The year of the Quarterback

Star Quarterbacks eat your hearts out. 

Anytime Joe Flacco and Alex Smith make it to championship games, it’s a weird year. Teams are depending on strong running games and stifling defenses to shut down star quarterbacks. Luckily, we have Tom Brady and Eli Manning to balance things out.

This whole year I have recapped the games that have happened – I’ll do that real quickly, but then we’re going to look at the potential Super Bowl matchups. 

If you missed the Saints – 49ers game, you missed a doozy. More specifically, if you missed the last four minutes you missed a great show. A touchdown pass from Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees to Darren Sproles put the Saints on top. Then, 49ers’ quarterback Alex Smith – channeling his best Steve Young impression – scampered 28 yards for a touchdown. The Saints got the ball back and a Brees heave to tight end Jimmy Graham put the Saints back on top. Then (yes, there’s more), Alex Smith led the 49ers down the field where he channeled his inner Joe Montana and found tight end Vernon Davis in the end zone.

Broncos - Patriots was defined by total domination by the Patriots. Tom Brady tied an NFL playoff record with six touchdown passes during the 45-10 romp. Tight end Rob Gronkowski caught three of those touchdowns. Here’s how bad it got for the Tim Tebow-led Broncos: Late in the game, Tom Brady punted the ball – on third down.

Texans – Ravens turned out to be a slugfest. The Texans found themselves in a 17-3 hole after costly turnovers, but roared back to 17-13 at halftime. Despite the strong play of guys like running back Arian Foster and defensive end J.J. Watt, it wasn’t meant to be for the Texans. In the end, they couldn’t overcome the youth of their third-string, fifth-round quarterback T.J. Yates, who threw three interceptions. If they had Matt Schaub and Mario Williams perhaps it could have been a different story for the Texans.

Giants – Packers confirmed that we would have a new Super Bowl champion. The Packers were plagued with fumbles, drops and ineptitude on defense. Giants’ wide receiver Hakeem Nicks continued his beastly play in the playoffs, and topped off the first half with a Hail Mary catch in the end zone reminiscent of the David Tyree catch from the Super Bowl. 

Now that my Houston Texans are out, I’m free to be completely unbiased about what I think will happen in the championship games. Of course, just because my favorite team is out doesn’t mean there aren’t matchups I would prefer to see more than others. Here are the four potential Super Bowl games, ranked from worst to best in my opinion:

49ers – Ravens. This game would be a nightmare for the NFL. The starting quarterbacks would be Alex Smith and Joe Flacco. The tough, strong defenses of these teams would keep the game low scoring and dull at times, leading casual viewers to tune out in droves. The reason I don’t want to see this matchup is because of the head coaches. If I have to hear about the Harbaugh brothers playing against each other – a game which could be known as the “HarBowl” – for two weeks, I might go crazy.

Giants – Ravens. This one could be interesting for a number of reasons. Seeing Eli Manning go up against the likes of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed would make for good television. I think this would be a great matchup for the Giants, as they seem to be able to counter all of the Ravens’ strengths. That being said, it would be a close game and it would have the New York market, which the NFL would love.

49ers – Patriots. A lot of people don’t like Tom Brady, but I respect a great player. I want Tom Brady in the Super Bowl because he has provided a quality game in all four of the games he has played in. In this particular matchup, Brady would face the team he grew up idolizing. He could also tie his childhood hero, Joe Montana, in Super Bowl victories with four. Having a high-powered team like the Patriots going against a scrappy team like the 49ers would make for an interesting contest. There would also be the East Coast – West Coast thing happening, and there would be two teams with illustrious history playing against each other.

Giants – Patriots is the game I’m hoping for, however. The last time these two teams played, the Giants ended the Patriots’ quest for perfection. The revenge factor alone makes this game worthwhile. The quarterback matchup between Tom Brady and Eli Manning is the best one left to choose from, and both quarterbacks could likely tear up the opposing teams’ defense. For those looking out for the best interests of the NFL, we have the New York market, two big-time NFL franchises, two marketable quarterbacks, two high scoring offenses and plenty of entertaining interviews and storylines. This is the game for me.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter what I want. In the end, I’m all right with all the games but 49ers – Ravens. If I have to watch that game, I’ll only have two words:

(Har)baugh humbug.