This story appears in the Nov. 5, 2018, issue of Sports Illustrated. For more great storytelling and in-depth analysis, subscribe to the magazine—and get up to 94% off the cover price. Click here for more.
The last time Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers met was on a below-freezing November afternoon at Lambeau Field. The CBS broadcast turned to a double box late in the game. Rodgers was on the right, helmet on, about to take another knee to drain the final seconds of a 26–21 win over New England. On the left was Brady, wearing a red, white and blue striped knit cap, vapor condensing as he breathed through his nose—an apt visual for a competitor fuming that he couldn’t get the ball back for a final chance to win the game.