Super Bowl 2012: Ranking Every QB's Odds of Reaching Indianapolis

The NFL has become a pass-happy league in which you must have a top-tier quarterback to win games.

There are eight teams left in the NFL playoffs and each of them has a quarterback capable of leading their respective team to the Super Bowl.

The three best quarterbacks in the NFL; Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees are all under tremendous pressure to get back to the Super Bowl and will be challenged by several young quarterbacks looking to make a name for themselves this postseason.

Let's rank every QB's odds of reaching Indianapolis.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers leads the 15-1 Green Bay Packers against the surging New York Giants on Sunday and the pressure to get back to the Super Bowl has been immense all season for the likely NFL MVP.

His remarkable 46 touchdown passes with only six interceptions was one of the greatest single-season stat lines in NFL history and he needs to be an accurate passer against a good Giants defense to lead the Packers to victory this week.

New York has the best pass-rush in football right now, and if the Packers don't protect Rodgers well enough, they could easily lose to the Giants.

Rodgers threw for 369 yards with four touchdowns in a slim 38-35 road victory over the Giants in Week 13 and he will have to be just as impressive to beat Big Blue again.

Odds of reaching the Super Bowl: 9/5

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Tom Brady has lost his last three playoff games after starting his postseason career with a historic 10-0 record. Last year's Divisional round loss to the rival New York Jets was one of the worst losses of Brady's career, and it's a loss he does not think about too much.

"I haven't thought about anything about last year or last week," he said before practice this week. "I'm trying to think about today."

This year's Patriots team has an offense that is almost unstoppable. Tight end Rob Gronkowski set an NFL record with 17 touchdown receptions for a tight end and wide receiver Wes Welker led the NFL with 122 receptions.

Against a 9-8 Denver Broncos team on Saturday, Brady will dominate and lead the Patriots to the AFC Championship game.

Brady threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in a 41-23 victory at Denver in Week 15, and at home with the season on the line, there is no question he is going to win.

Against the Baltimore Ravens or Houston Texans in the AFC title game, Brady has a great shot to lead the Patriots to their fifth Super Bowl in 10 years.

Odds of reaching the Super Bowl: 8/3

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's single season record for passing yards this year, a mark that stood for over 25 years.

The Saints have the No. 1 ranked passing offense, and Brees has many quality weapons on offense such as tight end Jimmy Graham.

Against the San Francisco 49ers on the road this weekend, the Saints have a good chance to win and move onto the NFC Championship game. The 49ers stop the run better than anyone in football, but are ranked just 16th in the league against the pass.

Brees' offense is good enough to beat any team in the NFL, but the hopes the Saints have of making the Super Bowl begin and end with the play of their defense.

Odds of reaching the Super Bowl: 7/2

Eli Manning, New York Giants

The New York Giants defense gets most of the credit for their success, but the play of quarterback Eli Manning makes them a real Super Bowl contender.

Manning threw for 900 yards more than his career high this season and has the best trio of wide receivers in the NFL: Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham.

With a great defense that pressures the quarterback tremendously well, Manning just has to not make mistakes and New York will beat the Packers.

Green Bay has the NFL's worst passing defense and Manning will have little troubling carving them up for a ton of yards.

Odds of reaching the Super Bowl: 9/2

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco is a good quarterback but he has underachieved in his young playoff career. Flacco has four touchdown passes with seven interceptions and a 53.3 completion percentage in seven career postseason games.

Baltimore cannot get to the Super Bowl unless Flacco elevates his game to a level beyond what he showed in the regular season.

The Ravens' best chance to win is with running back Ray Rice touching the ball on nearly every offensive play. However, Flacco needs to win when it counts in the fourth quarter for the Ravens to make another Super Bowl appearance, and nothing he has done recently leads me to believe he is capable of doing that.

Odds of reaching the Super Bowl: 7/1

Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers

Alex Smith had a surprisingly good season for the San Francisco 49ers, after many were starting to label him a major bust as a former No. 1 overall draft pick.

Smith's most impressive stat is his five interceptions, which proves he's capable of protecting the football and not putting his defense in too many tough situations.

The 49ers will go as far in the playoffs as their defense will take them, so Smith just needs to manage the game and make throws when it counts.

In his first ever playoff game this weekend, it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure.

Odds of reaching the Super Bowl: 14/1

T.J. Yates, Houston Texans

The Houston Texans just need T.J. Yates to not make mistakes and they have a chance to reach the Super Bowl.

Arian Foster has led the Texans in the running game this season, which was ranked No. 2 in the league. Yates' job is made much easier because of Houston's excellent running game that scares defenses.

The Texans have the third best passing defense, and the fourth best rushing defense, and if they are to reach the Super Bowl it will be the defense that carries them there.

Yates didn't throw an interception against the Bengals, but he did not have to throw in any high-pressure situations, either. Against a talented and veteran Ravens defense this weekend, Yates will struggle to find consistent success.

Odds of reaching the Super Bowl: 17/1

Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos

Tebow-mania is in high gear after the Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime during Wild-Card weekend, but he will not beat the New England Patriots in the Divisional round.

Tebow threw for an astounding 316 yards last week against the No. 1-ranked passing defense in the NFL, but you can bet the Patriots won't be as stubborn as the Steelers and respect his ability to throw the ball.

Against immense playoff pressure in a game where he will have to score at least 30 points to win, Tebow will fail against the Patriots and his season will end.

Odds of reaching the Super Bowl: 30/1

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