So what happens if they do make it unscathed to the Super Bowl? Do they meet the same fate the 18-1 New England Patriots did in 2007? Or do they finish the job and become the league’s first unbeaten team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins?

The AFC is a logjam this season. Nobody in the conference is better than  Green Bay. But there are a few teams that could at least give the Packers a good game. Here are our guesses:7. New York Jets – Somehow New York has managed to get hot at just the right time the last couple of seasons, barely squeaking into the playoffs before making some noise. There is enough defensive talent on the roster to make it happen again this year.

Why they won’t win: Let’s be real. In order to beat Green Bay, you’re going to have to score. Mark Sanchez has taken several steps back this year. The run game has been nonexistent at times. This team will be lucky to make the playoffs at this point, much less give the Packers a game in the Super Bowl. Rex Ryan is going to have to shelf his bravado for yet another off-season.

6. Oakland Raiders – Michael Bush and Darren McFadden, if he comes back, can grind the ball, keeping it away from Green Bay. And Carson Palmer has provided a spark to the Raiders’ deep passing game. Perhaps they come out of nowhere and do it for Al Davis, their fallen leader?

Why they won’t win: The Raiders are 6-4 and are headed in the right direction for the first time in perhaps a decade, but they’re mostly included on this list because they appear to be the best team in one of the league’s worst couple divisions. In truth, Green Bay is just much, much better than Oakland right now and this would likely be a dud of a Super Bowl.

5. Cincinnati Bengals – Andy Dalton and AJ Green give the Bengals one of the more entertaining rookie duos to enter the league together in quite awhile. The team also plays pretty competitive defense.

Why they won’t win: Same deal as the Raiders. Cincinnati is heading in the right direction but they aren’t there yet. Plus what had been a top-notch cornerback duo in Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph is completely gone. Hall is out with an injury and Joseph left as a free agent. Put lesser quality corners on the Packers’ receiving corps and it is a recipe for getting blown out.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers – Ben Roethlisberger has taken his game up a notch this year and his receiving corps, from Mike Wallace to Antonio Brown on down to Heath Miller and Jerricho Cotchery, give the Steelers a chance to avenge last season’s Super Bowl loss. And they’re coming on strong of late, winning tight match-ups against good New England and Cincinnati teams amid winning five times in its last six games.

Why they won’t win: There’s something about this Steelers team that just rubs wrong. The running game has not gotten on track. The defense is still good, but it sometimes plays old. They lost twice to Baltimore, getting annihilated in the season opener. I can’t put my finger on why this doesn’t feel like Pittsburgh’s year, but it just seems to me that this team is vulnerable and that the door may have closed on them after last season.

3. Baltimore Ravens – They’ve got Ray Rice, they’ve got a possession receiver in Anquan Boldin and they’ve had a deep threat emerge in rookie Torrey Smith. They’ve got Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. I thought the Ravens had a chance to be the best team in the AFC going into the season and they’ve certainly showed it at times, with a sweep over division rival Pittsburgh. On any given Sunday this team could be among the league’s most dominant and they definitely have a defense that could give the Packers fits.

Why they won’t win: This team has had a maddening tendency to play to the level of its opponents. The sweep over Pittsburgh has been accompanied by losses to Seattle and Jacksonville and a near-loss at home to Arizona. Joe Flacco has not taken the expected step forward and the offense disappears at times. That would not play against a Green Bay team that puts up points even when it isn’t playing particularly well.

2. Houston Texans – Andre Johnson. Arian Foster. Ben Tate. This team has all the offensive firepower to be a Super Bowl champion and Wade Phillips has performed miracles with this defense. The Texans are good enough to make life miserable for anyone.

Why they won’t win: Injuries. At full strength the Texans would be my top guess from the AFC for giving the Packers a game. But while the Texans are much improved, even at full strength they’d still lose to Green Bay more than they’d beat the Packers. Throw in injuries to Mario Williams and particularly Matt Schaub, and it becomes highly unlikely that they get to the Super Bowl, much less stop the Packers from achieving an unbeaten season if they do somehow get there.

1. New England Patriots – Do unto others as they have done to you. Wouldn’t it be something if the last team to lose after reaching the Super Bowl unbeaten turned the tables on Green Bay? In Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the Patriots have the strategist and the executioner to get the job done. There are also plenty of weapons on the offensive side of the ball to make it happen. I think the Patriots have the best chance of stopping the Packers’ unbeaten run.

Why they won’t win: While the Patriots remain a force on offense, the defense has been statistically among the league’s worst all season. It has shown signs of improvement during the latter half of the season but the presence of wide receiver/special teamer Julian Edelman playing a key role in nickel packages illustrates the team’s shortcomings. Rodgers would probably exploit this group all day long, forcing Brady to score nearly every time New England had the ball.

So there are a couple teams that could give the Packers a real game. But the NFC seems stronger than the AFC this year. So if anyone is going to knock Green Bay off its undefeated pedestal, it’s likely going to have to happen before the big game. I fully expect the Packers to be hoisting yet another Lombardi Trophy at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis come February 2012.

It’s partially because as I was growing up many of the games failed to meet expectations. As entertaining as some of the advertisements can be, in my eyes they’ve never made up for sitting through a 56-10 drubbing in what is supposed to be the NFL’s showcase game.

It’s also partially because my team has never managed to win the big one, so yes, I admit to some sour grapes.

But primarily it’s because it means the season is ending and we’ll be subjected to several months before the next meaningful matchup. This year’s big game in Dallas is even more bittersweet, as the out-of-touch honchos of the National Football League and its Players Union have shown little urgency in their efforts to solve the collective bargaining issues — meaning there’s a shot this could be the last game in a long, long time.

So, while I like the marathon of the season and the chase of the playoffs more than the Super Bowl itself, at least this years version should provide an interesting game.

Pittsburgh vs Green Bay (-2.5) at Dallas: Over/Under 45.5

Both of these NFL heavyweights have been around forever. The Steelers have six Vince Lombardi trophies. The Packers have three. The Packers have Aaron Rodgers, who can complete finish the masterful job he has done replacing legendary Brett Favre with a win Sunday. The Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger, who can take another step in rehabilitating his image by winning a third Super Bowl ring.

The Packers have Clay Matthews. The Steelers have Troy Polamalu. These two guys lead two of the league’s top defenses and they also faced off in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award competition — Polamalu won the AP version, Matthews received the honor from the Sporting News.

These two teams also enter the game playing fantastic football, Pittsburgh as the AFC’s number two seed and Green Bay as the NFC’s number six seed.

Nearly two weeks ago, when I first saw the pointspread favoring Green Bay by a field goal, I was surprised. My initial thought was that the AFC overall is better than the NFC and that there was little chance the Steelers would lose. As the days have worn on, I’ve rethought that a bit. I still think the AFC is the stronger conference, but I think the momentum both teams come into the game with make this probably the best matchup casual fans could have hoped for.

The 37-36 game these two teams played in December 2009 lends a glimpse into what kind of a game this will be. While I don’t expect the score to get that high, both teams possess an impressive collection of big play receivers. Neither team has an explosive run game but Rashard Mendenhall and the James Starks/John Kuhn/Brandon Jackson combo provide both teams with enough weapons to mix in.

Two big factors in Green Bay’s favor: rookie center Maurkice Pouncey is injured and won’t play for Pittsburgh. And Aaron Rodgers, while playing his home games outdoors, is absolutely dominant on turf. Not that Doug Legursky isn’t a perfectly capable backup to Pouncey or that Roethlisberger isn’t as capable of hitting Mike Wallace as Rodgers is of hitting Greg Jennings, but I do expect to see the latter happen at least once or twice for big plays.

Truthfully this is an absolutely fantastic matchup and I have no idea who is going to win. I hope it lives up to its billing. I’m not putting any money on this game, but if I was in Vegas I’d take the over and the Packers, something like 27-20.

Now, come on DeMaurice Smith and Roger Goodell – do your jobs and get the labor deal done so I don’t have to listen to Packers fans talk about their Super Bowl title for two years before I get to watch another game.

The Bengals crushed the Chargers that day setting the stage for Cincinnati to roll into Detroit for Super Bowl XVI, where the San Francisco 49ers would win the first of their handful of championships.

Many famous NFL games have been played in cold weather. Dallas and Green Bay in the Ice Bowl also comes to mind. But none of those cold weather games have been the Super Bowl. The aforementioned Super Bowl in Detroit was played in the Silverdome. A decade later Minnesota hosted the big game in the Metrodome.

