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The last time Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came to Denver, Peyton Manning watched the game on television from inside the locker room.
Not next Sunday, though. The Broncos quarterback will take in his customary spot in the huddle.
Manning meets Brady for a 17th time - with a trip to Super Bowl 50 at stake.
Perhaps it's only fitting these two quarterbacks meet in the AFC title game, since Manning didn't get to suit up against New England on Nov. 29 because of a foot injury. That game was a thriller, too, with Brock Osweiler leading the Broncos to a 30-24 overtime victory.
Manning's foot is healed - at least as healed as it's going to get for now - and he guided the Broncos to a 23-16 win over Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Brady is still vintage Brady, passing, bootlegging and QB sneaking the Super Bowl champion Patriots past the Chiefs on Saturday and into the AFC title game for a fifth straight season.
Brady's Patriots opened as a 3 1/2-point favorite over Manning's Broncos.
Manning didn't want to start reflecting on the rivalry with Brady right away. "We'll deal with that on Wednesday," he said.
Manning is now 12-13 in the playoffs over his career. This one, though, possibly means a little more, given his comeback from a foot ailment that sidelined him for six weeks.
"It's been a unique season, a lot of new things have happened this season, kind of like tonight," said Manning, who replaced Osweiler in the season finale, leading the Broncos to a win over San Diego to secure the No. 1 seed. "We stayed patient tonight. We never really got frustrated and that served us well tonight and it served me well this season."
Denver surrendered 339 yards passing to Roethlisberger, who entered the game with a sore shoulder. The challenge doesn't get any easier.
Brady has long gotten the better of Manning, who is 5-11 lifetime against his counterpart, but 2-2 in the playoffs, including a win two years ago in this stadium.
"I'm honored to be a part of it and I'm looking forward to playing next week in the AFC championship," Manning said.
But this is hardly the same Manning anymore. He doesn't rely on his arm nearly as much as his ability to decipher schemes. He also leans heavily on the running game.
And Denver's top-ranked defense, too.
"Our defense is guiding us. Let's make that clear. They played great all season," Manning said. "They were dominant today against a high-powered offense."
Manning and Brady were paired on this stage following the 2013 season, when the Broncos held on for a 26-16 to advance to the Super Bowl.
It was a game that may be best remembered for a hit by Wes Welker on Aqib Talib, which knocked the then-Patriots cornerback out of the game and opened up things for Manning, who threw for 400 yards that afternoon.
Talib is with the Broncos now and a big reason for the success of the defense.
"We've had a lot of different players contribute to our success when we've been successful," Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said. "I told them it would take them all today. It sure did. It will continue to take all of us as we move forward."
Brady has one of his security blankets back in Julian Edelman, who returned from a broken foot on Saturday to help the Patriots beat Kansas City. Of course, Brady also has tight end Rob Gronkowski.
"They're one of the best teams in the AFC," Broncos linebacker Von Miller said. "Let's go out and play and see who wants the Super Bowl."
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) --
Cam Newton. Larry Fitzgerald.
Two of the biggest stars playing for the two highest scoring teams with a Super Bowl berth on the line.
Welcome to the NFC championship game - the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers next Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Panthers held on to beat the Seattle Seahawks 31-24 on Sunday, knocking the two-time defending NFC champs out of the postseason with their 12th straight home win.
Now they'll host the NFC championship game for the first time in franchise history.
"To get something that you've never got, you have to do something that you've never done," Newton said of the team's quest to win its first Super Bowl.
The Cardinals (14-3) beat the Green Bay Packers 26-20 in overtime on Saturday night to advance.
The Panthers and Cardinals have not played this season, but this has the potential to be a high-scoring matchup. The Panthers averaged more than 31 points this season and the Cardinals were a close second at 30.5.
Fitzgerald had eight catches for 176 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Packers, but Carson Palmer struggled most of the game with inaccurate passes.
"It's easy to dwell on (bad plays)," said Palmer, who like Newton is a former No. 1 pick and Heisman Trophy winner. "But the experience I have, I've learned from a lot of opportunities and situations. You've got to forget about it and move on. There is no other thought."
