Super Bowl 2011: Is Steelers Packers The Best Matchup For This Year? All Ranked
No matter who you are or who is playing in the Super Bowl, Americans find a reason to gather together for this national holiday. If it's not the game, it's the commercials. If it's not the commercials, well at least you have an excuse to drink and eat as much as you desire and have everyone in your office the next day be in the same lethargic state.
The pairing of two historic teams like the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers should be an epic match up that should bring in even more viewers than normal, but for some reason this year's Superbowl seems almost under hyped (as hard as that may seem to believe).
At the beginning of the playoffs, there were 36 potential Super Bowl matchups. I look to answer if the one we got was the best one.
36. Kansas City Chiefs Versus Seattle Seahawks
1 of 36
This would have been the NFL's nightmare scenario. Outside of Kansas City and Seattle, not sure where this game would draw any interest.
Story lines: Matt Cassle could finish the game with as many ring as Peyton Manning and Brett Favre.
Why you should watch? Drinking games and commercials.
35. Baltimore Ravens Versus Seattle Seahawks
2 of 36
Story lines: Ray Lewis gets back to the Super Bowl after a decade absence. The Seahawks by winning this game would have 11 wins. The Ravens went 12-4 during the regular season.
Why You Should Watch? Would get ugly early. Ravens would score two defensive touchdowns early and probably keep a 21+ lead the entire way.
34. Kansas City Chiefs Versus Chicago Bears
3 of 36
Imagine if Cutler would not have been able to play, and the Super Bowl quarterback match up was Hanie versus Cassle.
Both Soldier Field and Arrowhead Stadium are top five places to go watch a football game. However, seeing the 2010-11 version of these teams playing for the Superbowl in Dallas... tough sell.
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33. Kansas City Chiefs Versus Atlanta Falcons
4 of 36
The Atlanta Falcons were a very quiet 13-3 this season. Even if the Chiefs were able to pull off the victory there would be a weird sense amongst fans on what to call it.
Would it be a big upset?
Would Matt Ryan's stock as a top quarterback in this league rise after beating the Chiefs rather than the Patriots, Steelers or Colts?
32. New Orleans Saints Versus Kansas City Chiefs
5 of 36
A Saints return to the Super Bowl would be a good story. However, fans would want to see it against any of the five teams besides the Chiefs in the AFC.
This could end up being a good game, but the buildup during the week would be hard to generate.
31. Kansas City Chiefs Versus Philadelphia Eagles
6 of 36
The Mike Vick redemption story has already come further than anyone expected. The script is meant to end with a trip to the Super Bowl to battle a giant. Not the Chiefs.
What if the Chiefs won this game after a week long focus on Mike Vick?
30. Pittsburgh Steelers Versus Seattle Seahawks
7 of 36
Remember who the Steelers played in their first Super Bowl victory with Big Ben? Exactly.
No one has been waiting for this rematch.
29. Kansas City Chiefs Versus Green Bay Packers
8 of 36
As a Chiefs fan myself it's tough to have all of the potential Chiefs Super Bowl games be at the bottom like this, but they are simply not a hot ticket yet.
This game would have the cool "replay of the very first Super Bowl" angle to it and could provide some cool human interest stories about fans of both teams who were around for the first matchup.
Outside of that, very hard sell.
28. Indianapolis Colts Versus Seattle Seahawks
9 of 36
If this was one of the great Colts teams from years past, this could be an interesting game.
However, the Seahawks unlikely run all the way to the Super Bowl to play an average Colts team does not exactly send me to Stub Hub to check ticket prices.
27. New Orleans Saints Versus New York Jets
10 of 36
Would have preferred to see it last year over this year. Still, Sanchez versus Brees would have been a compelling match up.
26. Chicago Bears Versus Pittsburgh Steelers
11 of 36
The Super Bowl that almost happened. Would be a good defensive battle.