It took four ballots, but league execs voted today to roll the dice on holding the Super Bowl at the new New York Jets/New York Giants mecca in 2014. The stadium will open this year. If it is anything like the old Meadowlands stadium was like there will be swirling winds and other crazy elements.

I like this call. While New Orleans, Miami, Pasadena, Calif. and the other handful of warm weather cities that have hosted many Super Bowls have certainly mastered the formula it’s good to mix it up once in awhile. And what bigger venue is there than New York for a big game?

Sure, the non-East Coast world (myself included) gets sick of ESPN constantly broadcasting the New York Yankees, Mets and Boston Red Sox 4,300 times a year. But this is the Super Bowl. And it could be played in real weather.

Like football was meant to be played in all along. Enough with Super Bowls being reserved for warm weather climates or for cities with domes. It’s not like the players aren’t going to show up if the weather is cold or if there is snow on the ground. This is for the Lombardi Trophy. For the ring. For sports immortality.

Lay it on the line in the mud and snow. I applaud the NFL owners for making this call.

One of the things I keep reading in the days since what I thought was a pretty exciting game between two very good teams and two great quarterbacks is that the interception Peyton Manning threw on his way to the game-tying touchdown drive somehow cheapens his legacy as a star quarterback.

I’ll grant you, Manning has, at times, struggled in big games. But to say throwing a pick-six against New Orleans somehow detracts from him being one of the top quarterbacks of all-time is ridiculous.

First of all, this wasn’t an all-time great Colts team all season long. Sure, they were 14-0 before the coaches pulled the starters against New York. But Indianapolis won eight games by one score or less. Other than a four game stretch of dominance from their third game to their sixth game, when they won games by 21, 17, 22 and 36 points, the Colts generally played competitive games this year. This was a very, very good team, but any belief that this was a dominant bunch was misguided.

Second, the team wasn’t full strength all season. Sure, guys like Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Antoine Bethea stepped up during the regular season. But when you lose guys like Anthony Gonzalez and Bob Sanders for almost the entire season it’s eventually going to hurt. And then when your top wideout, Reggie Wayne, hurts his knee heading into the big game it’s going to make it that much tougher.

This was illustrated at least twice during the game – once when Wayne had the chance to catch a touchdown to bring the Colts within a touchdown in the waning seconds of the game and previous to that on the big Tracy Porter interception. Yes, on the pick everyone is criticizing Manning for throwing Wayne does little to help his quarterback out. He got outmuscled to the spot and didn’t do enough to turn into a defender when it was clear Porter had position on him.

That’s not to say Manning is without fault. He wasn’t his typically great self. But let’s also give the Saints some credit. This beleaguered defense was flawed. But throughout the playoffs they showed up when it mattered. After giving up a 70 yard touchdown run to Tim Hightower on the first offensive play of the divisional playoff game against Arizona, the Saints ass-whipped the Cardinals 45-7 the rest of the way – knocking Kurt Warner out of the game in the process.

The following week the Saints were by most statistics outplayed by the Minnesota Vikings. But five turnovers and numerous crushing shots that made Brett Favre’s body match his jersey color later New Orleans outlasted the Purple, claiming the NFC crown in overtime.

Finally, if that’s not enough, let’s look at the history of the Super Bowl. My brother wrote a post during the week leading up to the game asking if Manning vs Drew Brees was the best quarterback matchup in the league’s Super Bowl history. While that remains an arguable point, further analysis of those who have played in the game indicates that just 10 quarterbacks have ever won more than one Super Bowl.

So Manning missed an opportunity to join that crowd. But think about that – over the course of 44 seasons just 10 quarterbacks have won more than one Super Bowl.  And only 28 quarterbacks have ever been at the helm of Super Bowl winning teams. At anywhere from 26 to 32 teams for most of those 44 seasons that’s somewhere well north of 1300 quarterbacks who have started in the NFL during the timespan. Just 10 have won the big game more than once. And just 28 have ever won the Lombardi Trophy.

So sure. Peyton Manning isn’t perfect. He’s had his flaws in big games at times. But without getting into the all-time great numbers he is comfortably on his way to posting for his career he is still comfortably among the greats in terms of Super Bowl output, even with adding the loss to the Saints to his resume.

