Atlanta Falcons

Dwight Freeney has 'huge respect' for Tom Brady

ATLANTA — Not only will the NFL's top-scoring offense go up against the league's No. 1 defense when the Falcons and Patriots square off, but two of the all-time best and experienced at their positions will go head-to-head for possibly the final time.

Dwight Freeney ranks 18th on the all-time list for career sacks with 122.5. (The sacks statistic wasn't kept before the 1982 season.) A number of them have come against New England's four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Tom Brady.

"I've been playing against those guys (the Patriots) for so long, since 2002," said Freeney, who is in his 15th season."Seeing Brady, sometimes twice a year since 2002, I've probably seen Tom Brady more than probably anybody in the league."

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He's not joking.

Freeney's Indianapolis Colts played Brady's Patriots 13 times (including the playoffs) from 2002-12.

The Colts won only five of those 13 games, but one of them was the 2006 AFC Championship Game.

That victory spurred Indy on to Super Bowl XLI 10 years ago, a game the Colts won to give Freeney his first (and so far, only) championship ring. (Freeney played a 14th game against the Patriots as a member of the San Diego Chargers in 2014, a 23-14 New England victory.)

Brady is now in his 17th season and a fifth ring of his own would likely cement his status as the game's greatest quarterback ever.

Freeney, who was taken two years after Brady in the draft, has 4.0 career sacks against the Patriots in his 14 career games against them.

The Falcons are hoping that he will meet his old foe often in the New England backfield on Super Sunday

Besides, it could be their final time on the field together. Only this time, the winner gets the ultimate reward ... another championship ring.