The NFL careers of and have been intertwined since Day 1, as between the and back in 2004. And now, both guys are set to enter a contract year, as Big Blue reportedly is comfortable while the 33-year-old Rivers apparently .Taking everything into account (recent performance, surrounding talent, etc.), who will enjoy a better 2015 campaign: Manning or Rivers? I'm going with , simply because I think he'll be working with a better supporting cast than . Let's start with the offensive lines; while neither unit is particularly great, the ' O-line is a smidge better than the '. Then, of course, there's Big Blue's superior receiving corps, headed up by last year's rookie extraordinaire, Jr., whose jaw-dropping entrance onto the NFL scene was huge for Manning. Finally, this will be Manning's second year in coordinator Ben McAdoo's offense, which can only help. Ultimately, I expect Eli to pick up where he left off in the stretch run of 2014; he posted a 12:3 TD-to-INT ratio in the last six games of the season. Surrounding talent aside, would be the easy answer. He's been the superior quarterback for nearly every season of their respective careers. Jr. is a career-shifting advantage for , though, making this a closer call than it would be otherwise. Rivers' late-season slump last winter was attributable to and a subpar offensive line. With both of those i sues fixed in 2015, I believe he still has the edge in this showdown. The draft might change things, but right now, Phil Rivers doesn't have the weapons to compete statistically with Eli. Did you hear the ? They also have -- a.k.a. one of the game's better pa s catchers -- returning Brett Gardner Jersey from midseason injury, a talented tight end in and a now-rangy collection of RBs. After a dicey start in 2014's new offensive philosophy, Manning was able to put together a nice statistical season ... and 2015 will be even brighter. And if I may transcend the short-term for a moment, I've got bigger news: Whether or not his detractors are ready to accept it, Eli is going to the . will have a better year because he's a better quarterback. will probably get pushed into Canton someday despite a career when he's rarely been a top-10 quarterback. Rivers, on the other hand, has consistently been among the best at his position, often among the top five. Rivers' play fell off late last year when injuries piled up, but he's still among the very best in the league at pocket movement and directing the game before the snap. Everyone's defense of Eli starts with "Rings!", but Rivers would have two rings if he was with the -- and he'd have a lot more than one playoff berth in the last six seasons. I like in this one. Manning made significant improvement in a number of statistical areas last year from his 2013 performance, including completion percentage (from 57.5 in '13 to 63.1), pa sing yards (from 3,818 to 4,410), TD-to-INT ratio (from 18:27 to 30:14) and QB rating (from 69.4 to 92.1). And seeing how this will be his second year in Ben McAdoo's system, Eli will be even more comfortable with the offense in 2015. And Manning has better offensive talent around him than . In addition to getting back this season, Eli has joining him in the backfield. Those guys will be major factors on third down. New York still has the 2015 to improve the O-line, something that'd make the offense even stronger. Alex Rodriguez Jersey