Peyton Manning hadn’t even made it off the field Sunday before reporters were badgering him about facing Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship next week. It’s a narrative spanning 15 years at this point but one that fans can’t get enough of.

Manning must be sick of Brady. 14 times they’ve played each other. 10 times Tom Terrific has come out on top. In the playoffs, Brady has beaten Manning twice in three meetings. Despite the dominance of the Patriots, the rivalry between Brady and Manning is one of the greatest the NFL has ever seen.

It’s fitting that immediately following Brady-Manning will be Kaepernick-Wilson. Meet the new rivalry, same as the old rivalry, except with more Beats by Dre. Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson’s showdown isn’t quite as nuanced and prolific as Brady-Manning but considering the frequency at which they play and the dominance of both, it will soon prove to be a worthy successor.

The Kaepernick-Wilson (and 49ers-Seahawks rivalry by extension) matchup doesn’t have the same conservative reserve as Brady-Manning. It’s loud. Everything about it is deafening. Their coaches are loud, their fans are loud, their teams are loud, and even their press conferences are loud.

“I’m not just going to let you say anything you want to me,” Kaepernick said after dispatching the Carolina Panthers. “If you are going to say something to me, I am going to respond.”

It’s the kind of cocksure attitude that would make the 49ers cringeworthy if they weren’t so damn entertaining. Seattle doesn’t lack for strutting personalities either. Wilson leads the best team in the NFC, and is under the tutelage of the swaggiest coach in the NFL.

The Seahawks quarterback doesn’t match Kaepernick’s flair, but when you have a guy named “Beast Mode” on your team, do you really need to?

There’s always been a certain pomp and circumstance come playoff time. Analysts throw around terms like “hard-nosed” and ” smash mouth,” bowing at the altar of Lombardi. The reverence isn’t wrong, it’s just that irreverence is more fun. Even if you don’t agree with it, Kaepernick kissing his biceps trumps Brady not getting high-fived every day.

Kaepernick and Wilson are ushering in the new era of the NFL. It’s unapologetically fun. Sorry, not sorry.