The Denver Broncos won a Super Bowl and quarterback Peyton Manning officially has two rings. Both rings have come at the expense of the New England Patriots in the conference championship in games where quarterback Tom Brady and company really probably should have won.
So it goes.
The New York Giants and quarterback Eli Manning have also won two Super Bowls, also both at the expense of the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady. If the Manning family didn't exist, it's plausible that Brady and the Patriots would have eight Super Bowl titles.
So it goes.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is well aware that the Patriots could have, would have, and should have won the AFC Championship this season, telling WCVB-TV, via ESPN's Mike Reiss, "If I have any regret [from the 2015 season], it's that the conference championship game wasn't played here in our hometown."
It's not a leap to say that if the Patriots were playing at home, that the offensive line wouldn't have needed to use its silent count, and that the Broncos pass rush wouldn't have been able to key in on Bryan Stork's snapping motion, allowing the Patriots offense to actually produce.
But that's in the past now and Manning won the Super Bowl. Kraft had his own thoughts on the Manning family that he shared as well:
"I happened to see Archie [Manning] there [at the Super Bowl]," Kraft said. "He has two sons who have won two Super Bowls [each]. But with all due respect, we have one son who has won four."
While the Manning family has certainly gone through its fair share of success, and definitely at the expense of the Patriots, Kraft has been the owner of the most successful team in American sports since he took over in 1994. He's earned the right to talk about success.
And come to think of it, Peyton and Eli have combined for 6 Super Bowl appearances, including 4 wins and 2 losses. That sounds mighty familiar.
PS: If you're still waking up, the "son" that Kraft is referring to is Tom Brady. He's annexed Brady into his family and everyone just has to deal with it.