New England Patriots: Tom Brady Ties Peyton Manning for Most Weekly Awards

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will forever be mentioned in the same sentence when talking about the two star quarterbacks' careers. Like Steve Young and Troy Aikman in the 1990s or Joe Montana and Dan Marino in the '80s, these two have owned this generation of quarterbacks.

Another link between the two is their propensity for winning the NFL's weekly awards. With Brady's latest honor, the New England Patriots' signal-caller tied Manning for the most weekly awards by one player with 21.

Brady's 340-yard, three-touchdown performance against Buffalo on Sunday was enough to net him his first of honor of 2012 after receiving the award six times last season. With plenty of games—and weak defenses—left on the schedule, it is likely that Brady will pass Manning before the Denver Broncos' quarterback gets himself back to a high level.

The two quarterbacks will go head-to-head this weekend, and all signs point to Brady having another huge game against this Broncos defense. In last season's Divisional Playoff round, Brady lit up Denver's defense for 363 yards and six touchdowns as the Patriots won 45-10.

The last time Manning and Brady faced off however, it was Manning who looked more impressive. In a Week 11 matchup in 2010, Manning threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns while Brady tossed just 186 with two scores. Manning was intercepted three times though, and the Patriots won 31-28.

With the two superstar signal-callers finally getting back on the same field, and with both teams struggling a bit in the secondary, the fireworks at Gillette Stadium on Sunday could produce yet another Player of the Week and break the tie.