NFL: Ranking the Four Best Rivalries in the League

4. Denver Broncos vs New England Patriots/Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady

May 30, 2013; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) and wide receiver Wes Welker (83) talk during organized team activities at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sport

The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots have had some intense games, but Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are what makes this rivalry great.

Whenever Manning goes up against Brady, fans are treated to a great game. The two quarterbacks have had some intense games, as they have squared off in the AFC Championship Game three times. It could happen for a fourth time this year.

While Manning and Brady don’t hate each other, they are definitely rivals. Manning and Brady have always been going at it with a lot on the line, and they will continue to do so this season.

Ever since Brady took the reins in New England, he and the Patriots have been battling with Manning. The Patriots won two Super Bowls after beating Manning’s former team, the Indianapolis Colts, in the playoffs.

However, Manning got revenge on Brady. His Colts rallied from an 18-point deficit in the 2007 AFC Championship Game to beat Brady and the Patriots. Manning won his only Super Bowl in that year, and it happened because he bested Brady for the first time in the postseason.

Brady has had more success against his biggest rival, as he’s 9-4 against Manning, but the games have been close. Last season, Brady beat Manning in another good game, when the Patriots beat Manning’s Broncos 31-21.

The Patriots and Broncos are poised to play another intense game this season, and they could play against each other again in the playoffs. In 2011, the two teams squared off in the playoffs, and the Patriots obliterated the Broncos.

While that game wasn’t extremely interesting, there will be great games and storylines between the two teams in the future.

For example, former Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow recently signed with the Patriots, and that will be a huge storyline when the two teams meet in Week 12.

Manning and Brady have played some great games, and more is to come this year. If the Broncos and Patriots do meet in the playoffs with Manning at the helm in Denver and Brady at the helm for the Patriots, it could lead to a rivalry between the two teams and not just the two quarterbacks.

However, for now, the rivalry is mainly between Brady and Manning. The Broncos and Patriots aren’t huge rivals, but there isn’t a better rivalry between two players in the NFL.