Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady: Who will win Sunday?

By Houston Mitchell

Oct. 5, 2012 12 AM PT

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;This week’s Friday edition of our &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000007”&amp;gt;NFL&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; Google+ hangout -- “NFL Slam with Mark and Sam,” starring Times NFL columnist Sam Farmer and &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”PECLB0000014659”&amp;gt;Mark Thompson&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; of “Mark and Brian” radio fame -- was taped a day earlier because of scheduling issues, but that didn’t stop an interesting discussion.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Farmer, showing Kreskin-like predicting skills, opened by telling everyone: “Of the three undefeated teams in the NFL, the one most likely to lose is Arizona.” And, of course, Arizona lost later that night to the &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000059”&amp;gt;St. Louis Rams&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;On New England vs. Denver: &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”PESPT004609”&amp;gt;Peyton Manning&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; is 7-10 in his career against Tom Brady. But Manning is getting comfortable with the &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000040”&amp;gt;Broncos&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; offense, completing 30 of 38 passes last week. This is far from a slam dunk for the &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000192”&amp;gt;Patriots&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;. If the Broncos can hold it together in the regular season and get into the playoffs, they will really be dangerous.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;About the &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000055”&amp;gt;Pittsburgh Steelers&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;: The Steelers have usually been a one-dimensional team, but they have transformed under &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”PESPT00008927”&amp;gt;Todd Haley&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;. However, their defense, usually a strength, has suffered this season.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Tennessee vs. Minnesota: &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”PESPT0012607”&amp;gt;Chris Johnson&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; isn’t the running back he once was, and although Matt Hasselbeck is a good quarterback, the &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000061”&amp;gt;Titans&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; are not going to go into Minnesota and win. They can’t establish the run, while the &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000048”&amp;gt;Vikings&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;, with Adrian Peterson, can. Johnson just doesn’t have the work ethic that Peterson does.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;San Diego vs. New Orleans: &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”PESPT000008732”&amp;gt;Drew Brees&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; will set the record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass, and he will do it against his old team, the &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000056”&amp;gt;Chargers&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;. The Chargers are 3-1 but have not proved they are a good team. The &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000050”&amp;gt;Saints&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;, with the energy they generate at home and the sense of desperation they feel at 0-4, will win this game.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Those are just a few of the topics covered. If you are an NFL fantasy football player, you will find a host of interesting nuggets to help you pick your team this weekend.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p class=”body”&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;ALSO:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p class=”body”&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=”https://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-baseball-wild-card-playoffs-20121005,0,2290278.story”&amp;gt;Baseball wild-card: Watch some great moments in playoff history&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p class=”body”&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=”https://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-simon-cho-20121005,0,4915239.story”&amp;gt;U.S. speedskater Simon Cho admits to tampering with rival’s skate&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=”https://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-danny-amendola-rams-20121005,0,7850639.story”&amp;gt;Watch Danny Amendola make spectacular one-handed grab for the Rams&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady: Who will win Sunday?

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