Wednesday 24 January 2018 16:10, UK
It is a tale as old as time. The old hand, who's been there and done it before coming up against the young inexperienced gun, who is flying high having seemingly defied the odds.
But, you rarely find such a match-up when it comes to quarterbacks, the most important position in any NFL side, especially at this stage of the season.
With five-time Super Bowl-winning QB Tom Brady aiming for another ring, the relatively unknown quantities of Blake Bortles, Nick Foles and Case Keenum are chomping at the bit to usurp the 40-year-old.
Sky Sports takes a closer look at each of the QBs and how they have got to the Conference playoffs and just one step away from the biggest game of the season and, for some, their careers.
Having picked up his fifth Super Bowl ring in February 2017, it seemed as though Brady was untouchable, but the Californian was brought back down to earth in the first game of this season as he finished the game without a touchdown pass, having completed just 44.4 per cent of his attempts in a loss to Kansas City Chiefs.
Week Four threw up a second worrisome defeat for the reigning champions as they came up short against a Cam Newton inspired Carolina Panthers - with Brady managing just two plays of 20 or more yards.
But, any talk of Brady's demise was quickly dismissed as the Patriots won 11 of their next 12 regular season matches, with a small blemish against the Miami Dolphins in Week 14, as the QB finished the regular season with 30+ touchdowns for the seventh time in his career.
A 10th career postseason match with at least three TD passes, to move ahead of the great Joe Montana for the most in NFL history, saw Brady lead his side to a simple victory of the Tennessee Titans in their divisional round match-up.
And, despite battling a hand injury in the lead up to AFC Championship game, Brady has the most passing yards, pass completions, TD passes and wins in playoff matches, meaning all signs point to the 2000 sixth-round draft pick making his eighth appearance in the season finale.
A stop-start season for Bortles came to life during weeks 13, 14 and 15 when he threw a combined seven TDs in victories over the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans and had an average QB rating of 129.1 to help propel the Jaguars to their first postseason appearance for 10 years.
Despite struggling to find his offense during the Jaguars' Wild Card win against the Buffalo Bills, the 25-year-old impressed as his team put up 45 points in their stunning divisional victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers a week later.
Despite at times struggling to throw the ball, Bortles ended up completing 14 of his 26 passes for one touchdown - most impressively, six of those completions were first-down throws on third down.
Equally impressive was how sure-footed the Florida-born QB was as he rushed for 35 yards, and his agility sets him apart from the other three remaining QBs, even if Bortles does struggle to shoot straight.
A knee injury for Vikings QB Sam Bradford gave Keenum an unlikely first start in just Week Two of the season, which saw the 29-year-old promptly fall to a 26-9 loss against the Steelers and fail to throw a TD.
An eight-match winning streak followed, with just one loss in the last 12 games of the regular season, helping to dispel any concerns over the QB's abilities to help his team become the first to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium, as the Vikings dominated the NFC North.
Although a rash throw in the third quarter of their divisional round clash with the New Orleans Saints was picked off by Marcus Williams and almost allowed their opponents to mount an incredible match-winning comeback, Keenum - with absolutely everything on the line and 10 seconds left on the clock - hit Stefon Diggs down the right sideline for a game-winning TD.
It not only sent the US Bank Stadium - which will host Super Bowl LII - wild but fans across the world, and it showed Keenum's ability not to crumble under immense pressure, which is undoubtedly a vital talent to possess in the postseason.
Another unlikely potential hero for the season, Foles entered the scene during the third quarter in Week 14 after Carson Wentz suffered a knee injury.
The 28-year-old did little to impress over the final few weeks of the regular season, barring a four-TD display against their lowly NFC East rival New York Giants.
But, Foles led two particularly impressive drives from of 74 and 80 yards in the second half of the Eagles' divisional round win over the Atlanta Falcons, backing up by the team's consistently impressive defence. It meant last season's Super Bowl runners-up were promptly brushed aside.
And, while Foles can, at times, struggle with movement in the pocket, the protection he is provided by his offensive line often gives him the time to complete passes. That may well lead to the most unlikely of candidates of the lot picking up a first Super Bowl ring come February 4.
Watch the Conference Championship finals in the NFL playoffs, starting with Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots, on Sunday from 7pm, live on Sky Sports Action.
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