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Remember when you were getting sick of annual Brady vs. Manning playoff matchups?

Well, be careful what you wish for.

Peyton Manning's an insurance pitchman now. Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan and Drew Brees were knocked out of the playoffs this weekend. Instead of preparing for playoff games, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, Russell Wilson and Cam Newton are preparing to meet new coordinators.

Tom Brady has outlived his enemies. That's why his road to a sixth championship started with Marcus Mariota on Saturday, continues with Blake Bortles next Sunday and with another win would end with either Case Keenum or Nick Foles in the Super Bowl.

Build a time machine, travel back to July, explain to your past self that Bortles, Foles and Keenum would join Brady in the conference championship games, and your past self would ask many questions, like:

• What happened to Carson Wentz and Sam Bradford? ("Injuries," you tell you.)

• Did the lightbulb go on for Bortles? ("Eh...")

• Are you from some parallel universe? ("It sure feels that way some mornings.") And finally...

• Is there any chance that any of these quarterbacks can lead a playoff victory over Brady's Patriots?

Digest will try to answer that final question over the next several segments. For now, a little straight talk about next week's Unlikely Championship Quarterback Trio:

Case Keenum is the best quarterback of the trio, by far. Keenum's strengths include accuracy on short-to-mid-range passes, surprising pocket presence and mobility, and excellent decision-making when he's not pressured. Keenum is the only member of the trio who can be counted on to do "quality quarterback" stuff, like lead a two-minute drill when trailing.

Blake Bortles is the most talented quarterback of the trio. Bortles' mobility caused problems for both the Steelers and Bills: If he sees man coverage, he'll run as soon as defenders turn their backs on him. Bortles also has a very good arm, and while he sometimes just heaves passes into double coverage, his receivers retrieve just enough of those heaves to make him dangerous.

Nick Foles is the least likely of the trio to lose a game with mistakes. Bortles makes Favre-on-the-playground bloopers. Keenum's ambitions are sometimes bigger than his arm. Foles knows his game-manager role and his limitations and on Saturday played within them. Which means, of course, he's the least likely of the trio to win a game with a big throw.

The Vikings have the best backup quarterback situation of any team, including the Patriots. Both Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater are available if Keenum goes down. Bortles is backed up by Chad Henne, who is best known for failing to win the job in training camp from Blake Bortles. Foles' backup is a nice fellow named Nate Sudfeld. A 13-episode Netflix series dramatizing what happened to Brady's backups is currently in production.

It all comes down to the supporting casts. The Vikings and Jaguars have proved once again that it's possible to succeed in the NFL without superior quarterbacking if you build a great roster at other positions. (The Eagles got here thanks to Wentz.) Remember that the next time some coach or general manager justifies a never-ending rebuilding phase by claiming that nothing can be done until the perfect Brady clone comes along.

Jeff Fisher is just the worst. Both Foles and Keenum were on the bench for Fisher's hapless Rams in recent years, of course. Fisher will resurface at some point this week to take credit for "developing" Keenum and Foles (and Jared Goff) on a radio interview or something. Just remember when he does that, he is out of the NFL now and can't hurt anyone anymore.

The Lombardi Trophy is not Brady's for the taking just yet. The Patriots are favorites to win the Super Bowl, just as they always are. But all three remaining defenses are built to give him trouble—their defensive lines are vicious, their secondaries deep—and all three remaining offensive lines and running games can be a handful for the Patriots defense.

None of these quarterbacks stands a chance in a shootout with Brady, but all of their teams are capable of avoiding one. Which is fine. We've seen what usually happens in Brady vs. Manning, Roethlisberger, Ryan, etc. The remaining challengers will be forced to try something different.

Maybe it will work.