So we’ve reached the final four, meaning there are four possible matchups for the big game. A couple are intriguing, and a couple are…less so. Here’s my take on the possible matchups–and yes, these might be a bit skewed by the fact that I live in Minnesota and cheer for the Vikings…so facing two weeks of non-stop Packer coverage has me dreading what we could be looking at over the next couple of weeks…
Best Option: Indianapolis Colts vs. Seattle Seahawks – Never would I have imagined that I would have thought the Seahawks back in the Super Bowl would be my preferred option, but when it comes to the choice of two weeks of obnoxiousness from Packer fans and non-stop coverage of the condition of Aaron Rodgers calf, I’ll take the smugness of Pete Carroll, antics of Richard Sherman, and overblown hype for Russell Wilson any day of the week. On the AFC side, this game avoids any mention of Tom Brady and Bill Belichek, which is never a bad thing, and puts the NFL’s next mega superstar, Andrew Luck, on the center stage. Let’s just hope he shaves the beard…and isn’t the next Dan Marino. Unfortunately, not sure I see this scenario happening.
Next Best: New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks – In terms of talent, this is probably actually the best possible matchup. As sick as we are of them, Tom Brady and the Patriots probably have the talent and creativity on offense to inflict some damage on the Seahawks stingy defense. Rob Gronkowski can create headaches for any defender, and who knows which running back Belichek would break out for the Super Bowl–he might have a practice squad guy just for the occasion.
Getting Ugly: Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers – Probably the least likely scenario, this matchup does provide the platform for the young and budding superstar, but also puts Aaron Rodgers calf back in the spotlight, and means two weeks of non-stop cheese references. The matchup itself would actually probably be decent–both teams have potent offenses, and suspect defenses, meaning the NFL would probably get the high scoring aerial game it always desires. Of course, if this was Major League Baseball, there would be concern over two small market teams meeting for the title (a la Royals vs. Giants in the 2014 World Series). But this is the NFL, where somehow even a town of 100,000 people somehow supports a franchise–must be the revenue sharing.
Worst Case: New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers – Does anyone really want to see a rematch of Super Bowl XXXI? In Foxboro, they want to beat the best–not the Packers. And in Green Bay they’d like to have a shot to win, so they don’t have to pretend the season never happened, like they do in the Packer Hall of Fame for Super Bowl XXXII (seriously, it was like the 1997 season never happened the last time I was there). The general public? I would assume they would like to see a game that is actually somewhat in doubt in the second half. And the NFL just wants to make sure that the peak of the game isn’t hoping that Katy Perry suffers a Janet Jackson like wardrobe malfunction.
Who do you want to see in the Big Game? Let us know in the comments and/or by voting in our poll:
Which Super Bowl match-up would you like to see?
- New England vs Seattle (53%, 24 Votes)
- Indianapolis vs Green Bay (16%, 7 Votes)
- Indianapolis vs Seattle (16%, 7 Votes)
- New England vs Green Bay (16%, 7 Votes)
Total Voters: 45
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I’m sure the only reason you didn’t want to see Green Bay in the final was because you are a Minnesota fan. The obnoxious Packer fans are no more or less obnoxious than fans of other teams. Each team has its share of them and the internet has opened up the door to hear from them all the time. Sadly.
Given that Seattle has just won I’ll take New England because I feel that the game would be closer, and thus more fun to watch. Though the Brady/Belichek angle would be tedious. A defence as great as Seattle’s would shut down the Colts, especially with two weeks to prepare. Also, I don’t think the Colts defence is good enough to take up the slack.
Dr. Phil, no doubt you are right about every team having its share of goofball fans. We live in Minnesota, so the Green Bay ones are most prominent. I won’t say that didn’t affect my selection, but I picked Seattle and New England for a couple different reasons. First, I picked Seattle to repeat at the beginning of the season and have a side wager with someone. Second, I’m curious to see if New England can come up with a better way to hang with or beat Seattle than Denver did last year. I think the Seahawks are one of the strongest teams in several years. The Pats were pretty obviously the best or at least most consistently the best team in the AFC this season. So I think for making the Super Bowl a good game, this was the best possible outcome.
I agree that it’s the best game to watch. I know I’m going to be irritated by the personalities on either side though. I do feel that New England could give Seattle a much better game than Denver did last year, and much better than Indianapolis would have done.
It’ll be an interesting game. The Seahawks got away with 5 turnovers because their D kept them in the game. Could they survive 5 turnovers against New England. I would say no. As improved as GB’s D was this year, it was still the type of unit to give away huge yards at the end of the game. NE’s D, I don’t think would do that. On the other hand, with a great D and a fantastic running game all Russell Wilson has to do is be good enough.