Players on Each Super Bowl XLVI Team Most Likely to Play the Role of Goat

Every Super Bowl has a hero.

Every Super Bowl features a player whose name will be written in the history books as a player who was at their best in the biggest moment of their life. Whether it's a Hall of Fame quarterback like Joe Montana, or a special teamer like David Tyree, Super Bowls can make stars out of anyone on the field.

They can make goats out of anyone, too.

The pressure of the Super Bowl is incredible. It's not only the biggest game of the most popular sport in America, it's the biggest TV event on the planet. Most NFL players will never get the chance to play in one, let alone win one. Every play of every Super Bowl is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Some players thrive on pressure like this, and others collapse. Still others are the victim of circumstance, the oblong ball bouncing the wrong way on them. Some, like Raiders center Barrett Robbins, lose their grip before the game even starts.

Here are the players most likely to be remembered forever as "the guy who lost Super Bowl XLVI."

New England Patriots Wide Receiver Wes Welker

Wes Welker has a well-deserved reputation as a sure-handed playmaker. He's quarterback Tom Brady's favorite target, and the Patriots' only true deep threat.

But Welker has a dirty secret: He's dropped 13 passes this year. That's fourth-most in the NFL behind Roddy White, Brandon Marshall and Greg Little. Welker has the second most targets in the NFL with 169, but Calvin Johnson had 151 and only dropped seven. Larry Fitzgerald had 151 targets and only dropped three.

If Welker can't get his hands around the game-winning touchdown pass, his sure-handed reputation will slip from his grasp.

New York Giants Running Back Brandon Jacobs

Standing tall at 6'4" and weighing 264 pounds, New York Giants tailback Brandon Jacobs is built like Fort Knox. His imposing frame implies sturdiness and security.

So how does he keep losing track of his most valuable possession?

Jacobs has fumbled three times this season on just 152 carries. Only six backs have dropped the rock more often this season, and all of them have more carries than Jacobs. If he gets his pocket picked at a critical juncture, resulting in a Giants loss, he'll be the first culprit fingered.

New England Patriots Cornerback Devin McCourty

Devin McCourty had one of the most phenomenal rookie seasons any cornerback has ever had. In his sophomore outing, he's been much less effective.

Opposing quarterbacks have had a 103.3 passer efficiency rating when throwing at McCourty this season, down from 61.1 in 2010. When the Giants and Patriots faced off earlier this year, the Giants were without wideout Hakeem Nicks; whether McCourty primarily covers Nicks or Victor Cruz, he'll have his hands full.

If McCourty surrenders the game-winning touchdown, he'll cap one of the most dramatic sophomore slumps any rookie has ever had.

New York Giants Wide Reciever Mario Manningham

New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham has been targeted just 73 times this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He's dropped six of those passes thrown his way, and hauled in just 39. He's got the worst reception percentage of any Giants receiver.

Though Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz have each been targeted almost twice as many times, Eli Manning has been intercepted more often when throwing to Manningham (five) than Nicks (four) or Cruz (three).

If Manningham drops a critical pass on the final drive, or lets one bounce off his hands into the waiting arms of a Patriot defender, his name will be uttered as a curse by Giants fans forevermore.

New York Giants Safety Antrel Rolle

The most direct route to an embarrassingly easy touchdown is for a receiver to go completely uncovered. The most typical way that happens is for a cornerback to rely on safety help that never comes (see the NFC Wild Card game between the Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints for an example).

Giants safety Antrel Rolle has struggled with such miscommunications this year, prompting him to claim that he's been burned more by the media than by opposing wideouts.

If it happens in the Super Bowl, he can protest all he wants—he'll still be the scapegoat.

Quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady

Both Eli Manning and Tom Brady are great quarterbacks having great seasons. Both have been here before, and both have won before. There's no rational reason to believe either will be the goat if their team doesn't hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

But the fact is, quarterbacks touch the ball more than any other player, especially in today's pass-centric NFL. If the signal-caller has a bad day at the office, more often than not he gets the blame for a loss...and more often than not, that blame is justified.

Both quarterbacks have an opportunity to write their names in the record books. Eli can join the elite pantheon of quarterbacks who've won more than one Super Bowl, and Tom Brady can ascend to the rarefied air of four-time champions: the domain of Bradshaw and Montana.

Deserved or not, the losing quarterback in this game will most likely be labeled the goat of Super Bowl XLVI.