Judging by the number of Broncos/Manning posts here, it seems like the majority of Pats fans are peeing their pants at the prospect of facing the Broncos in the AFCCG. This is like a Jets board with everyone obsessed with the Pats and constantly talking about how they're overrated.
I watched a lot of Broncos games this year, as I have Sunday ticket. Their season changed with the comeback win at SD, and you could see the team's confidence and motivation going through the roof. Since then, they've been in a zone. They've obliterated almost every team they've played- I think if they'd played tougher opponents, they probably still would have won, but who knows... it's irrelevant.
I'm not sure what Peyton Manning's lack of success versus the Pats 10 years ago has to do with this year either. Since around 2004, the home team has generally won the Brady-Manning matchups, and no lead has been safe for the Pats and their questionable pass coverage/ lack of pass rush late in games.
So let's stop acting like a bunch of Jan Bradys here. The Broncos are a damn good football team and the most positive indicator for the Pats is that it seems we matchup well with their defense. Although they are playing better on D, the Pats have a very unconventional offense that some teams struggle badly to defend. That seems more likely to be the case if these teams matchup, as team unity and schemes can only take you so far. If there are major physical matchups in favor of the Pats, they should win unless they shoot themselves in the foot (which seems to happen to them on the road against good teams.)
Finally, before we get too overboard with our displaced terror of possibly losing to Manning, there are so many years when it looks obvious the 1 and 2 seed will ultimately have a showdown in the AFCCG, only to see that look silly when it doesn't happen. Both the Pats and Broncos will have their hands full, so this matchup is far from inevitable. If it does happen, the Pats will have to play an incredible game to win; the Broncos are a great team playing with a ton of confidence, home field, and a better overall defense. The Pats need to win this type of game to finally "grow up" and show they can overcome adversity at the highest level, something they have not been able to do since 2004.