It's that time of year again: Brady vs. Manning. This time the Patriots host the Patriots in Foxboro at 4:25 p.m. ET this Sunday and New England's 37-year-old quarterback took time to reflect on his rivalry with his 38-year-old counterpart in Denver.

"Five, six years ago you don't think about those things," Brady said in a radio interview with WEEI in Boston, via ESPN.com. "But as you mature a little bit and realize this could always be the last one, then you do. It's pretty special.

"[Manning has] been one of the greatest players to ever play. I've been fortunate to share a field with one of the best players that has ever played the game. And every time we play a Peyton Manning-led team, it comes down to the wire. Everything is usually at stake."

Both players are first-ballot Hall of Famers, and while Brady has two more Super Bowl" rings he also knows that Manning is a once-in-a-generation player.

What can you say more about what Peyton Manning has been able to accomplish? It's been the greatest season-and-a-half stretch in the history of the NFL," Brady said. "Nobody has really matched what he has been able to do, what that offense has been able to do most importantly. When we play this weekend, we are going to have to try to match it because that is what it is going to take. They have a great team, and we are going to have to be at our best."

But this isn't about two players -- even if it's the two best players in recent memory. The Patriots are trying to extend their lead in the AFC East while the Broncos want to do the same in the AFC West.

"I think there is always room for improvement, but truthfully the guys, they make it easy for the quarterback when they play the way they did yesterday," said Brady. "It makes it easy for me -- not that playing the Bears' defense is easy because it's not -- but when the guys around you play the way they did, it makes it easy for the quarterback.

"I'm proud of the way all those guys -- Julian [Edelman], [Rob Gronkowski], Danny [Amendola], the offensive line especially, Tim Wright played great, got off to a great start in the run game. Those things all have a cumulative effect on the offense."

And if those same guys play against the Broncos like they have the last month of the season, the Patriots will be tough to beat.