He’s a 10 time Pro Bowl selection and a five time first-team all pro. Despite the occasional flaws I’d take him at the top of any list of quarterbacks I was putting together if it came down to choosing someone to win the big game. So his legacy remains strong as far as I’m concerned.

Brees completed 32 of 39 for 288 yards and two scores, winning the MVP trophy in the meantime.

His career is far from over and he’s got a lot more history to write in the years ahead. But I asked the question two weeks ago – will Drew Brees make the Hall of Fame? His last four seasons have certainly been trending in that direction.

Super Bowl performances like the show he put on tonight certainly won’t hurt his cause. Sure, it took Tracy Porter’s pick of Manning late in the game to seal the deal. And Sean Payton’s onside kick was a gutty call. But Brees’ performance was nearly flawless. My guess is he leads the Saints to many more playoff victories over the next few years as well.

If he does it’d be hard to keep him out of Canton in a decade, give or take a year or two.

A few other matchups jump to my mind as possibilities–Montana vs. Marino in Super Bowl XIX, Montana vs. Elway in Super Bowl XXIV, and Elway vs. Favre in Super Bowl XXXII–but I’m not sure if any of those match-ups would have been considered those QBs facing each other in their prime.

And of course, my Super Bowl history really only dates back to the Montana vs. Ken Anderson game of Super Bowl XVI…so maybe some research is warranted:

Super Bowl I: Bart Starr vs. Len Dawson

Super Bowl II:  Starr vs. Daryle Lamonica

Super Bowl III: Joe Namath vs. Earl Morrall

Super Bowl IV: Dawson vs. Joe Kapp

Super Bowl V: Johnny Unitas vs. Craig Morton

Super Bowl VI: Roger Staubach vs. Bob Griese

Super Bowl VII: Griese vs. Billy Kilmer

Super Bowl VIII: Griese vs. Fran Tarkenton

Super Bowl IX: Terry Bradshaw vs. Tarkenton

Super Bowl X: Bradshaw vs. Staubach

Super Bowl XI: Kenny Stabler vs. Tarkenton

Super Bowl XII: Staubach vs. Morton

Super Bowl XIII: Bradshaw vs. Staubach

Super Bowl XIV: Bradshaw vs. Vince Ferragamo

Super Bowl XV: Jim Plunkett vs. Ron Jaworski

Super Bowl XVI: Montana vs. Anderson

Super Bowl XVII: Joe Theismann vs. David Woodley

Super Bowl XVIII: Theismann vs. Plunkett

Super Bowl XIX: Montana vs. Dan Marino

Super Bowl XX: Jim McMahon vs. Tony Eason

Super Bowl XXI: Phil Simms vs. John Elway

Super Bowl XXII: Doug Williams vs. Elway

Super Bowl XXIII: Montana vs. Boomer Esiason

Super Bowl XXIV: Montana vs. Elway

Super Bowl XXV: Jeff Hostetler vs. Jim Kelly

Super Bowl XXVI: Mark Rypien vs. Kelly

Super Bowl XXVII: Troy Aikman vs. Kelly

Super Bowl XXVIII: Aikman vs. Kelly

Super Bowl XXIX: Steve Young vs. Stan Humphries

Super Bowl XXX: Aikman vs. Neil O’Donnell

Super Bowl XXXI: Brett Favre vs. Drew Bledsoe

Super Bowl XXXII: Elway vs. Favre

Super Bowl XXXIII: Elway vs. Chris Chandler

Super Bowl XXXIV: Kurt Warner vs. Steve McNair

Super Bowl XXXV: Trent Dilfer vs. Kerry Collins

Super Bowl XXXVI: Tom Brady vs. Warner

Super Bowl XXXVII: Brad Johnson vs. Rich Gannon

Super Bowl XXXVIII: Brady vs. Jake Delhomme

Super Bowl XXXIX: Brady vs. Donovan McNabb

Super Bowl XL: Ben Roethlisberger vs. Matt Hasselbeck

Super Bowl XLI: Peyton Manning vs. Rex Grossman

Super Bowl XLII: Eli Manning vs. Brady

Super Bowl XLIII: Roethlisberger vs. Warner

Super Bowl XLIV: Peyton Manning vs. Drew Brees

Looking back I think the Bradshaw vs. Tarkenton and Bradshaw vs. Staubach matchups might be near the top of the list as well–although none of those QB really fit the mold of today’s gunsligners like Manning & Brees.

