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It’s Tom Brady against the Denver Broncos ‘D’

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Tom Brady got roughed up by Denver's defense when the two two met in November.Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Tom Brady got roughed up by Denver’s defense when the two two met in November.

DENVER — Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning will be the marquee matchup in the AFC Championship Game, but another showdown in Sunday’s contest will actually be the deciding factor for who gets to make the trip to the Super Bowl. For years, these two future Hall of Famers were the headliners trying to outdo each other in the 16 times they previously squared off, but now, with Manning clearly having declined, he matters less.

Instead, the conference title will be settled by Brady against the Broncos’ top-ranked defense. Denver’s defense may be less sexy than a superstar quarterback, but there are some killer players on that side of the ball that have won many games for this season. They’re the reason — not Manning or Brock Osweiler — that Sunday’s game is being played in view of the Rocky Mountains.

“It’s hard to drive the ball 12 (or) 13 plays down the field, because they have so many dynamic players,” Brady said this week. “Guys who can intercept the ball, strip the ball from the quarterback, they’ve got rushers, they have linebackers who can cover, big, physical defensive front that makes it tough to run the ball. So, that’s why they’re the best in the league.”

What’s interesting about Sunday’s contest is that, in some ways, it resembles early Brady-Manning games. The first two times the two quarterbacks met in the playoffs (following the 2003 and 2004 regular seasons), before anyone truly knew that Brady was exactly as good as he is, it was seen as more of a battle between Manning and Bill Belichick. Now, the chess match will be between Brady and Wade Phillips.

When Gary Kubiak brought Phillips in to be the defensive coordinator this year, the veteran coach inherited what was already a strong defense. They were ranked third a season ago, but the long-time coach took them to new heights this year.

“Look, Wade is a great coach,” Belichick said. “He’s one of the great defensive coaches in the league over the past, really 40-something years, 40 years, however long it’s been. And he does a great job. He does what he needs to do. If he needs to change, he’ll change. If he doesn’t need to change, he won’t. But regardless of what he does, he stops people.”

In this case, Phillips has to stop one of the best ever. But at least he has his fair share of talent on his side of the ball, too. Most notable is the team’s pass rush, led by Von Miller and DaMarcus Ware, which led the league in sacks with 52.

“They’ve got a lot of challenges that they present in their defense, but one of the ones that sticks out is their pass rush,” Rob Gronkowski said. “They’ve got great players on the outside edges. They know how to stop the run. Those players (they) rush the quarterback really fast and get off the ball fast.”

One concern for Denver’s defense will certainly be the health of top cornerback Chris Harris. John Elway said earlier in the week that Harris would be a game-time decision, though the cornerback is listed as probable and Kubiak and Harris himself have indicated he will likely play.

But even still, if Harris isn’t at the top of his game it could make it harder for Denver to stop the fierce New England attack.

Though the Broncos beat Brady earlier this season, this will clearly be their biggest challenge yet with the Patriots healthy and with a trip to Santa Clara on the line.

“They have a lot of quick receivers, and then they have a big tight end who can run, who can catch, and who can create space,” Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall said. “Then they have Tom Brady. I think that speaks for itself. It’s a very tough task, but I definitely think we’re ready for it.”

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