2012 NFL : Peyton vs Brady Is Dead, We Need a New Quarterback Rivalry!

With Peyton Manning's impending departure from Indianapolis pretty much assured, as well as his health and NFL career both in jeopardy, so will end the most interesting rivalry of the past decade between the Indianapolis Colts and Tom Brady's New England Patriots.

So which QB combo is up to usurp the crown of best quarterback rivalry? What made Brady vs Peyton so fascinating was that it was two quarterbacks of similar age, similar talent, both playing for arguably the two best teams of the decade. Between 2003 and 2011, Brady and Manning would combine for six NFL MVP awards, three Super Bowl titles, over 60,000 passing yards and 476 TD passes. Who will be able to match that over the next decade?

Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs Eli Manning (New York Giants)

The popular debate in the media and among fans right now, New York has proven to be Brady's kryptonite come Superbowl time, but they play in different conferences so the opportunity for consistent games against each other isn't great.

The popular perception for much of Eli's career has been that, statistically, he can never compare to his brother or Brady. But with a talented young receiving corps developing in New York, and Manning now stepping into his prime years, it is possible that he will develop into that type of QB. Until that day arrives, however, I still think that both QB's are not the true rivals we wish they could be. Brady is still the superior QB, with Eli still a few years away from being viewed as a true Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback.

Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints)

A fascinating little battle. Since Brees arrived in New Orleans back in 2006, the two QBs have met only once back in Week 12 of 2009. Brady and the Pats were dominated 38-17 by a Superbowl bound Saints team, with Brady himself totally outperformed by Brees. The stats for that game: Brady, 21-for-36, 237 yards passing, zero TD and two interceptions; Brees, 18-for-23, 371 yards passing, five TD and zero interceptions. Would love to see these two play each other consistently, but sadly it's the same deal as with Eli.

Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) vs Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions)

This will be the best rivalry in football. Just not right now. There's a lot to love about this matchup. Both quarterbacks play for young, talented teams in the same division no less, so we can expect two meetings every season.

Both Rodgers and Stafford are still young (ages 28 and 24, respectively), and both turned in fantastic seasons this year. The only holdup from this becoming a rivalry for the ages is Stafford himself. No one knows what to expect from Stafford, who just completed his first full season as a healthy starter. Will he remain healthy over the next few years? Was this season a fluke, or the first of many great ones for Stafford? Too many questions surround him for now, and it's clear that Rodgers is still leaps and bounds superior to his NFC North foe.

Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) vs Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints)

In my opinion, the clear-cut winner. Both quarterbacks stunned us with their play this season, with Rodgers coasting to his first MVP award and Brees taking his second career Offensive Player of the Year award. We got an eyeful of what the 2011-12 season might be like when these two met in the first game of the season; both QB's engaged in a brilliant shootout that resulted in Green Bay pulling off the victory. What we have here is two brilliant athletes with two extremely well built offenses playing in the same conference, and we'll likely see them playing each other in the postseason as early as next year.