Sunday sees the New England Patriots visit Denver as they look to book their ticket to their second Super Bowl in a row, claiming another AFC championship in the process.
Standing in their way are the Broncos, lead by Peyton Manning, who has had a season plagued by injury, among other things.
Despite that, there will be one storyline that dominates the coverage and the game as a whole as Tom Brady faces off against Manning for the 17th, and possibly last time.
After last year's "deflategate" scandal, Brady and the Patriots have been out to prove that they deserved their Super Bowl title, but amid Manning's injury woes, he returned to the team against the San Diego chargers and marched them up the field, showing that while his body might be failing him, his mind was still as sharp as ever.
Manning's passing yards and totals have taken a hit in comparison to Brady this year with him missing so many games, but there's no doubt that these two future Hall of Famers generate a huge amount of interest whenever they meet.
Both had different paths into the limelight: as the son of the famous Archie Manning and the clear number one pick in the 1998 draft, Manning was highly sought after and a player almost destined for greatness...and he knew it.
Legend has it that, when Jim Irsay and the Indianapolis Colts were looking at picking him, he told the franchise owner that "I would like to play for you, but if you don't pick me, I will kick your ass for the next 15 years".
Brady, on the other hand, was selected in the sixth round of the draft, and has always played like a man who had a chip on his shoulder as a result.
When starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe went down injured in the second game of the season in 2001, Brady stepped in and never looked back.
This season, Manning has not been the Manning of old, however, nor was he last season, and while he can still read a defence like almost no other, the distance of his throws can't match the speed of his thinking.
Denver have been winning games based on the strength of their defence more than anything else, and that may be the key to this game.
Denver players have been putting it in the minds of the officials ahead of the game that Tom Brady likes to appeal to the refs, and that perhaps they might give him a few more calls as a result. Earlier this week, Kalil Mack claimed that he was a whiner and he "definitely throws temper tantrums", while Antonio Smith labelled him a crybaby, saying "I’ve never seen any quarterback look to the referee right after he gets sacked more than Brady".
While that might be something that the referees consider, Brady's record in Denver, no matter who the quarterback is, is not great. He's 2-6 in his eight games played at Mile High, with his only wins coming against Danny Kanell and Tim Tebow in 2003 and 2011 respectively.
However, against Peyton with both the Colts and the Broncos, Brady still has the edge, winning 11 of the 16 ties to date. Brady's relationship with Bill Belichick makes this more than just a battle of the quarterbacks; on the other touchline is one of the defensive coaches of the year in Wade Phillips and the offensive mind of Manning.
Brady is as accurate and efficient a passer as there is in the game, while Manning's weakened arm has seen him forced to pull teams apart with the run. Both men will pinpoint the individual battles that they think can tip the balance in their favour, but the game is likely to change and shift back and forth as two of the greats face off once again.
One thing is for sure, the footballs will almost certainly be properly inflated this time.
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