Power Rankings: Manning, Brady remind us how great they are

Updated Nov. 17

It's too bad Bill Belichick made the Fourth-and-Stupid call.

It took away from the main focus of Sunday night's New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts game, which was seeing Peyton Manning against Tom Brady again.

Seeing those two play quarterback in the same game is like hearing Mozart and Beethoven compose music on opposite ends of a room, soothing your ears with every note.

We had the quarterback version of greatness Sunday night, and somehow it was overshadowed in a big way by Fourth-and-Idiotic.

We say they are 1 and 1A as it relates to ranking passers now. Who's who in that debate remains undecided and might be one we're fighting years from now, when we're having trouble keeping the dentures in place.

Where they rank against each other is too tough to decide. This isn't: They are two of the five best quarterbacks ever.

There, I said it.

Go ahead. Make your list. Fire up the debate.

Johnny Unitas. Joe Montana. Dan Marino. John Elway. Otto Graham. On and on it goes, but you would be hard-pressed to keep either Manning or Brady off of my top-five list.

When those two take the field, most of the time it's a quarterback clinic. They read coverage as well as any passers who've played the game. Their accuracy is deadly. Their toughness is that of a linebacker. They slide in the pocket at the feel of pressure like Marino did in his prime. It's composure.

Marino had Elway as a rival, but they met only three times in their careers (Marino had a 2-1 edge, with Elway winning their only postseason meeting). Manning and Brady have faced each other 11 times now and Brady is 7-4 after Sunday's 35-34 loss. Manning has won five of the past six against the Patriots, although Brady missed the 2008 game with a knee injury. Brady is 2-1 in the playoffs against Manning.

Brady also has three rings. Manning has one. That's where Brady gets the big edge.

Elway had two rings and Marino had none, but I still think Marino was better. Hey, Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson have rings, for whatever that's worth, and they wouldn't be allowed to play a pickup game with Marino based on their passing ability.

Both Brady and Manning had huge games Sunday night. Brady threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns. Manning had 327 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winner with 16 seconds left.

These two quarterbacks are why their teams are expected to meet again down the road in the playoffs. It's also why the Colts are ranked first in the CBSSports.com Power Rankings and the Patriots are still ranked in the top five.

We are getting a real treat watching these two playing in the same era. It's Bird vs. Magic, football style.

The Power Rankings after Week 10:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Colts · Trends	1
	They should send Belichick a Christmas card. What a gift. They face a tough road game this week at Baltimore.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	They probably learned a valuable lesson against the Rams: Anybody can challenge you on any Sunday. They need to be careful when playing lesser teams.
	3	Vikings · Trends	3
	Get ready for the playoffs. The NFC North belongs to the Vikings. It's obvious nobody else in that division is in their class.
	4	Bengals · Trends	5
	You believe? You have to now. They've beaten both Baltimore and Pittsburgh twice. That's a statement right there.
	5	Patriots · Trends	4
	They are still in control of the AFC East, but don't lose this week against the Jets. Then it's another story.
	6	Steelers · Trends	6
	The champs have a wild-card look about them after being swept by the Bengals. That's OK. They won a Super Bowl a few years back taking that route.
	7	Cowboys · Trends	7
	Just when they start feeling good about the way they're playing, they go and lay an egg in Green Bay. Who was that in Tony Romo's jersey?
	8	Broncos · Trends	8
	It's amazing how quickly their season has turned around. Now they play the Chargers with a gimpy Kyle Orton and first place on the line.
	9	Chargers · Trends	12
	They have a chance to take over first place in the AFC West this week if they can win at Denver. That's hard to believe after their start.
	10	Cardinals · Trends	10
	The division title is theirs unless they have a disaster. Now they have to work on playing better at home because they will have a home playoff game.
	11	Eagles · Trends	9
	They might want to stay away from the West Coast. That is two bad games out there after losing to the Chargers on Sunday. Was that their defense we saw against San Diego?
	12	Giants · Trends	13
	They come off the bye with a huge game against Atlanta, trying to end a four-game losing streak. Did they dispose of the bad karma during the break? If not, they'll be watching come playoff time.
	13	Texans · Trends	14
	They come off their bye with a chance to earn their first playoff berth with a good second half. The key will be how well they play on defense.
	14	Falcons · Trends	11
	With Michael Turner down with an ankle sprain, it's time Matt Ryan truly takes over the offense. He has been struggling, and that has to stop.
	15	Ravens · Trends	15
	They have a huge game with Indianapolis this week. I can tell the Ravens defense this: The Colts offense doesn't look anything like the Browns' unit.
	16	Jaguars · Trends	17
	Don't look now, but they really are in the playoff hunt. The schedule is really soft, which will help their chances.
	17	Packers · Trends	18
	They will look back on that loss to Tampa Bay in Week 9 the rest of the season. How did it happen? They still have major issues on their offensive line.
	18	Jets · Trends	16
	If they don't win this week at New England, which won't be easy, they can kiss the playoffs goodbye. Were they overrated at 3-0? Yes.
	19	Panthers · Trends	21
	They have life. They've done a nice job of turning things around. Now they have to do it without Jordan Gross, which won't be easy.
	20	Bears · Trends	19
	You have to start to wonder about Jay Cutler. He's trying to do too much. Where's Matt Forte? They are a playoff long shot now.
	21	Dolphins · Trends	20
	Chad Henne time is here. His game-winning drive was impressive. Now they have a quick turnaround against Carolina.
	22	Titans · Trends	24
	Don't look now, but Vince Young is 3-0. Can they make a run? Is it possible?
	23	49ers · Trends	25
	Moral of their season: If you can't throw it consistently, you can't win. Alex Smith had a regress game against the Bears.
	24	Seahawks · Trends	22
	Their disappointing season gets worse every week. They will not be a playoff team with the injuries they've had. Bad first year for Jim Mora Jr.
	25	Bills · Trends	23
	Dick Jauron is gone. The Bills aren't playing very well and now must go to Jacksonville.
	26	Chiefs · Trends	27
	OK, so it came against the Raiders. But winning on the road is big for this young team. Jamaal Charles might be the real deal at running back.
	27	Redskins · Trends	28
	They have life. The Redskins won a game, but does that matter for coach Jim Zorn? Not really.
	28	Raiders · Trends	26
	Tom Cable should be looking for a realtor. There is no way he comes back next season. When does somebody fire Al Davis?
	29	Rams · Trends	29
	Steve Spagnuolo has to feel good about his team's effort. They are getting better. Just ask the Saints.
	30	Buccaneers · Trends	30
	They have to be thrilled with the way they are playing with Josh Freeman at quarterback. That bodes well for the future. Now it's time to fix the defense.
	31	Lions · Trends	31
	They picked Matthew Stafford last spring to help fix the offense. Now they are another team that needs to fix its defense next spring. Good news: The Browns are coming to Detroit.
	32	Browns · Trends	32
	That offense is as bad as I've seen. I mean ever. They can't even attempt passes down the field. What an eyesore.