Get ready for Brady-Manning 17.
No surprise the two top seeds in the AFC are New England and Denver. It’s been that way four years in a row now.
Now that Peyton Manning is back and Tom Brady has an extra week to rest up, the Broncos and Patriots are headed for another showdown in the AFC championship game.
OK, stop right there.
Got caught up in Manning proving he’s the best relief pitcher since Mariano Rivera.
These teams have finished 1-2 the previous three seasons and only met once in the conference title game. It seems one of them always gets upset.
Brady and the banged-up Patriots stumbled to the finish. Manning has played less than two quarters in the past two months.
The Bengals, Steelers, Chiefs and even the Texans stand between them and the 17th version of Brady vs. Manning.
Here are other overreactions from Week 17:
OVERREACTION: Chip Kelly will reunite with Marcus Mariota in Tennessee. Kelly was fired by the Eagles, so now he can rejoin his former Oregon quarterback. REALISTIC REACTION: Kelly has to be on Tennessee’s short list, but he’s not a lock to get the job, especially after some Eagles players and owner Jeffrey Lurie took shots at his quirky personality.
OVERREACTION: AJ McCarron will win a playoff game before Andy Dalton. McCarron is expected to start for the Bengals against the Steelers in a wild-card game. Dalton is 0-4 in the playoffs and has been sidelined by a broken thumb.
REALISTIC REACTION: It’s Ben Roethlisberger vs. McCarron. That’s why the Steelers are 3-point road favorites.
OVERREACTION: The Chiefs are the team nobody wants to the play in the playoffs. Kansas City goes in riding a 10-game winning streak.
REALISTIC REACTION: Seahawks, Steelers and Packers are no slouches. Four road teams can win wild-card games.
OVERREACTION: Nobody runs the ball anymore. There were 26 players who had 1,000 yards receiving vs. six players who ran for 1,000.
REALISTIC REACTION: Don’t tell that to Minnesota, who won the NFC North mainly because of Adrian Peterson. Carolina has a strong ground game, too.
OVERREACTION: Cowboys have the best chance to go worst-to-first in 2016. They finished 4-12, but didn’t have Tony Romo and Dez Bryant most of the season. REALISTIC REACTION: Jerry Jones is still calling the shots and Jason Garrett is still the head coach.
