Atlanta, GA: With all the top seeds advancing, we have two excellent championship games on tap. Both home teams are favored by around a field goal. As the home team usually gets three points in the line, Vegas thinks these teams are about even. All four teams could are a threat to win it all. Here are the Super Bowl match-ups I’d like to see in reverse order.
#4. New Orleans vs New England
The Battle of the 40 year old QBs. SpyGate vs BountyGate. While it might be fun to see two guys in my age decade battling it out, there are too many familiar faces in this one for me. Just thinking of the shots of Kraft and Giselle, the references to “gates,” the Brees and Brady blowing smoke about each other in interviews, is making me feel sick.
#3 Los Angeles vs New England
Luke vs Darth Vader. The old genius vs the young genius. I’d prefer to not to see the Pats in this game at all. But maybe the Rams can avenge the Best Show on Turf getting upset by Tom Brady and the Pats in 2001. Maybe that’s how the Patriots dynasty has to end? Killed by the same franchise that allowed it to begin. The circle of life. The Patriots taped the Rams practice before that game, but we’re the NFL would like everyone to continue to pretend that didn’t happen.
My favorite thing about that game was John Madden repeatedly saying the Patriots should run out the clock and play for OT with a tie score and a minute and a half left in the game. He didn’t know about Tom Brady and Adam Vinatieri. Then in typical Madden fashion he flipped to “now I like what they’re doing” once they crossed midfield.
The Pats also got two fortunate calls on this drive – the refs stopping the clock after a JR Redmond catch when his knee hit in bounds before he extended the ball to the sideline, and not calling intentional grounding when Brady through it to the sideline with no one within 30 yards of it. I also enjoyed Pat Summerall call of the winning kick like it was a preseason game.
#2 KC vs New Orleans
The Young Gunslinger vs the Old Vet. These were the two best teams during the regular season and this sure would be a fun one. The Saints have the better defense, but the Chiefs have a little bit more firepower on offense. I don’t think many would complain about this matchup.
#1 KC vs Los Angeles
The Ma Homies vs Ma Gurleys. Sorry. This is the matchup for me. The two best offensive players in the league, Todd Gurley (and his portly, thrice cut sidekick, CJ Anderson) vs. Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs. The under over was 63 or 64 when they played in November, the highest ever. And it went over in the third quarter and ended up 40 points above the number. If you like points, this is the matchup for you.
When the Rams can run the ball like they did against Dallas, the play action and wild misdirection jet sweeps are pretty hard to defend. The Chiefs turned Cinderella back into a pumpkin and blew up the Colts bandwagon. They have the best deep threat and the best tight end in the league and it’s hard for teams to deal with both. Especially with a QB who can sling it from all sorts of angles on the move or in the pocket. The team with the ball last might win this one.
There you have it. Any one of these would be a damn intriguing game, but I’ll be rooting for a game without Bill Bellichick. Come on Chiefs, please send The Hoodie out to Nantucket early this year.
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