The Peyton Manning-Tom Brady rivalry is already the stuff of legend, even though both quarterbacks haven't been out of the game for all that long. Still, it's always been clear that both are generational talents, and the GOAT debate is still ongoing to this day.
For fans of the Indianapolis Colts, Manning will always hold that title; even though he retired with the Denver Broncos, it was his time in Indianapolis that he will be most remembered for. And that includes a Super Bowl victory in the 2006 season, with some of the best players to ever wear the horseshoe.
Manning announced on social media that he'll be bringing some of these all-star alums together for Night of Champions live show last December; attending will be Manning himself, along with Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrison, Dwight Freeney, Dallas Clark, Jeff Saturday, and Reggie Wayne.
On social media this week, Manning promoted the event, which will take place on February 24th at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre in Indianapolis. And none other than Brady himself weighed in.
"That group still gives me nightmares!" he wrote in the comments.
The Colts' Super Bowl XLI win was their only to date, but they notoriously got there in a brutal victory over Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. The Colts rallied from 21-3 deficit to win, 38-34.
During the Brady-Manning rivalry, the two met 17 times, five of which were in the playoffs. Four of those five playoff matches were in the AFC Championship Game, which Manning won the majority of.
On this day in 2007, No. 18 overcomes an 18-point deficit to lead the @Colts to a 38-34 win over the Patriots in the AFC Championship! #Colts (Jan. 21, 2007) pic.twitter.com/xgMOK7WAwc
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) January 21, 2020
Of course, Manning wasn't the only member of "that group" to make Brady nervous. Tony Dungy, Dwight Freeney, and Marvin Harrison have all been inducted into the Hall of Fame, with Reggie Wayne nominated numerous times. Saturday and Clark will have a harder time making it, if only due to their positions; tight ends and centers are significantly underrepresented, despite the importance of both positions. Still, the entire group was a monster to go up against, as Brady well knows.
It's no wonder that, despite all of his accomplishments, it's this team that continues to haunt him.