Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady named top NFL rivalry of 2010s

CBS had Tennessee Volunteers legend Peyton Manning as part of the top NFL rivalry of the 2010s: The Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots.

In the 2000s, it was the Indianapolis Colts with former Tennessee football quarterback Peyton Manning vs. the New England Patriots with Tom Brady. Brady beat Indy twice in the playoffs en route to winning two of his three Super Bowls during that time. Indianapolis beat New England in the playoffs during its one Super Bowl run.

However, the Manning against New England rivalry continued into the 2010s. Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports named the Denver Broncos against the New England Patriots as the best rivalry of the past decade.

Here’s the crazy part: The heart of that rivalry comes down to Peyton Manning. New England has won four straight in the series and went 7-3 in the overall series during the decade. The Pats have also won two Super Bowl titles since Manning retired at the end of the 2015-16 season. Let’s take a look at a bit of what CBS said for why this is No. 1.

"We get it, you’re probably experiencing Manning-Brady fatigue after reading our recent post about their epic matchups during the 2000s. The Peyton Manning – Tom Brady matchups during the 2000s helped produce some of the decade’s most memorable moments. That was again in the case in the 2010s, as Manning – then with the Broncos – and Brady dueled in three of the decade’s best games."

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Nobody can ignore what Manning and co. did to Brady in the playoffs this decade. With him at quarterback, Denver went 2-0 against New England in the AFC Championship game, in all likelihood costing Brady one sure Super Bowl and maybe even two.

From 2013 to 2018, the Broncos behind Manning were the only team to keep Brady out of the Super Bowl. Manning never lost to Brady in the playoffs during the decade. New England’s sole win over Denver in the playoffs during the last 10 years came during the magical Tim Tebow run in 2011-2012. Brady threw six touchdown passes to put that to an end.

If you want to know how much Manning was the sole reason behind this rivalry, just look at the fact that Denver hasn’t made the playoffs since his retirement. Of course, the Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady rivalry extended into golf this decade, as Manning and Tiger Woods beat Brady and Phil Mickelson earlier this year during quarantine. Nothing, though, will match their NFL rivalry.