Super Bowl Predictions 2012: New Offensive Records Will Be Set in Indianapolis

Attention, fans of offense. I come bearing good news. Super Bowl XLVI is going to feature a ton of yards and a ton of scoring.

How do I know that Super Bowl XLVI is going to be an offensive showcase, you ask?

Call it an educated hunch. Given the teams that are likely to be duking it out in Indianapolis on Feb. 5, an offensive showcase is a reasonable expectation.

When you look at the AFC, there's one great offensive team that sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the pack, and that's the New England Patriots. They're the conference's No. 1 seed, and there's a very good chance that they will make it back to the Super Bowl this season.

In fact, I already have it down in print that they're going to. Since it is written, it will happen.

Knock on wood.

The NFC bracket features the two best offensive teams in the NFL in the first-seeded Green Bay Packers and the third-seeded New Orleans Saints. The general consensus among pundits and fans alike is that the two of them will meet in the NFC Championship Game, and I'm not about to dispute the notion.

Regardless of who wins, the Super Bowl will be getting an elite offensive team. The resulting matchup, Packers/Saints vs. Patriots, will be one in which defenses need not apply.

Once the matchup is set in stone, the NFL record-keepers better be ready. They're going to need to pencil in new records for total yards gained and total points scored.

The record for most total points scored in the Super Bowl is 75, set by the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. The 49ers scored 49, and the Chargers scored 26. 

The record for most total yards in the Super Bowl is 929, set in Super Bowl XXII by the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos. The Redskins gained 602, and the Broncos gained 327.

Considering the three offenses we're discussing for Super Bowl XLVI, the above numbers seem rather tame. The Packers/Saints and Patriots would blow them out of the water.

All three teams averaged better than 32 points per game during the regular season, and all three managed over 400 total yards per game. To boot, the Packers topped 40 points six times in the regular season and the Saints have topped 40 points seven times including the postseason. The Patriots only topped 40 points twice, but scoring in the mid-30s was routine for them.

Additionally, the assault on the record books will be helped by the fact that none of the three teams excels on defense. This is especially true against the pass, as the three teams finished at the bottom of the league in terms of pass defense.

So just off the top of my head, I would put the over/under for points at 80, and I would put the over/under for total yards at 950. Both would be new Super Bowl records.

To be sure, those who fancy themselves as football purists who love defense are going to hate this game. They'll whine and complain that the game is being destroyed before our very eyes and bemoan the downfall of defense in the NFL.

But hey, the purists got their fill of fun with the BCS National Championship Game.