statistically match his skillful prows.  

14 times now these two have faced off, 14 games all of which have their own unique stories. In Brady vs. Manning 1 the theme was this. An already recognized starter in Peyton Manning coming to town prepared to face a man who was making just his first start of his career following Drew Beldsoe's near lethal injury suffered against the Jets that opened the door for his backup. To that point, Tom Brady had thrown just 13 career passes as an NFL quarterback while Peyton Manning had already racked up back to back 4,000 yard passing seasons as well as making 2 Pro Bowl teams and yet by the end of the night it was Brady who led his team to victory and won the first game in one of the most storied individual rivalries in NFL history. 

4 years later in meeting number 3, Brady was shining once again hurling 3 TD's and 335 passing yards on his way to a 27-24 win that improved his career win loss record against Manning to a stellar 3-0. By that point, there was no doubt how skilled this 4th year stud from New England was. The 3 Super Bowl rings symbolized all that necessitated recognition. Before long, Tom Brady was 7-0 against Manning and his always contending Colts. Furthermore, while Peyton spent his time polishing his MVP awards, Tom Brady was a more weekly kind of guy racking up the wins and of course, winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 seasons.   

However in the 2006 Conference Championship that pitted Mr. postseason: Brady against Mr. MVP: Manning, the tables turned. In Peyton's lone successful postseason run, the Colt star stormed past the Patriots and halted Brady's bid for his 4th Lombardi Trophy.  

"I said a little prayer there on that last drive," Manning said of his game winning touchdown drive that propelled the 38-34 last second win. "I don't know if you're supposed to pray or not in those kinds of situations, but I did." 

Prayer answered. 

From that day onward, Manning and Brady were pitted against each other on a near annual basis.as for football fans removed from the bias of the fabled rivalry there truly was no answer to the question was answered every single time prior to such a game. Who is the better quarterback? Tom or Peyton? 

This was the legacy that led these two champions through New England victories in 2007, 2010, 2011 and then 2012 as well as a change of scenery for Manning and yet, the essence of each of these games stayed true to those that came before them.

This was the legacy that led those two champions down the path to greatness and while the two were both reaching into their upper 30's we braved the cold and watched what might go down as the last great meeting between two of the best. It did not disappoint. 

After 4 first quarter fumbles, one of which might have effectively ended Stephan Ridley's career as a Patriot, New England stumbled into the half facing their largest deficit of the season. It was 24-0 Denver, and Manning had thrown just 1 TD pass. The first half of the Week 11 edition of Sunday Night Football, was one of gifts by the Patriots and luck by the Broncos. Manning was never good in this game fighting the stinging cold and rarely even attempting a pass. In the end it was the passing game that for the first time this season actually cost Denver the game.  

Brady and the Patriots came out of the gates in the second half fuming. They charged up the field to score just 3:39 into the quarter and then quickly followed up with back to back quick drives that in the blink of an eye erased and even topped what Denver did in the first half. New England scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter and then even took the lead as they continued their torrent pace early in the 4th quarter. 

As the game fell late into overtime it became clear that while Tom Brady was the reason the game was tied it was his 61 year old best friend who was the reason they won it. 

"The wind, it was a strong wind," Bill Belichick said in an explanation for why he deferred the ball after winning the coin toss prior to OT. "We just had to keep them out of the end zone, obviously. I just felt like the wind would be an advantage if we could keep them out of the end zone on that first drive. We were able to do that. The wind was significant in the game, it was definitely significant."  

New England did keep Denver out of the end-zone in that first drive but after they went 3 and out on the next drive, Ryan Allen came on to punt. Once again the Broncos played the role of Santa Claus via their delivery of a mighty gift that in the end, gave the Patriots the win. 

Following a booming punt, nothing seemed to go awry until the ball was literally feet from the ground. Manning who watched his teammate Tony Carter inadvertently poke the falling ball with the tip of his fingers seemed broken while the Patriots pounced on the muffed punt that gave them back the ball at the Denver 13 yard line. 

From there, the game was all but won, Stephan Goskowski kicked the game winning chip shot field goal bing-bang-boom, game salvaged. 

Whatever you call it, the beginning of the end of this great rivalry gave us the greatest win the rivalry has ever seen. It was not perfect, there were fumbles, there were interceptions and there were badly thrown balls but in the end none of that matters. Why? Because as has been repeated throughout the sports world
"they don't ask how, they ask how many" and when you look into the numbers, the 60,000 passing yards of Peyton Manning shows that he wins on the luster of his game while Tom Brady just wins period.  

You tell me who it better. Tom? Yeah, that sounds right.