It’s a rivalry as old as time immemorial (or 2001, at least): Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady. The two future hall of fame quarterbacks faced off in their fourteenth meeting Sunday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and fans looking for a tense battle were not disappointed. After leading 24-0 at the half, Denver eventually fell to New England, losing by a field goal in overtime for a final score of 31-34.

To some, the ending came off as anticlimactic. The Patriots’ game-clinching field goal was not the result of guile or a now-classic Tom Brady comeback drive, but a botched punt return attempt by the Broncos. After Ryan Allen punted the ball away for New England late in overtime play, the ball made contact with Denver’s Tony Carter, who was apparently unaware of the ball’s location. Nate Ebner recovered for New England at the Broncos’ 13-yard line. Tom Brady took two snaps to center the football, and with 1:05 remaining in overtime Stephen Gostkowski kicked the game-winning field goal. The game was sudden-death at that point, as both teams had gotten a possession after the initial kickoff. “I was running to get away from the ball and it took a bounce right into me,” Carter said.

In what some call the last great quarterback rivalry, Brady leads Manning 10-4 in their matchups. This was Payton Manning’s worst game of the season, as he completed just 19 of 36 passes for 150 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. “Hated the way that ended, not getting a chance to get our hands on the ball,” Manning said. “We helped them with some short fields. It’s hard to do that to our defense.”

In contrast, Sunday night was one of Tom Brady’s best games all season, as lead a ramshackle offense that seems to only get better as the season marches on. He went 34-50 for 344 yards, including three touchdowns and no interceptions. “We had some plays in the first half that didn’t go our way so it was nice to get a good bounce and we needed it,” Brady said.

Sunday’s game marked the first time Patriots were considered underdogs by odds-makers since 2005. Denver and New England now have identical records for the season, both at 8-3. The Brady-Manning rivalry won’t continue again this season, unless the two teams meet in the playoffs.