Super Bowl 2012: Patriots vs. Giants Rematch Most Compelling Matchup

Listen, I love a good defensive matchup as much as the next guy, I really do.

But let's be honest—a Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers wouldn't be all that compelling.

Sure, we'd have fun watching the heavy-hitting defenses wage war on the opponent's offense. But do you really want to see a Super Bowl with a 16-6 score, much like Baltimore's Week 12 defeat of San Francisco? For that matter, do you really want to see Joe Flacco match wits against Alex Smith?

Good grief, no. We don't want another BCS National Championship Game here.

We want to see the New England Patriots battle the New York Giants in the rematch.

We want to see elite quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Eli Manning—yeah, I'm putting Manning in the elite discussion now—do battle. We want to see explosive receivers like Wes Welker, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz and playmaking tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Nobody really cares about the Harbaugh Bowl possibilities except for people in Baltimore, San Francisco and members of the Harbaugh family.

The shootout possibilities between the Giants and Patriots are simply more compelling, and the Giants defensive line against Tom Brady would be a fun matchup to watch as well.

There are other possible scenarios, of course. The Giants against the Ravens would present the two teams with the best balance between offense and defense. That game's a rematch as well, but who really wants to think back to Super Bowl XXXV and the Ravens' drubbing of the Giants, 34-7?

Nobody, that's who.

The Patriots and the 49ers could actually present an interesting parallel to the first Patriots victory in Super Bowl XXXVI. In that game, the Patriots were led by a physical defense, but were the underdogs against the "Greatest Show on Turf" highlighted by Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

Could the 49ers—similar at least defensively to that Patriots team—upset New England and create their own dynasty under Jim Harbaugh?

Possibly.

Would that game be as exciting as the Patriots and Giants trading points?

Probably not.

You need only look back at the Giants' thrilling 24-20 win over the Patriots in Week 9—marked by Eli Manning's game-winning touchdown pass to Jake Ballard with 15 seconds left—for proof of how these teams would be playing one another in the Super Bowl.

Actually, just look to the fourth quarter—the Giants were winning a boring 10-3 matchup after the third quarter before each offense woke up.

I guess even the ideal matchup has the potential to be boring.

But that game still beat 16-6.

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