So what does Zoneblitz Nation think of this year’s matchup?  Best ever, or too earlyto tell?  And, on the flip side–has there been a worse matchup than Trent Dilfer vs. Kerry Collins?

The rating for the 2007 game was also a 42.1, and in 2006 it was a 42.2.  East coast fans will likely conclude that the drop in ratings was because neither team in the Super Bowl was from New York or Boston (despite the fact that no teams last year were either–the Giants are from New Jersey, and the Patriots are from Foxboro).

There are other plausible explanation, though–there may have been more fans who were unable to take time off from work, thanks to the economy.  And since it sounds like tickets were cheaper, and it was the first time for Arizona (and since Pittsburgh fans are so fanatical), it’s possible that more people made the pilgrimmage to Tampa to try to attend in person.

Or maybe a whole bunch of people were so sickened by the crap that NBC chose to air as its pregame show, that they turned the TV off in disgust and listened online or on radio.

Still, it was a lot of people watching (estimated at about 90 million), but we do wonder if a ratings drop (combined with the economy, and the fact that some companies finally started mocking the prices–see High Life with their 1 second spots) will impact the price for ads next year…lord knows if they drop by about $2,999, 925 or so, ZoneBlitz.com will be first in line for a 30-second spot…

**UPDATE** After further review, the numbers for this year’s Super Bowl were actually higher than last year’s–take THAT, East Coast Media Bias!

That has been magnified here during the second half of the Super Bowl.
On the first Arizona drive of the second half, Kurt Warner was pressured on third down. The ball came out of his hand but his arm was clearly coming forward. The refs, during a conference, however, decided to call it a fumble instead, requiring Arizona to burn a challenge to get the correct call.

Instant replay can be a fantastic tool for officials, but not if they use it as a crutch – too often, refs are out of position or they question their calls. So they take the cop-out and make the challengeable call, even when there is little doubt to most observers that it’s the wrong call.
Then, later in the third quarter, Darnell Dockett was flagged for roughing the passer no a play in which Ben Roethlisberger had just barely gotten his pass away.

Later on the same drive safety Adrian Wilson was flagged for running over Steelers holder Mitch Berger on a field goal attempt – Wilson was off balance and couldn’t stop and, in the opinion of Zoneblitz, he didn’t hit Berger nearly hard enough to warrant a personal foul call. That was the third personal foul on that drive – two of the three were extremely questionable.

Finally, on a fourth quarter pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward, Rod Hood stuck with the receiver and tore the ball out of his arms from behind before Ward could come down with the catch.
On several replays I failed not only to see a hold but also any premature contact that should have resulted in a penalty. But the refs called holding and the Steelers got another first down via penalty.

This is the Super Bowl. These officials are graded during the season and the crew with the best ratings supposedly get to call the big game. If this is the best crew the league has had I rest my case. There has been and there remains a major officiating problem in the league and it is harming the integrity of the game.

 - Interview with Bruce Springsteen
 - Rainn Wilson pimping the Office with Al Roker
 - Four stars from Fast & Furious pimping their movie (if you want to call it that–the girls just stood there while Vin Deisel and Paul Walker attempted to make sense)
 - Andrea Kremer actually interviewed a football player–Troy Polamalu–but it was about his hair
 - Conan O’Brien making a fool of himself with some dumb kicking gags
 - CNBC stock updates (along with gratuitous pimping of NBC selling ads for the Super Bowl at $100,000 per second)
 - And finally, one actual football clip, where Cris Collinsworth was working on the field with a player (didn’t see who).

This is what the Super Bowl pregame show has become–all about the entertainment, nothing about football.  It’s sad, and frankly pathetic–and I can’t believe Bob Costas is as willing as he appears to be to participate.

Add to that the Today Show, which broadcast from the stadium this morning (and had more relevant information, in some ways–at least they covered the Taste of the NFL party), and the non-stop pimping of their interview with Obama–which also makes little sense to me, other than our new president seems to like to be on TV whenever possible, and I’m not sure I’m going to stomach another two and a half hours of this drivel…

**UPDATE** Costas actually did an interesting interview with Roger Goodell–wow, actual talk about football!  Of course, it was only a portion of the interview–the whole interview is on their Web site, along with a bunch of other football related content…