Double jinx? Tom Brady and Peyton Manning both land on Sports Illustrated cover

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning feature on this week’s Sports Illustrated cover The Boston Globe

By PJ Wright @ThePJWright

January 20, 2016

1 minute to read

The Sports Illustrated cover jinx may be alive and well.

On Jan. 5, the magazine revealed that Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was gracing the cover of its latest issue. Five days later, Peterson was knocked out of the NFL playoffs in the wild-card round by the Seahawks when Minnesota’s Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal try.

Ahead of the AFC Championship Game, SI put Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning on its national cover.

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Given the fates of some recent NFL cover choices, superstitious fans on either side of the AFC title game might not be thrilled to see Brady and Manning on newsstands.

In January 2015, the Seahawks’ secondary, known as the ’’Legion of Boom,’’ was featured on SI’s cover heading into Super Bowl XLIX against the Patriots. Cornerback Jeremy Lane, pictured on the cover alongside four teammates, left the Super Bowl with a broken arm. Seattle went on to lose to the Patriots, 28-24.

In May 2015, SI ran a story on “Chip Kelly’s Beautiful Mind’’ and the then-Eagles coach appeared on the cover. The Eagles fired Kelly on Dec. 29, with the team 6-9 and out of playoff contention.

Perhaps the inclusion of both Brady and Manning on the same cover means any curse has been cancelled out? Or maybe it’s the Cardinals who should really be worrying?

Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald is featured on a regional cover of SI after helping his team reach the NFC Championship Game. The Panthers, who will host the Cardinals in the NFC title game, are the only team remaining in the playoffs without a new cover to worry about this week.

Of course, it’s possible that Panthers quarterback Cam Newton’s appearance on the cover in November means every team is starting championship weekend on even terms.

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Every matchup between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning

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