Football, like any sport, is a game of statistics. What’s his quarterback rating? How many yards did he rush for? How many tackles did he make?

NFL pass rushers are measured by the number of times they sack the quarterback.

With a combined twenty-three years of experience, 270.5 sacks and 14 Pro Bowls between them, pass rushing specialists Jared Allen and DeMarcus Ware will both accomplish a new first in their illustrious careers on Sunday; a Super Bowl appearance.

From the outside, both men couldn’t be more different.

Allen was born in Los Gatos, California. Ware grew up in Auburn, Alabama. Allen entered the NFL the hard way as a fourth-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004. Ware was the No. 11 overall draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2005.

Yet both men couldn’t be more alike.

They are both 33 years old. They have essentially the same numbers. Allen is 6’ 6’’ and 255 lbs. Ware is 6’ 4’’ and 258 lbs. Both won NFC defensive player of the year awards once. Both have led the NFL in single-season sacks twice. Allen’s 643 career tackles are four more than Ware’s 639. Allen’s 136 career sacks are one and a half more than Ware’s 134.5. Ware has forced 35 fumbles in his career while Allen has forced 31.

On Sunday, both men will square off against one another fighting for the championship that has thus far eluded them. The opportunity to play in their first Super Bowl isn’t lost on either of them.

“It’s been a great journey,” said Allen. “I would have liked to get here a lot sooner, but I’ll take it when it comes. It’s been a true blessing. My whole career has been a blessing.”

Allen spent the first four years of his career becoming a force along Kansas City’s defensive line. His 15.5 sack effort led in 2007 to a big free agent contract with the Vikings. In Minnesota he racked up 85.5 sacks over seven seasons including 22 sacks in 2011; just a half sack short of the single-season NFL record.

These numbers clearly matter.

Allen left Minnesota in 2014 for Chicago where he struggled to fit into the Bears’ 3-4 defensive scheme as an outside linebacker.

His fortune changed earlier this season when Allen requested to be traded to a Super Bowl contender. Chicago obliged by shipping him to Charlotte in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2016.

Panthers General Manager David Gettleman said of the trade, “Jared Allen is a proven pass rusher in this league, and when you have a chance to add a quality player to your roster you must take advantage of the opportunity. Jared fits us very well and we are excited to add him to our roster.”

While Allen’s presence hasn’t shown up on the playing field statistically, he registered just 27 tackles and 2 sacks in twelve games for Carolina, he has provided veteran leadership on a relatively young Panthers defense.

The Panthers will undoubtedly rely on Allen’s past playoff experience this week while they prepare to host the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Allen expects to play and be a force in the game despite having broken a bone in his foot during Carolina’s divisional round playoff victory against the Seahawks a few weeks ago.

“Honestly, I feel I’ll be a tremendous factor in this game,” Allen said. “So, as far as physically, [I’m] 100 percent ready to go, just preparing like normal.”

Ware is equally prepared for the game he’s been waiting for all of his careers to play. He played on several talented teams during his nine-year stint with the Cowboys and became the team’s career sack leader with 127 takedowns. Those are huge numbers. Yet the Cowboys never advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs during Ware’s time with the organization and the absence of a Super Bowl trip left him feeling hungry.

Ware’s luck changed in March of 2014 when Broncos executive director of football operations John Elway brought him to Denver as part of a free agency blitz to strengthen the defense after the Broncos collapsed against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Ware arrived just in time to become a mentor to fellow pass rusher Von Miller who was suspended for the first six games of the 2013 regular season for a second violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Miller speaks very highly of Ware and the impact he’s made on him saying, “You get to see greatness up close and personal… I get to come in and see what type of shoes he wore each day, how he laces up his shoes, how he comes to work, how does he handle adversity from the injuries and all that stuff. I got to see it up close and personal, and that just helped me be the type of person I am today.”

Ware’s leadership in the locker room and his 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons have helped the Broncos become the league’s top-rated defense this season. Great numbers for an aging player.

On the night of their AFC championship victory against the Patriots, Ware spoke to his teammates. He spoke passionately about the frustration of toiling in the league for eleven years without any hardware to show for his career. Ware said he would gladly trade all of his personal accolades for a chance to lift the Lombardi trophy.

“It has been 11 years of consistent time. Now, just as one time you push through the threshold and are able to make it to the Super Bowl, you can’t be happy with that. You can see those guys aren’t happy with that. I’m not happy with that. We will be ready. I’ve waited too long not to be.”

Both men have waited too long to settle for a trip to the Super Bowl without bringing home a ring, yet only one will hoist the Lombardi trophy on Sunday night. Two players, one trip, one game, one championship.

Whoever wins will certainly deserve it, but that win will force the other to wait and hope that next year will be “the year.” But with both men playing in the prime of their careers and the parity of the league, another trip to the Super Bowl may be just out of reach making the biggest difference between their two Hall of Fame worthy careers a Super Bowl championship.

270.5 career sacks over two careers stretching 23 NFL seasons are magical numbers. Yet for Allen and Ware, the number one is the most important number of all.

Both are deserving, but who will win the most important one?