Tom Brady and Peyton Manning both led their teams to victory in the Divisional Round, setting up their fifth postseason meeting on Sunday, Jan. 24. With Brady vs. Manning V now officially on the card, Charlie Casserly joined The Dennis and Callahan Morning Show of WEEI in New England and reviewed the pair’s performance in their respective Divisional games.
“You watch Manning, he was sharp the whole day,” said Casserly, who covers the NFL for NESN. “The ball came out quick, and he was going to the right receiver.”
Manning’s stat line may not have been flashy, but it was far from anemic. Manning was 21-of-37 for 222 yards with no interceptions, all while fighting as many as nine drops (by some counts) by his receiving corps.
The Broncos, as they have been most of the year, were more than happy to keep the ball on the ground. C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman combined for 110 yards on 31 carries. Anderson’s one yard touchdown plunge with three minutes remaining in the game put the Broncos ahead for good.
While Casserly felt Manning was steady, he claimed Brady struggled with the Kansas City defense. While Brady’s stat line trumped Manning’s – he completed 28 of 42 attempts for 302 yards and a pair of touchdowns – Casserly believes further inspection tells a different story.
“He had some inaccuracies in the game, the ball placement wasn’t as good,” said Casserly. “Even with Kansas City having a better defense, I don’t think that mattered. The Chiefs’ secondary, for the most part, could’t cover New England’s receivers.”
Even with the uglier stat line, Casserly felt watching the game tape revealed Manning’s competence against the Steelers.
“When you watch the tape, the ball is out quick, its accurate, its to the receiver,” Casserly reiterated of Manning. “His arm strength did not affect his drops.”
Casserly feels the matchups for Sunday’s AFC Championship heavily favor New England’s offense. Brady will have receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola at his disposal this week. He did not have either when the Broncos beat the Patriots in Week 12.
“I think [Denver will] have trouble covering the passing game,” continued Casserly. “Their safeties and linebackers don’t cover well, and I don’t think there is an answer for [tight end Rob] Gronkowski as far as matchups go.”
While Brady has the upper hand over Manning for their careers (11-5), The pair are 5-5 in their last 10 and Brady only has two wins in eight career games at Sports Authority Field. With Manning’s health and future uncertain, this could be the last Brady vs. Manning football fans will ever see. Kickoff is 1 p.m. MST Sunday.