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Peyton Manning may have looked over New England's defense and realized that unless the Broncos beat themselves with fumbles, stumbles and tumbles, the highest-scoring team in NFL history should put up plenty of points on the Patriots.
If you're going to be alarmed by any statistic, it's Peyton Manning's microscopic comebacks in the playoffs.
Manning and Brady will meet Sunday for the 15th time, and the fourth time in the postseason, when the Broncos (14-3) face the Patriots (13-4) in the AFC title game.
No matter who has the edge Sunday, it seems the nation is rooting for Manning, because it's been harder for him to win, because he's not so pretty, because he's considered one of us, because you get the sense that his aw-shucks, southern refrain is real.
In anticipation of the AFC and NFC Championship games this weekend, we've pulled together America's leading sportscasters to make their predictions and picks for Patriots-Broncos and 49ers-Seahawks.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are clearly football royalty. On the other side, you see two sleek athletes who represent the NFL's future. Colin Kaepernick has already been to one Super Bowl, while Russell Wilson is trying to get to his first.
Brady played the underdog card on Monday but hasn't harped on it, at least not publicly. "When you play against one of the best teams in the league, you realize there's very little margin of error," he said.
The good news: either Manning or Brady will get to go to another Super Bowl. The bad news: one of them will not, and be denied adding more to his legacy yet again.
Brady and Belichick will join the battle, but they don't have enough weapons to overcome this problem. The AFC Championship looks like the end of the line for New England.
For those that want to attend the AFC Championship Game, making sure to purchase legitimate tickets is a big deal. Counterfeits are more popular all the time, especially as the playoffs arrive.
Both Patriots Nation and Broncos Country are looking forward to Brady/Manning XV. The rest of the planet will probably enjoy the game, too.
So, after a ho-hum divisional playoff weekend, we wind up getting the matchups that everyone wanted anyway. Especially this one: Brady vs. Peyton.
Peyton Manning and the Broncos narrowly avoided a repeat of their playoff slip from last year, advancing to the AFC championship game with a 24-17 win over the Chargers on Sunday.
Chargers QB Philip Rivers is 6-2 in Denver. And he'd be 7-1 if not for Ed Hochuli's blown call on a last-minute Denver fumble in 2008. Rivers And The Chargers Have Momentum On Their Side
No quarterback has been to the playoffs more than Peyton Manning or experienced more heartache either. Only once in his previous dozen trips to the postseason has Manning put his fingerprints on the Lombardi Trophy.
When the San Diego Chargers went into Denver last month and beat the Broncos, no doubt some eyebrows were raised. Now, imagine if they do it again this Sunday.
Being the sixth and final seed in the NFL playoffs usually means you're a sizable underdog. When it comes to the San Diego Chargers, that holds true a second weekend straight.
The Denver Broncos are arguably the best team in the NFL, but that doesn't mean they're going to win this week. In fact, many stats show Peyton Manning and his Broncos are more likely to lose than win, as the No. 1 seed against the No. 6 seeded San Diego Chargers.
Not many people expected the San Diego Chargers to go into Denver on a Thursday night last month and come away with a win. Now, can the Bolts do it all over again?
Of the six coaches who were fired at the end of this season, each of them had quarterbacks with a quarterback rating placing them in the bottom half of the league.
The Broncos' quarterback was chosen on all 50 ballots from media members who regularly cover the NFL. Manning also was an All-Pro in 2003, '04, '05, '08, '09 and last season.
While his beloved Bears were knocked out of the playoffs by the Packers, the country star still dreams of the Chicago team winning the Super Bowl.
Injuries slowed down the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half of the NFL season, but now they are much healthier as the playoffs approach.
Elias Sports Bureau, the NFL's official statistician, reviewed a 7-yard pass from Manning to wide receiver Eric Decker and determined it will remain a forward pass and not a lateral, which would have made it a 7-yard run.
Three seasons ago, Peyton Manning sat on the sidelines with an injury that many thought may end his career. The Indianapolis Colts drafted Andrew Luck out of Stanford and the rebuilding was about to begin. Little did anyone realize that the rebuilding would start immediately.
Police in New Jersey are investigating a series of home break-ins with suspects allegedly targeting high-end cars.
The recall involves INIU 100,000mAh portable power banks, model BI-B41that were sold on Amazon between August 2021 and April 2022, the recall notice says.
The Intrepid Museum's ceremony marking 84 years since the Pearl Harbor attack includes a wreath-laying in the Hudson River.
The construction of a bike lane along 31st Street in Astoria, Queens, has had local businesses and cyclists at odds for months.
New York beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 on Saturday night.
The Intrepid Museum's ceremony marking 84 years since the Pearl Harbor attack includes a wreath-laying in the Hudson River.
The construction of a bike lane along 31st Street in Astoria, Queens, has had local businesses and cyclists at odds for months.
A 68-year-old father of five was struck by moped driver and killed in Queens on Friday, leaving his family heartbroken right before the holidays.
New York has no plans to change hepatitis B vaccine guidance after a Centers for Disease Control advisory panel voted to stop recommending a first dose for newborns.
The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup schedule has been released, including the slate of matches coming to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
If you're heading out, brace yourself — it's the coldest day of the season so far.
