The first sign that Bill Belichick might have had a little something on Peyton Manning was way back on September 20, 1998 — long before Patriots-Colts was, well, Patriots-Colts. On that day, Belichick, then running the Jets’ defense, mixed up his personnel groupings and disguised his coverages (sound familiar?), befuddling Manning in a 44-6 Jets rout over Colts in the QB’s third pro game.

Of course, Manning wasn’t yet Manning either, and it would be a year and a half until Belichick assumed control of the Patriots.

More than a decade later, there’s this notion that the ultra-competitive and football-nerdy Manning and Belichick, whose Colts and Patriots, respectively, meet Sunday night for the 14th time since 2000, are accomplishing the NFL’s equivalent of splitting the atom. Or more aptly, that these two men — perhaps a modern-day reincarnation of Ali vs. Frazier or even Boris Spassky vs. Bobby Fischer — are just playing and thinking on a higher level than anyone else in the game.

Part of that is hogwash, of course; there are plenty of other brainy and successful coaches and players around the league. But since then the two teams have waged the battle of the decade in the NFL, and because Tom Brady and Manning never actually face off on the field at the same time, you could boil down the rivalry to Belichick vs. Manning.

Here are Manning's game-by-game numbers against the Patriots since Belichick took over: