NFL Report: Manning vs. Brady for the 16th time

The inclination is always to compare and debate whenever Tom Brady and Peyton Manning go against one another, which the future Hall of Fame quarterbacks will do for the 16th time in their careers Sunday when the New England Patriots play host to the Denver Broncos. They are not just two of the best quarterbacks of their era, they are two of the best ever, and they remain elite even as they approach the age of 40.

You can look for cracks, but it would be a huge mistake to ever think you have found one. They may have a bad game every now and again, as Brady did in Week 4 vs. Kansas City, but neither has ever had a bad season, unless you count the ones they sat out injured. Brady missed all but one game when he tore an anterior cruciate ligament on opening day in 2008, and Manning's neck surgery forced him to miss the entire 2011 season.

That neither one has missed a single game with an injury in any of their other seasons might be their most impressive statistics. We've seen firsthand in Philadelphia how difficult it is for a quarterback to remain healthy.

Manning had a horrendous Super Bowl against Seattle after breaking Brady's NFL record with 55 touchdown passes last season, and it seemed unlikely that he could come back and be better in 2014 at the age of 38. If he's not better, he's at least as good, and it would surprise no one if the 6-1 Broncos ended up in their second straight Super Bowl.

When he threw for 5,477 yards and completed 69 percent of his passes with just 10 interceptions last season, Manning posted a 115.1 passer rating. This season, he has thrown 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has a league-best 119 passer rating.

The Patriots, meanwhile, were 2-2 after four games and Brady had thrown four touchdown passes and two interceptions.

"And everybody was wondering when he was going to retire," Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. "Now, they're 4-0 since that time."

Brady, 37, has thrown 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the four victories.

It's possible this will be the last meeting between Brady and Manning, but it's far more probable that they will meet again, either in the AFC championship game as they did a year ago or next season as defending division champions.

"There's no telling how much longer those guys will play," Eagles cornerback Cary Williams said. ". . . I'm sure a day will come for both of those guys when they're out of the league, and that's going to be a sad day, but I don't see it any time in the next year or two."

So who's the better quarterback?

"People might not even like this, but I like Tom," Williams said.

That's the right answer, because right now Brady has a distinct advantage in the most important statistic: victories and, in particular, Super Bowl victories.

Brady's Patriots are 10-5 against Manning, although the Broncos won last season's AFC championship game. Brady also has three Super Bowl rings and five appearances to one Super Bowl title and three appearances for Manning.

Williams makes another good point about Brady.

"Tom did not have those weapons that Peyton had, in my opinion," Williams said. "Peyton has played with some great wide receivers - Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, and even in Denver. Not to downplay anybody from the Patriots . . . but Tom had a little bit lesser-name guys . . . except for Randy Moss, and he did amazing with that."

The records are going to belong to Manning when their careers are over, but Brady's ring collection is far more impressive. If you want to argue that one is better than the other, it's easy to make a case either way. It's always fun to watch both of them going against each other.

Every team is entitled to its own philosophy about retiring uniform numbers, and it's quite obvious that the Pittsburgh Steelers have a much different one than the Eagles.

At halftime Sunday night, the Steelers, a team that has won an NFL-leading six Super Bowls, will retire Mean Joe Greene's No. 75. Greene, the face of the famed Steel Curtain defense that led Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl titles, will be just the second Steeler to have his number officially retired and the first in 50 years.

The Eagles, who have won zero Super Bowls and three NFL titles, have retired nine numbers, including six of players who are not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (Brian Dawkins should eventually get in, and Al Wistert belongs, too.)

The Steelers no longer issue the numbers of 11 former players, including Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris, but they have had so many great players that they might have a shortage of two-digit numbers if they retired them all. That said, once you're in the Hall of Fame and you have four Super Bowl rings, your number should be officially retired, too.

Since starting 1-3 and being blown out by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, the New Orleans Saints are back on track and the favorite to win their fourth NFC South title under coach Sean Payton. The Saints, after their first road win of the season Thursday night in Carolina, are 4-4.

Afterward, Payton complained about his team's schedule, which forced the Saints to play consecutive night games, at home against Green Bay and in Carolina, in a five-day period.

"I think it's foolish," Payton said. "It's not an excuse for your players. You don't want it to be. But I would say it's crazy. It's silly. It shouldn't happen."

TOP EARLY GAME

Arizona at Dallas

The Eagles exposed some holes in an Arizona run defense that had been ranked first in the NFL. (It's now third). The Cowboys, coming off a home loss to Washington, might have to rely on the run because of Tony Romo's injured back. The good news for Dallas is it has the league's top rushing attack, with DeMarco Murray on pace for 2,000 yards.

TOP LATE AFTERNOON GAME

Denver at New England

The Broncos have a lot more than Peyton Manning and an explosive offense. They also have the NFL's fourth-ranked defense and the No. 2 sack man in Von Miller, with nine. Tom Brady's recent success is tied to tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has 27 catches in the last four games.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

The Steelers lost by 20 points in Week 2 at Baltimore. They looked like a bad team when they lost by 21 at Cleveland a few weeks after losing at Tampa Bay. They have bounced back with consecutive wins over Houston and Indianapolis. Ravens QB Joe Flacco has three wins at Heinz Field, tied for the most by any opposing quarterback.

MONDAY NIGHT

Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants

The Giants are coming off their bye week following consecutive division losses to the Eagles and Dallas. They have won six straight after the bye week under coach Tom Coughlin. The Colts defense forgot to show up last week in a lopsided loss at Pittsburgh.