25. Baltimore Ravens Versus Green Bay Packers
12 of 36
Off the top of your head can you name the coach of the Ravens?
What about the Packers?
If you were able to answer those questions without Google assistance this game is for you.
24. Baltimore Ravens Versus New Orleans Saints
13 of 36
Drew Brees back in the Super Bowl for the second time in two years going against Ray Lewis who has waited a decade.
Would be interesting to watch this aging Ravens defense put it all on the line for one potentially final shot at the title.
23. New York Jets Versus Seattle Seahawks
14 of 36
The casual sports fan who tunes into Sportcenter at least 5-12 times per week will be familiar with the names Rex Ryan, Darrelle Revis, Mark Sanchez, Ladainian Tomlinson, and may have been hooked by HBO's Hard Knocks compelling look at the Jets.
With Seattle it's more like "that-USC-coach" and "does Hasselbeck still play for them?"
However, this Super Bowl would have intrigue by how unlikely the opponents are. The press conferences the week of would be great stories.
22. New England Patriots Versus Chicago Bears
15 of 36
Great offense going up against a great defense. Nothing wrong with this Super Bowl just not the type of game you were hoping to see all season long.
21. New York Jets Versus Atlanta Falcons
16 of 36
In five years, this will be a must see Super Bowl. Sanchez and Matt Ryan are two of the top young quarterbacks in the game, and I'm willing to bet they see each other somewhere down the line. Give this matchup time to build.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers Versus Atlanta Falcons
17 of 36
What this game may lack in story lines going into it, I think it would make up for it in one helluva game. These two teams combined for 25 wins during the regular season.
19. Baltimore Ravens Versus Philadelphia Eagles
18 of 36
Mike Vick is must watch television.
Ray Lewis is extremely popular especially with his new Old Spice ads.
This would bring in the die hard football fan, the casual football fan, and the regular sports fan together for what should be a great game.
18. Indianapolis Colts Versus Chicago Bears
19 of 36
Chicago Bears fans remember watching Devin Hester return the opening kickoff for a touchdown. They also remember watching their 14-6 early lead disappear and watch in agony as Peyton won his first ring.
This would be the revenge game. The battle of the Midwest.
17. Baltimore Ravens Versus Atlanta Falcons
20 of 36
Great offense battles great defense. A near perfect game for the football fan, but to the average viewer Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco are not exactly household yet.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers Versus Philadelphia Eagles
21 of 36
Could you imagine the storyline of Mike Vick versus Big Ben?
Would be interesting to see if people would be drawn in by the redemption aspect or be turned away feeling that people only care about winning football games and not real life issues. Lot of wounds are still raw surrounding fans feelings toward both these quarterbacks.
Putting controversies aside, this would be a fun game to watch.
15. Indianapolis Colts Versus Philadelphia Eagles
22 of 36
Mike Vick and Peyton Manning are completely different quarterbacks.
Who wins, the pocket passer or the scrambler?
14. New York Jets Versus Green Bay Packers
23 of 36
The Brett Favre Bowl. Both teams had their time with Favre (the Jets far shorter time with the future Hall of Famer) and one of them would prove to be moving on just fine without him at the end of the night.
Would Favre be able to watch?
13. Pittsburgh Steelers Versus New Orleans Saints
24 of 36
I think Drew Brees and Big Ben will go down as the "next level" guys of this generation.
Even though Ben could finish with as many rings as Tom Brady and Brees may retire with the same or more than Manning, people are going to always have the discussion for years to come who was better, Tom or Peyton.
Ben and Drew are the number three and number four guys.
12. Chicago Bears Versus New York Jets
25 of 36
If the NFL had a third place game instead of the Pro Bowl I would have tuned in to see Bears versus Jets.
As the Super Bowl, the NFL would have loved to see two big markets going at it.
11. Baltimore Ravens Versus Chicago Bears
26 of 36
This game would be so intense, so brutal, and so defensive minded the casual fan or fan with a weak stomach may turn away at the bone crushing hits.
