I have read that intake manifolds distribute the fuel evenly to all the fuel injectors-- but then I read that the fuel rail did that exact same thing. So obviously I'm missing something. Help!
The inlet manifold distributes the air to the cylinders. In a modern car with multi-point injection, the fuel rail then delivers the fuel to the injectors, which sit just before the cylinder inlets.
In an older car with a carburettor or single-point injection, the fuel will be mixed into the air before the manifold, and the mixture will then be distributed.