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	Saints · Trends	4
	What is hidden about the Saints is that there are a lot of good, young players on their roster. I can't imagine them taking a big step back.
	2	Colts · Trends	1
	Let's not forget they get Anthony Gonzalez back next year, which will make the offense better. They are the team to beat in the AFC again.
	3	Vikings · Trends	5
	After blowing a chance to win the NFC title game in regulation, it must have killed the Vikings to see the Saints win the Super Bowl. Now Minnesota has to play the waiting game with Brett Favre.
	4	Chargers · Trends	2
	They have a lot of contracts that come up, and they will have to make some tough decisions. There is still a lot of talent on this team, but they have to get over the hump at some point. Losing to the Jets was a big upset.
	5	Cowboys · Trends	3
	Wade Phillips comes back for another year, and he has to get this team past the first round of the playoffs again. Tony Romo is in the same situation.
	6	Eagles · Trends	6
	Can we stop the Donovan McNabb trade talk? He will be back, and he should be back. Will Brian Westbrook?
	7	Jets · Trends	11
	The next step will be letting Mark Sanchez do more. They have to throw it better in 2010. And they will.
	8	Packers · Trends	7
	Aaron Rodgers showed he's a star in the making this season. That will make Green Bay a Super threat in 2010.
	9	Bengals · Trends	8
	They made big strides to win the division, but they have to improve the passing game. That means getting speed help outside.
	10	Ravens · Trends	12
	It's time for Joe Flacco and that passing game to take a big step forward. You have to get big chunks of yardage to win in this league.
	11	Patriots · Trends	10
	Tom Brady will be a year removed from his knee injury, which means he will be better. The key for the Patriots will be improving their pass rush.
	12	Cardinals · Trends	9
	Matt Leinart takes over for the retired Kurt Warner. There are a lot of questions about the former Heisman winner, but the Cardinals staff believes in him. Do his teammates?
	13	Broncos · Trends	13
	What do they do with Brandon Marshall? Is he back? Is he traded? They need him, that's for sure.
	14	Steelers · Trends	14
	The concerns with this team are on both lines. They have to play better there. Isn't that the Steelers way?
	15	Texans · Trends	15
	They had a winning season, but it's time to make the playoffs. They do have an explosive passing game, which gives them a good chance.
	16	Falcons · Trends	16
	They played the Saints tough twice with a lot of injuries. That has to give them hope heading into next season. They have to work on fixing that defense.
	17	Giants · Trends	20
	There is some talk that Tom Coughlin could be in trouble if he doesn't win next season. I don't buy it. But they do have to improve the defense.
	18	Titans · Trends	17
	Vince Young played well when he took over. Now he has to show he can do it again.
	19	Dolphins · Trends	18
	I think this is a team to watch in 2010. Chad Henne will give the Dolphins a better chance to get to a Super Bowl. He does need a receiver.
	20	49ers · Trends	19
	The Niners have talent, but they have to throw it better to be a playoff team. I think Alex Smith just might be the answer. The offensive line needs fixing.
	21	Jaguars · Trends	21
	Jack Del Rio got another year, which some question. Does his quarterback get the same?
	22	Panthers · Trends	22
	They have to decide who plays quarterback. Is it Matt Moore or Jake Delhomme? It should be Moore. What to do with Julius Peppers?
	23	Redskins · Trends	23
	Mike Shanahan has to decide if Jason Campbell is his quarterback of choice. I bet he decides that he is. Hiring Jim Haslett was a good move for the defense.
	24	Bears · Trends	24
	Lovie Smith has one year to show that he can turn this team around. Hiring Mike Martz as offensive coordinator is a great move.
	25	Seahawks · Trends	25
	Pete Carroll has a long way to go to turn this team around. First decision is if Matt Hasselbeck is the right guy at quarterback.
	26	Bills · Trends	26
	Is Chan Gailey the right choice? Let's put it this way: His hiring was a surprise. He does know offense.
	27	Chiefs · Trends	28
	You can bet the first priority is trying to improve that offensive line. Matt Cassel took a beating.
	28	Browns · Trends	27
	Eric Mangini gets another year, and he probably earned it late. Can Mike Holmgren turn this team around? He has a lot of work to do.
	29	Buccaneers · Trends	30
	Raheem Morris gets another year and his team should be better just because Josh Freeman will be better. Hey, they did beat the Saints late in the season.
	30	Raiders · Trends	29
	Tom Cable is back. Is that a good thing? Who knows? If they don't fix the quarterback position, does it matter?
	31	Lions · Trends	31
	It's all about improving the defense. They need pass-rush help in the worst way. They are another year away from competing -- at least.
	32	Rams · Trends	32
	They have a huge decision at the top of the draft: Do they take a quarterback or do they solve that by acquiring Michael Vick? We'll see.