Super Bowl Predictions 2012: Packers Will Battle Patriots for Lombardi Trophy

Saying the Green Bay Packers will face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl this season is like saying your favorite ice cream flavors are chocolate and vanilla.

Sure, they may be good, but they're still boring selections.

We've heard enough about Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Especially considering the rise of Tim Tebow, the recent surge from the New Orleans Saints and the remarkable comeback story of the San Francisco 49ers, picking the Packers and Patriots is even less interesting.

Nonetheless, I can't bring myself to stray from the Packers and Patriots.

First, what I like about the Packers. We've all heard about the offense led by Rodgers that averaged 35.0 points per game in the regular season, the most in the NFL. But what intrigues me about them even more is that their defense, despite giving up tons of yards, has a nose for the ball.

They racked up 31 interceptions this season, by far the most in the NFL, and we all know turnover differential is critical in winning football games.

As for the Patriots, their offense is obviously explosive, but they also racked up 23 interceptions, tied for second-most in the NFL with the 49ers. It's also hard for me to see any team in the AFC beating them, including the defensive powerhouse that is the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are too inconsistent offensively for me to have them keeping up with the Patriots in the end.

So the question for me becomes, who will win between the Packers and the Patriots?

Now it gets a little more interesting.

I don't expect teams this well-coached to cough the ball up too many times in the Super Bowl, but I do give the edge to Rodgers over Brady in the passing game this season.

The Patriots dominated the Buffalo Bills, but, then again, the Bills proved to be a mediocre team this season. It does concern me that the Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins by a mere three points in Week 16 and had close wins over the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins.

And let's be honest, when backup quarterback Matt Flynn leads the Packers to 45 points, setting Packers records for passing yards and touchdowns in a single game, you wonder if this offense is just too well-oiled to be stopped.

And with all the talk of the Packers not having much of a running game, they averaged 0.1 fewer yards per carry in the regular season than the Patriots. There's not much of a disparity there.

Call me boring, but I see the Packers winning their second straight Lombardi Trophy.