However, for the football purist you couldn't ask for a better defensive struggle.
10. Atlanta Falcons Versus Indianapolis Colts
27 of 36
These guys would both air it out all night long in what could break all types of Super Bowl scoring records.
Game could end up looking like a Madden game which would excite viewers.
9. New Orleans Saints Versus New England Patriots
28 of 36
Defending champion versus the prominent champion of the last ten years.
Brady versus Brees is not a bad selling point either.
8. New England Patriots Versus Seattle Seahawks
29 of 36
I'm going out on a limb with this one. Yes, the Patriots in theory would destroy the Seahawks probably somewhere in the 45+ margin range, but America loves a Cinderella Story.
Seattle would be that little engine that could who strung together three straight victories over teams they were expected to lose to.
What bigger stage for a huge potential upset then the Super Bowl against the Patriots? If the Seahawks won this would be an even bigger upset for Bellicheck than the loss to the Giants to ruin the perfect season.
The week of anticipation for this David v. Goliath would be hard to top, the game might not live up to the hype and could be over by the second quarter.
7. Green Bay Packers Versus Pittsburgh Steelers
30 of 36
The real Super Bowl.
Two storied franchises? Check.
Two big name quarterbacks? Check.
Two famous quarterbacks that played before the current ones? Check.
This game has the recipe to be a great one, but for some reason things seem a little off in the anticipation for it. Add one more playmaker to both of these teams and I think we would have seen a larger buzz.
6. New Orleans Saints Versus Indianapolis Colts
31 of 36
America loves a rematch. Last year's game turned out to be a good one, this year's would be too.
If it's anything like the Lakers versus Celtics rematch from the 2010 NBA season, we would be in for a treat.
5. Green Bay Packers Versus Indianapolis Colts
32 of 36
Coaches will be showing video of Manning and Rodgers to their quarterbacks as the ideal way to play the position.
This is the type of ticket you go out and spend extra on to say you were at the duel between two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks (early to make the claim on Rodgers, but down the line he probably will be).
4. New England Patriots Versus Atlanta Falcons
33 of 36
There's something to be said about seeing the two number one seeds play for the Super Bowl.
They had the best records all season, let's see who truly is the best team.
3. New York Jets Versus Philadelphia Eagles
34 of 36
Cuz it feels so empty without me.
Rex Ryan in a Super Bowl needs to happen at some point. The Jets make the week before the games must-see television and even made the training camp a hit on HBO.
Could you imagine the coaching duel between two giant men (Reid and Ryan), one offensive mastermind versus the defensive mastermind?
Michael Vick, Mark Sanchez, Revis, Deshaun Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, there would be so many play makers on this field fans would never be able to look away. This is the type of, "Ok speed up the commercials I want to see the game!" type of match up.
2. Philadelphia Eagles Versus New England Patriots
35 of 36
If you had one chance to sell a sport to someone on watchability alone who would you choose? Lebron or Kobe for basketball, Pujols or Strasburg for baseball, but what about football?
This season the MVP race was between Mike Vick and Tom Brady. Both are guys you pay large sums of money to go see play.
Vick is electrifying; Brady's passion to win is engaging.
Vick did falter toward the end of the season, but if the Eagles got to the Super Bowl it would mean he tapped into his mid-season magic.
Brady versus Vick. An instant classic.
1. Green Bay Packers Versus New England Patriots
36 of 36
When these two teams were at their best this season, they stood out from the rest of the league.
The two met late in the season for a surprisingly exciting 31-27 game. The surprise was that Rodgers's back-up Matt Flynn, was able to challenge the Pats and nearly lead his team to victory.
At full strength I believe the Patriots and Packers are the two best teams in the NFL this season. Brady is a lock in the top two quarterbacks in the league and Rodgers is in the top five climbing faster and faster.
How fitting would it have been for Rodgers to go for his first Super Bowl win against the same team Favre won his only ring against?
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