Brady and Manning to meet once again in NFL playoffs
Published:
The NFL divisional playoffs started this weekend with the New England Patriots welcoming the visit of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tom Brady took control of the game, completing 28 of 42 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns, while not suffering a sack or interception during the entire game.
The Patriots were boosted by the return from injury of Rob Gronkowski, with the 26-year-old going on to set an NFL record for most playoff touchdowns from a tight end.
Brady and company were better than the 27-20 scoreline suggested and are rediscovering the form that saw them win Super Bowl 49.
The victory for the Patriots sets up the 17th meeting between Brady and Peyton Manning, with the Denver Broncos overcoming the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16.
Manning is currently trailing with only six wins against his rival, but was victorious the last time the two met in the playoffs.
The 39-year-old had a big influence in the win over the Steelers, moving the team 65 yards forward in 13 plays to take the lead with less than 10 minutes on the clock and will need to be similarly effective to overcome Brady and the Patriots.
Elsewhere, there was drama in Arizona as the Cardinals needed overtime to edge past the Green Bay Packers.
Larry Fitzgerald got the decisive touchdown to make it 26-20 to the Cardinals and capped off an impressive performance where he received eight passes and made 176 yards.
Finally, the Carolina Panthers beat their personal record for points in a playoff game when they overcame the Seattle Seahawks 31-24.
Last year’s beaten finalist were able to welcome Marshawn Lynch back into the side after the running back missed eight games through injury, but he only managed to rack up 20 yards as Seattle failed to make their superiority in a lot of areas count.
The Seahawks had the best passer and receiver in the contest, with Russell Wilson throwing 366 yards and Jermaine Kearse managing 2 TDs but the Panthers stood firm to advance.
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