Newton said the key will be to not make mistakes and, if the team gets a lead, to not let off the gas.
"We were conservative, but at the end of the day, you have to trust coaching," Newton said. "We had a great plan coming in. We just got to keep putting it back together.
"We're getting a lot of guys back, watch this film, get better on it and get ready for Arizona."
Arizona won in its only other NFC championship game appearance in 2008 before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23 in the Super Bowl.
It is Carolina's fourth appearance in the NFC title game, but first since 2005. The Panthers are 1-2 in their previous three appearances, reaching the Super Bowl in 2003 before losing 32-29 on a late field goal to the New England Patriots.
"It's pretty special, it's hard to do," tight end Greg Olsen said of hosting the game. "When you're the No. 1 seed coming off the regular season your destiny is in your own hands and we took care of business against what has been the pinnacle of the NFC the last few years, so this was a big step forward as an organization."
This is the third time since 2008 the Panthers have hosted the Cardinals in a playoff game.
The Cardinals upset Jake Delhomme and the No. 2-seeded Panthers 33-13 in the divisional playoffs in 2008. The Panthers got some measure of revenge last year when they defeated the Cardinals 27-16 in the wild-card round last season, although Arizona was on its fourth quarterback of the season in Ryan Lindley.
"A lot of us wouldn't mind going back there to Carolina and playing those guys again since they beat us last year when we had a lot of injuries," Cardinals cornerback Justin Bethel said.
If the game is close, Olsen said the Panthers are well prepared.
"I guess we're used to it - I know we have some strong tickers," Olsen said. "We have been through some drama and some stress, but we have a lot of character in this room and guys who understand what it means for the Panthers and play for one another. We just have to play it until the end."
As a 24-year-old in 2001, his second NFL season, Tom Brady stepped in when Drew Bledsoe was injured and led the New England Patriots into the playoffs.
When he arrived in Pittsburgh to play the Steelers in the AFC championship game, Brady couldn't believe he was there.
"Fifteen years later, to be a part of 10 of those, I never imagined that any of this was even possible," Brady said on Monday. "You never take it for granted."
A sixth-round draft pick who spent his rookie year as the No. 4 quarterback on the Patriots' depth chart, Brady has grown into a four-time NFL champion and a three-time Super Bowl MVP.
On Sunday, he will play in the AFC championship game for the fifth time in a row and the 10th time in his career, extending what was already an NFL record.
"It's beyond what I'd ever imagined in my wildest dreams," Brady said on his weekly radio appearance on WEEI.
Hall of Famer Joe Montana, whom Brady grew up in the Bay Area idolizing, played in seven conference title games, six with the San Francisco 49ers and another with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was 4-3; Brady is 6-3 heading into Sunday's game in Denver against the Broncos and longtime nemesis Peyton Manning.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said what's most remarkable about Brady is his consistency. After playing in six Super Bowls in his career - and another 24 playoff games leading up to them - Brady isn't likely to be overwhelmed by the moment.
"It's a big football game, and he's played in a lot of them," McDaniels said. "Doing the things that you've done to get yourself in this position are really important. ... His preparation, his rest and treatment and getting his body ready and his mind right. He does a lot of the things every day to prepare for the next day.
"Even though these games have finality to them that some games in the regular season or preseason don't have, he approaches it the same way."
Brady is 22-8 in the playoffs, winner of his first 10 postseason games and his past four. His first career playoff loss and his most recent one were both in Denver, where he is 2-6 in his career.
The Broncos beat New England 30-24 in overtime on Nov. 29 - a victory that earned Denver home-field advantage for Sunday's game. Manning was out for that one, replaced by Brock Osweiler, but he'll be back on Sunday to face Brady in what could be his last game against Brady.
Although the two maintain a golf-and-dinner friendship in the offseason, Brady said he wasn't sure if he would be in touch with Manning this week with such an important game looming.
"It will be fun to play another Peyton Manning-led team," said Brady, who had a long run of success against Manning when he was with the Indianapolis Colts.
"It's pretty hard to get to this point. There's only four teams standing," Brady said. "Two of these teams have to go home. Hope we're not one of them."