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USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning is a classic individual rivalry, but the contest itself often serves as a referendum on two evenly matched teams. In a dominating 43-21 victory over the Denver Broncos, the New England Patriots extinguished all lingering doubts and established themselves as midseason AFC favorites.

After the two teams traded punts to open the game, Stephen Gostkowski got the Patriots on the board first with a 49-yard field goal. However, aided by a questionable pass-interference call on Brandon Browner in the end zone, Manning led the Broncos back on the subsequent drive to take a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

However, a field-goal drive and a Rob Ninkovich interception allowed the Pats to re-take a 13-7 lead in the second quarter.

Julian Edelman capped off New England's first touchdown drive of the game with a diving catch against T.J. Ward, as Brady fit the ball into a minuscule window. Edelman bounced back significantly after a couple of quiet weeks, extending the Patriots' lead with a wild 84-yard punt-return touchdown to extend the Pats' lead.

Though Denver had some success the rest of the half moving the ball, the Pats benefited from a missed field goal and fourth-down stop to keep the Broncos off the board. An end-of-half drive resulted in seven more points, extending New England's lead to 27-7 after arguably the Patriots' best quarter of the season.

As is customary in Brady-Manning games, however, the game turned once one side fell behind by three possessions. Following a Brady interception on the second half's opening drive, Manning cashed in with a touchdown to Julius Thomas to slice the lead to 13.

But in an unsual twist, the Patriots demonstrated terrific killer instinct in scoring 10 points in 19 seconds to extend their lead to 37-14.

The Broncos responded with a quick touchdown drive, but the Patriots again followed up with two consecutive touchdowns, the latter drive highlighted by Rob Gronkowski's jaw-dropping one-handed grab. Denver piled up some junk yardage in the fourth quarter, but Gronk's spectacular play-of-the-year candidate effectively sealed New England's most impressive victory of the season.

Read on for full grades for each position unit, as the Pats' authoritative win has firmly entrenched them as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.