NFL Playoffs 2012: Why Ravens vs. 49ers Is Best Super Bowl Matchup for NFL

On the day that defenses become irrelevant, the NFL will die.

The outcome of a football game was meant to be determined by the ability of 11 passionate warriors.  When a pretty boy quarterback can single-handedly win the world title, the gridiron loses that aura of a battlefield.

The New England Patriots are the only team still alive in the playoffs in which their defense could be labeled as "pathetic."  The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers both have elite defensive units while the New York Giants’ may be the hottest in the league.  If the Pats were able to come out on top of the league’s Final Four, the value of an NFL defense would fall off a bit.

Over the past decade, the majority of offenses have evolved from a balanced attack to being pass heavy.  Tom Brady is a legendary quarterback, but if he can shred defenses glittered with All-World defenders, entire rosters will begin to shift toward being offensive minded instead of living by the cliché that "defense wins championships."

Because they wouldn’t anymore.  New England winning a Super Bowl with its pitiful stop unit would make the ’85 Bears shake their heads in disgust.  The scary part is, though, that the Patriots are now the favorites to take home the Lombardi Trophy.

Bill Belichick and company wouldn’t raise the heavyweight title belt with a balanced team effort, but an overwhelming offensive assault.  To achieve a championship, they’d be forced to make the likes of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata, along with Patrick Willis, Justin Smith or Jason Pierre-Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka feel helpless.  Such a feat would crush the soul of every defensive coordinator on the planet.

While a Ravens-49ers matchup would be ideal, New York fighting its way into the big game wouldn’t destroy the league’s image of being full of soldiers either.  The lone reason why a Harbaugh Bowl would be the best matchup for the NFL is because their defenses are without a doubt the heart and soul of their ball clubs.

A Patriots Super Bowl victory may mark the beginning of a new dynasty, but it would also signal the death of a need for a top-notch defense. 

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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