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Manning, Broncos scramble to Super Bowl in 20-18 win over Patriots

In the San Francisco Bay Area, where high housing costs are notorious, residents looking to make a quick buck are offering to rent their homes at super-sized prices to the 1 million visitors expected for Super Bowl…

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But Manning showed he has something left.

With one more game to play, Manning wanted nothing to do with reflection. This time around, the Broncos have the top defense, one that just punched Tom Brady and the Patriots in the mouth for 60 minutes in a heavyweight bout of two legendary quarterbacks in this league. Manning’s, comparatively, was 103.8.

The Broncos’ defensive performance – coupled with a big play or two from running back C.J. Anderson – meant Manning didn’t have to do too much more than steer the ship.

Tom Brady isn’t flawless. The Patriots would have tied the game with a successful two-point conversion, but Brady’s pass was tipped by Aqib Talib and intercepted by Bradley Roby. The Broncos recovered the onside kick and the celebration began. The Broncos harassed Brady all day. Denver earned a 20-18 victory over the Patriots to win the AFC Championship.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning speaks during a press conference following the NFL football AFC Championship game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, in Denver. The Panthers’ moneyline is -180, while the Broncos have +160 betting odds to pull off the upset and win outright. Manning completed 17 of his 32 passes for 176 yards and no interceptions. Newton also added two scores with his legs. Newton was 19 of 28 for 335 yards through the air, including an 86-yard scoring pass to Corey Brown in the first quarter. He was sacked four times and was pressured on numerous other attempts.

Whether it’s been Manning lining up under center this season, or Brock Osweiler, who took snaps while Manning was injured for six weeks toward the end of the season, the Broncos have depended on a defense that gave up the fewest yards and came up with game-saving plays time and again. Against Arizona, Carolina produced seven takeaways.

“From that point, I just knew how important it was to those guys to close it off. I said, ‘The Patriots are coming into our house trying to take what we built.’ It was a big, emotional night and the guys carried it over into the game”. It backfired both times and they turned the ball over on downs.

With the interceptions, Palmer admitted that he was forcing it.

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“I think that all the adverse media that kind of came out had like a reverse effect because it turned everyone against me and Malik [Jackson]”, Smith said.

Credit Dustin Bradford Getty Images