Judy Battista highlights the storylines and factors to pay attention to in Week 9, beginning with Manning-Brady XVI and continuing below with .FOXBOROUGH, Ma s. -- The le s glamorous reality of one of football's greatest rivalries is that, very often, it has not been or who determined the outcome of their meeting. It was the team that had the better defense (that helps explain how the won the first six meetings, from 2001 to '04) or, even more counterintuitively, the better running game (the had more rushing yardage in last season's ).That's not why everyone will watch the 16th installment of this rivalry, of course. But it is why the teams engaged in what to add parts during free agency, many of them designed to foil the other quarterback. The result is that Brady, 37, and Manning, 38, will lead much more complete teams than they did last season -- the came into this Chris Chiozza Jersey week and ; the hit midseason slotted and -- and meet for just the second time in the regular season when their squads hold the AFC's two best records. And, in what gives this game its glow, when they are playing, remarkably, some of the best football of their respective careers.In their last four respective games, Manning and Brady have combined for 28 touchdowns, 2,588 yards and a pa ser rating of 128.2. Since Week 5, they are the league's top two quarterbacks in pa sing touchdowns, completion percentage and pa ser rating. It is a testament to how routine their greatne s has become that we forget perhaps the most underappreciated statistic for all athletes: their age., whose sentences grow shorter when the games get bigger, had few reflections on the rivalry this week, although he said that , surpa sing even Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Elway. A greater indication of Belichick's respect for Manning came after Peyton broke Brett Favre's career touchdowns record, though. Belichick is not one for self-deprecation, but he said that Manning might have had to wait a lot longer to break the record if he hadn't played so often against Belichick's teams, because his defenses had yielded so many of those scoring strikes.Brady and Manning, though, are friendly rivals. They have, in years past, talked over everything from injuries to strategies. Manning is a fan of the small, special fraternity of quarterbacks -- he often asks visiting reporters for updates on his out-of-town counterparts -- because he believes there are few other people who can understand their jobs. On Wednesday, Brady narrowed it to an even more exclusive group, the quarterbacks who play at a high level year after year. In his appreciation of Manning, Brady also revealed what has made it, for more than a decade, e sentially a group of just two."You just count on Derrick Coleman Jersey a great performance from him every week," Brady said. "It's not an easy thing to do. There are a lot of people who have played that don't do it on a consistent basis, so when you see someone who does it at a high level, I have a lot of appreciation for that. I understand what it takes, and it's not just a daily commitment; it's a life commitment. Every decision you make is a conscious decision to try to help your team win, whether that's in March or that's in September or whether that's in November. You can't just flip the switch when it matters. You've got to try to communicate that to all your teammates that the competition is always on. It never goes away. You're either getting better or you're getting worse, and I've always respected him because he's always someone who has chosen to get better."Brady was in a playful mood this week, cracking Halloween jokes -- a marked contrast from just a month ago, when, in the wake of that exposed the ' instability on the offensive line, he darkly left unanswered the question of if the had enough talent to win. Since then, he has played with a fury, as if each pa s was a pointed response to those who, just a few weeks ago, wondered if he was in inevitable decline. Manning, of course, is familiar with those questions, too. And while he and those close to him privately wondered if he would ever play again after his neck injury, Manning bristled this week when asked about what Brady might have been feeling."It all depends on how much credit you give to quotes, sources, 'they,' 'people.' I've always wanted to meet 'they,' and I've always wanted to meet sources because they seem to say a lot," Manning said. "I'm not speaking for Tom, but my gue s is he didn't give 'they' or those people a lot of credibility."Neither of them have to. The game they will play Sunday could determine home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs, a not-unfamiliar scenario in the Brady-Manning series. Each season it seems more improbable that we will have many more of these momentous games and even more unlikely to have another when Brady and Manning are still at the very top of their games. It has come to feel like an NFL birthright. But really, it's all a bonus.Brady was asked this week if having a peer as succe sful as Manning has spurred him on to his own heights, the way great rivals like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson or Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus did for each other. Brady took the moment to tweak Manning, but hidden in the joke was an acknowledgement that the masters are still at work, even with the end somewhere on the horizon."He's always been someone I've really looked up to and studied and admired," Brady said. "I mean, he is older than me and has more playing experience than me. Maybe when I'm his age, I'll be playing as well as that."Here are 10 more things to watch as the Landry Shamet Jersey rest of plays out:1) TonyRomo could be limited by his painful back, and even if he plays the whole game, he might spend a lot of time on it. The have not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season, which could force the game into Romo's hands. He was sacked five times -- the most among all quarterbacks in Week 8 -- when facing a Washington blitz. Arizona defensive coordinator blitzes non-stop, 137 times this season (most in the league). And the aggre sive approach has proven effective -- opposing quarterbacks have a rating of just 74.5 when facing a blitz.2) Has BenRoethlisberger stopped throwing touchdowns yet? threw six -- against zero interceptions -- in his 522-yard masterpiece . So, can the slow him? Baltimore has held five of seven opponents to 20 or fewer points, and the defense has nine takeaways in the last five games. With their defense lagging, the ' offense is carrying the load, averaging 25.6 points per game ( entering Week 9).3) general manager JerryReese publicly said he wants the offense to be more aggre sive. If cornerback ' knee injury compromises him, this could be New York's week to let it rip and try to go toe-to-toe with . Indianapolis' defense was just , in part because Davis got hurt in the first quarter. According to Pro Football Focus, Davis has allowed 15 receptions for 183 yards on 33 targets. That 45.5 percent clip (of receptions allowed) is third-best in the NFL, and Davis' opposing pa ser rating of 37.8 is also third-best.4) Philadelphia QB NickFoles has to protect the ball better this week. He has accounted for 12 turnovers this season -- after committing just four during the entire 2013 campaign -- and his overall play is down considerably from last year, with a completion percentage under 60. Houston's four wins have come , , and , but the defense has a takeaway in every single game, with 17 total (second-most in the NFL).5) Desperately seeking Beast Mode. isn't throwing downfield as well, and Seattle's defense has had a significant drop-off in almost all Tyler Johnson Jersey categories. Even though the might cure all , the storyline to watch could be 's le sening impact on the ' game plan. He has failed to reach 100 yards in any of the past six games. He finished the 2013 regular season on a six-game drought, too. So he has rushed for at least 100 yards only once in his last 13 non-postseason games.6) While MichaelVick starting for the might produce drama, the state of Kansas City QB AlexSmith's shoulder sprain is more important in the playoff chase. Smith was injured , perhaps explaining why he threw only one pa s that went more than 10 yards down the field. In fact, Smith's pa ses on Sunday averaged just 2 yards in the air, bringing his season average down to 5.6 air yards per throw (lowest in the NFL). Thus, the ' beleaguered secondary might get a break.7) This seems like a week where Cincinnati's offense can get itself right again, no matter how A.J.Green's toe is. The have just 81 plays of at least 10 yards this season, third-fewest in the NFL. The Green effect is part of it: 's pa ser rating with Green on the field is 98.5; without Green, it's 79.8. But the have allowed 24 completions Nate Sestina Jersey of at least 20 yards in the air, the most in the NFL.8) After and a bye, can San Francisco correct its offensive woes ? The averaged 75.5 rushing yards in their last two games, after having a 145-yard average in their first five. has a completion percentage of 63.8 with five interceptions, after having eight all of last season. Fortunately the are allowing the league's highest completion percentage (70.2) and the second-most rushing yards (144.7 per game).9) We knew this was a very deep draft cla s of receivers last spring, but wow! In Week 8, nine rookie receivers (all taken in the first four rounds) had at least 75 receiving yards, the first time that's happened in league history. While two -- Buffalo's and Green Bay's -- have byes, Indianapolis's , who had 113 yards , could be poised for another big game . The have given up 28 pa ses of at least 20 yards this season, tied for sixth-most in the league.10) Is it really a surprise we are seeing outlandish quarterback performances this year? Not with the penalty emphasis. Games are averaging two more penalties called over last season, with an average of just one more accepted call per game. But illegal-contact calls have more than tripled, from 25 to 84 through Week 7, defensive holding is up from 109 to 196 and defensive illegal use of hands is up from 27 to 79. Meanwhile, offensive pa s interference is up slightly, from 45 to 62.Follow Judy Battista on Twitter .