CBS News New York has learned Jed Parkington, who died by suicide during a standoff with law enforcement on Tuesday, was fascinated with Nazi Germany.
"Driven Into Debt," CBS News New York's latest investigative series, has uncovered a simple truth -- unpaid tolls can quietly spiral into crushing debt.
First Alert Weather Days have been declared in the NYC area as the arctic chill could bring record low temperatures.
A decomposed body and pipe bombs were found inside a Stamford, Connecticut, home after a shootout between the homeowner and police officers Tuesday, officials say.
Police in New Jersey are investigating a series of home break-ins with suspects allegedly targeting high-end cars.
The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup schedule has been released, including the slate of matches coming to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
An apartment building fire in Jersey City, New Jersey, displaced about 30 people Friday, sending them out into frigid temperatures.
A judge ruled Menendez, the former U.S. Senator, is no longer eligible for public employment after a bribery conviction.
If you're heading out, brace yourself — it's the coldest day of the season so far.
A man is now in custody in Florida in connection to the 1997 murder of Tanya Denise Jackson on Long Island.
Nassau County Police charged Vito D'Ambrosio, of Seaford, with murdering his parents at A&A Italian Deli and Pizza in Bethpage.
If you're heading out, brace yourself — it's the coldest day of the season so far.
"Driven Into Debt," CBS News New York's latest investigative series, has uncovered a simple truth -- unpaid tolls can quietly spiral into crushing debt.
Two people were killed in a stabbing in Bethpage on Long Island, Nassau County police said.
"We're reviewing the process, and we'll see," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. "Whatever we were to decide to release, we'd have to be very responsible about reviewing that right now."
President Trump presented medals to the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees during an Oval Office ceremony.
The 63-year-old Roger Clemens has been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, which he has denied.
A judge ruled Menendez, the former U.S. Senator, is no longer eligible for public employment after a bribery conviction.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's transition fundraising effort is paying off.
New York has no plans to change hepatitis B vaccine guidance after a Centers for Disease Control advisory panel voted to stop recommending a first dose for newborns.
In New York alone, there have already been more than 17,000 flu cases and nearly 1,000 hospitalizations, and doctors anticipate it's only going to get worse as more people gather for the holidays.
Colette Smith of the Bronx was diagnosed with lung cancer, despite never smoking. Her survival story is central to her push for early detection.
Some New Yorkers want the mayor-elect to appoint a new "rat czar" when he takes office after an uptick in rat sightings.
Gio's Law would establish a $25 million grant program to equip law enforcement nationwide with EpiPens and train officers how to use them.
President Trump presented medals to the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees during an Oval Office ceremony.
The iconic Wythe Diner was physically moved Saturday from its location in Williamsburg to Steiner Studios in Brooklyn's Navy Yard.
Japanese officials said Jeremy O Harris, known for his Tony-nominated "Slave Play" and his role in the series "Emily in Paris," was arrested on the island of Okinawa on Nov. 16.
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine has been sentenced to three more months in prison for violating his supervised release terms in a New York gang case.
Frank Gehry was known for designing the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
New York beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 on Saturday night.
The Boston Bruins beat New Jersey 4-1 on Saturday night, sending the Devils to their season-high fifth straight loss.
The Brooklyn Nets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 119-101 on Saturday.
The 63-year-old Roger Clemens has been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, which he has denied.
The Colorado Avalanche topped Artemi Panarin and the New York Rangers 3-2 on Saturday.
Neighbors in Brooklyn's Victorian Flatbush are expressing frustration after the city designated only part of their area as a historic district.
Brooklyn's Prospect Park is getting financing for a long-term project to battle the impacts of climate change, city leaders say.
The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music plans a 12,000-square-foot campus at One Prospect Park West, aiming to serve thousands more with music therapy and education programs.
Some residents at NYCHA's Eastchester Gardens in the Bronx say they've been shivering on and off all week.
The Brooklyn Nutcracker returns to Downtown Brooklyn with diverse cultural influences, community outreach, and a fresh take on Tchaikovsky's iconic score.
The Halloween tradition strolled through Manhattan's East Village on Sunday, with furry friends dressed in colorful costumes.
A suspect was taken into custody after an attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on June 1 in which there were 15 people and a dog who were victims. The suspect threw Molotov cocktails that burned some of the victims, who were part of a march for Israeli hostages.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Dogs got decked out for the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City's East Village on Saturday.
Cosplayers flooded New York City's Javits Center in October 2024 for the annual New York Comic Con convention.
MetroCards will soon no longer be available to pay for rides on the New York City subway, and the OMNY system will fully take over.
Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, who is one of the lawmakers briefed on the U.S. strikes on a boat allegedly carrying drugs, told "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that it is "really important" the video of the strikes be released to the public. He added that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has "zero credibility" about the issue.
Democrat Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy, is throwing his hat in the ring for Congress in New York City.
Janno Lieber has either the best job in the world or the worst, depending on whether the trains are running on time in New York.
Janno Lieber weighs in on the state of transit in New York City and Democrat Jack Schlossberg discusses his 2026 campaign for Congress with CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer.
