Giants at Packers: Legacies on the line

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:18 p.m. ET

Fansided, Matt Verderame/Fansided

The Green Bay Packers and New York Giants know what it means to win it all. So do their quarterbacks, who have much left to do.

Eli Manning is 36 years old. Aaron Rodgers is 33. Time is not a promise, something both these men are finding out rapidly. For Manning, his two championships have him on the brink of a Hall of Fame career. For Rodgers, his one title keeps the comparisons of Dan Marino and Warren Moon away, but also limits him from the upper pantheon of greats.

Rodgers and the Packers are making their eighth consecutive playoff appearance. The last time Green Bay failed to qualify for the playoffs, it was Rodgers’ first year as the starter, following the famous exit of Brett Favre. Manning has not been in this arena since 2011, the year he authored another run to the Super Bowl and a second win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

At this juncture, both Manning and Rodgers might be looking at their best remaining chances of winning another ring. It’s impossible to know what is in the future, but judging by their pasts, it would be foolish to expect legions of golden opportunities to arrive at their respective doorsteps.