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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

One more time

Manning, Brady duel for fourth time in playoffs

Peyton Manning, who threw a record 55 TDs this season, will try to even his playoff record against Tom Brady and the Patriots. (Associated Press)
Eddie Pells Associated Press

DENVER – Only one of them can be the greatest.

Peyton Manning could be the one – owner of a record four, working on five, Most Valuable Player awards, current holder of NFL single-season records for passing yardage and touchdowns and architect of a career-reviving second act, the likes of which has rarely been seen in any sport.

Tom Brady could also be that man – leader of five Super Bowl teams and winner of three titles, one-time holder of some of the records Manning holds now and author of an undefeated regular season. He also has that 10-4 record against Manning despite constant turnover on his roster and a lack of a star-studded receiving corps.

Manning and Brady will meet today for the 15th time, and the fourth time in the postseason, when the Broncos (14-3) face the Patriots (13-4) in the AFC title game.

The winner between the top two quarterbacks over an era in which quarterbacks have never been so good will get what could be the last say in the debate over who goes down as the greatest – not so much because of what the win-loss numbers will say but because this could be the last time they meet with the stakes so high.

“I don’t know that there will ever be another rivalry like it, or has been a rivalry like it,” said John Elway, whose own rivalry with Dan Marino was held to only three meetings because of scheduling quirks over their decade-plus careers.

The game will either give Brady a chance to match Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for a fourth title or afford Manning the opportunity to win a second ring, which would put him one behind Brady.

While paying ultimate respect to each other – “I feel like he’s been a better player each year than he was the year before,” Manning said – neither quarterback professes to care much about how their own head-to-head showdowns will define their legacy.

Don’t believe it, says Phil Simms, who admits in retirement that the smile was a little wider after he walked off the field with a win over a Roger Staubach or Joe Theismann.

“It’s always personal, no matter what,” Simms said. “It’s part of being a competitor and doing what you do.”

One reason Brady has a .714 win percentage in the head-to-head meetings and also holds a 2-1 advantage in the playoffs is because, more often than not, he’s been surrounded by the more complete team.

He has been anything but a one-man show in New England this season, illustrated best by the fact that the Patriots are in the AFC title game even though Brady threw for 25 touchdowns – less than half of Manning’s record-setting 55.

Manning has thrown for 92 touchdowns since arriving in Denver at the start of the 2012 season, his neck rebuilt from multiple surgeries, his future uncertain because of his weakened throwing arm.

His record-setting 5,477 yards and all those touchdown throws came with a gifted group of offensive stars surrounding him – Wes Welker, Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas and this season’s difference maker, 6-foot-5 tight end Julius Thomas. But Manning had great players around him in Indianapolis, as well, and never put up these sort of numbers.

“Honestly, no one will probably ever break that, not in this day and age,” former Broncos receiver Rod Smith said.

Brady is 36 and, though relatively healthy, he has taken a beating over his career. Some say the Patriots, their roster decimated by injuries, defections and the arrest of Aaron Hernandez, got this far on smoke and mirrors this season. How much longer can they hold things together at a championship level?

And Manning? He is 37 and his future will largely depend on how his neck looks when doctors examine it during the offseason. No guarantees about the future.

“They’re thinking about it during the week,” Simms said. “When they play, they play. But when it’s over, one of them will go, ‘Yep, I got him again.”’