Super Bowl 2012: 5 Pairings That Would Have Made for a Better Game

We are on the eve of Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. While this promises to be a really good game, there are some who tend to believe that there were better possible matchups.

After all, we went through this same "song and dance" just four short years ago. Why not get some new blood in the Super Bowl? What about a cross-sectional big game? Sibling rivalry? The list goes on and on.

One thing is for sure, fans of the other 30 teams in the NFL could probably care less about the outcome of this game.

They don't have a vested interest in seeing Tom Brady match Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for most Super Bowl Championships by a quarterback in NFL history. Nor, do they have a vested interest in seeing Eli Manning one-up his big brother.

Of course, if will be the highest ranked show on television this season, hundreds of countries will be running it live and Radio Row will be at full force.

With that said, I thought it would be a great idea to look at the "what could have been" factor. What hypothetical matchups would have been better than the one we are going to view in real life tomorrow?

This article is going to focus on five such "matchups."

5. Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots

Just imagine what this game would have looked like. A quarterback who has won three Super Bowls over the course of the last decade going up against the new "face of the league," coming off his first Lombardi Trophy.

Two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks leading two historically good offenses against two historically bad defenses. I have a hard time even imagining the storylines that would have taken place here.

We have seen some good quarterback matchups in past Super Bowls, off the top of my head Peyton Manning vs. Drew Brees, Kurt Warner vs. Tom Brady and Joe Montana vs. Dan Marino. It's hard to speculate where this one would have ranked, but it has to be right up there.

Don't fret, we still have time to see these two superstars go up against one another on the biggest stage that the NFL has to offer.

4. New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots

If you think that the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots' hypothetical Super Bowl matchup would have been high scoring, just imagine what the over/under would have been for this game.

These two teams combined to average 66.3 points per game, while giving up 42.5 points per game. Tom Brady and Drew Brees combined to throw for over 10,500 yards and 85 touchdowns. 

The average football fan, someone that doesn't pay attention to the sport on a weekly basis, would have been extremely entertained by this Super Bowl. With that said, those of us who watch the NFL religiously would have seen something incredibly wrong with it: the lack of defense.

Still, the idea of a Saints-Patriots Super Bowl would have been compelling for a number of different reasons. Two Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks, two of the top teams in the league over the last four seasons and two defenses that would have struggled to stop these two high-octane offenses.

Just imagine Tom Brady and Drew Brees battling it out through the air to see who could bring home the Lombardi Trophy, with Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker on the receiving end.

3. New York Giants and Denver Broncos

While the game might not have been too great, the two weeks leading up to it could have collectively broken Twitter down and ended Facebook as we know it. Just imagine the trends on Twitter, probably every single one mentioning No. 15.

The scene would probably put Occupy Wall Street to shame and make the Arab Spring look peaceful by comparison. Shirts of Tebow would be being burned in New York City, while Bronco supporters would take time out of their day to "Tebow."

In the end, Brandon Jacobs would probably cough up the ball as the Giants were trying to run out the clock, setting up an epic finish.

Tim Tebow would then hoist a 66-yard pass in the end zone with six seconds left to give the Broncos a 10-7 Super Bowl victory in a play that would be renamed The "Hail Tebow."

2. San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens

The "Harbowl" was played out on Thanksgiving, but that was merely a regular season game.

Imagine these two brothers going up against one another in the Super Bowl. Sibling rivalry at its utmost, while their parents would probably be popping Xanax by the bottle.

This would also be a matchup that spanned the entire nation, from the east coast to the west coast. A cross sectional Super Bowl if there ever was one.

Taking the Harbaugh brothers out the equation for a second, this would be one epic duel.

Two of the best defenses in the NFL going up against two mediocre quarterbacks on the biggest stage football has to offer. Real students of the game would love this, but the average fan would probably find it boring. You could see a final score of 13-10 or something to that effect.

Despite Baltimore winning their only matchup this season 16-6, a game that saw Alex Smith sacked nine times: you wouldn't see the same thing in the Super Bowl.

San Francisco was coming off of three days rest, had to trek cross country and lost two of their best blockers in the first quarter of the game.

You have to remember this Super Bowl matchup came a missed field goal and muffed punt away from happening. I am pretty sure that both teams will be among the best in football next season, which makes this a possibility in 2012.

1. New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers

Tom Brady going up against his childhood team and attempting to match Joe Montana's record of four Super Bowl Championships. This game would probably be one of the most viewed in the history of the Super Bowl.

The bad blood extends along the lines of family lineage as well. The Brady family gave up their season tickets to the San Francisco 49ers when Bill Walsh and Co. passed on Tom in lieu of Giovanni Carmazzi in the 2000 NFL Draft.

San Francisco, on the other hand, would be looking to win their sixth Super Bowl Championship with an enigmatic quarterback who best defined the resurgence of the franchise.

This game would also be a matchup of two different styles. The high-octane New England Patriots offense against the best defense in the NFL. Finally, we would have a conclusion to the argument about whether offense or defense wins championships.