New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts: It's Not About Brady vs. Manning

Typical Tom Brady; typical Peyton Manning.

One man is the leader of his undisputed team; his voice unifies them.

The other is the undisputed leader of his team; as he goes, so goes the ship.

Typical of the New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts, much of the talk has centered around the two quarterbacks, whom are both enjoying very typical seasons—typical, of course, by their Hall of Fame standards.

With two legendary quarterbacks like Brady and Manning, why shouldn't they be the center of attention?

The play of the two passers has decided the outcome of this game on more than a few occasions. A typical fourth-quarter comeback by Brady helped the Patriots keep their perfect season alive in 2007, and Peyton Manning responded with an incredible comeback of his own in 2009.

But a victory this week, for either team, may not come on the strength of either man's shoulder.

There are still running games that need to get moving, defenses that need to make stops, receivers that need to make catches, and coaches that need to put together effective game plans.

The Colts' running game has been depleted by injury this season, and Donald Brown will be asked to do much better than his current average of 3.3 yards per carry against a tough run defense.

The Patriots aren't without their weaknesses. Their defense ranks third-lowest in the league against the pass, allowing 278 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks, and will have to be on top of the very top of their game against Manning on Sunday.

They might have some help from Indy's back-ups. All season long, it seems the Colts have faced one tough injury after another. Manning will have to make his magic with pass-catchers whose names he may not have known in the preseason. Blair White? Brandon James? Gijon Robinson?

The Patriots have one of the best head coaches of our generation on their sideline in Bill Belichick. The Colts, however, have one of the best coaches on the field in Manning.

I could throw around a hundred stats as to why the Patriots would win, and I could do the same for the Colts.

The fact remains that there are still 21 other guys that have to do their job, or it could mean a not-so-typical bad game for the quarterback, or worse, the team.

So what does that mean? Not just for this game, but for the history and the legacy of this "rivalry" of two men who don't face one another on the field at any moment in the game except at its conclusion to shake hands for the cameras?

It means that this rivalry isn't about Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. It's about the New England Patriots vs. the Indianapolis Colts.

Invariably, we'll look back on the careers of these two quarterbacks in amazement of all that they've accomplished. We already do.

But when we look back, will we—rather, should we—look back on these match-ups as a measuring stick?

They are but a means to an end. The winner of this game usually goes on to do some pretty impressive things in the postseason.

That's all that matters to them. Isn't that all that should matter, anyway?