The celebration for the Super Bowl’s golden anniversary will be underway Thursday evening when the NFL kicks off the 2015 regular season. In honor of the game’s 50th edition, the NFL has turned its logo gold. The 50-yard line numbers will also be painted gold in every stadium and an untold amount of limited-edition “gold” merchandise will be available for purchase by fans. With the hype train all set to leave the station, it seems an appropriate time to focus on the game itself, which is set to be held at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 7, 2016.
Two lucky teams will have the honor of playing in the anniversary game. With sixteen teams in each conference, there are 256 possible matchups that we could see in Super Bowl 50. As fascinating as a Jacksonville-Arizona combination might be, there are clearly some pairings that will excite football fans more than others. Without further ado, here are the ten most compelling potential matchups for Super Bowl 50.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – OCTOBER 07: Randall Cobb #18 of the Green Bay Packers runs for a touchdown during the NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 7, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
10. Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts
Only one quarterback can hold the title of “best in the game.” This matchup between the Packers and Colts would pair the current consensus “best” quarterback in the league, Aaron Rodgers, against the player most likely to claim that title from him someday, Andrew Luck. Other highlights of this matchup include the Packers vying for their fifth Super Bowl title and Aaron Rodgers potentially cementing his legacy with a second. A victory in this game would catapult the trajectory of Luck’s career, instantly making him the league’s premiere player and cementing his name in Colts’ lore with Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning.
9. Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills
No two teams have endured more pain at the hands of the Super Bowl than the Vikings and Bills. While not the likeliest of pairings, this matchup would guarantee that one of the four-time losers would experience their first taste of Super Bowl immortality after a 50-year wait. On the other hand, the game’s loser would face the humiliating prospect of having an 0-5 record in the big game. No matchup on this list would better define the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” making this contest a much-watch event for all sports fans.
8. Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos
This rematch of Super Bowl XXXII would contain all the intrigue of the John Elway-Brett Favre matchup from 18 years ago, when an aging Broncos player went head-to-head with a Packers QB in his prime. For all his football accolades, Peyton Manning still only holds one Super Bowl ring. Adding a second Lombardi Trophy to his shelf would help cement his legacy as a multiple Super Bowl winner and reignite the Brady-Manning debate about who is the best quarterback of his generation. For Rodgers, a victory would assure that he will never be what Manning has become, a prolific passer with only a single championship win to his name.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – SEPTEMBER 15: Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos and brother quarterback Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants shake hands at the end of the Denver Broncos 41-23 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 15, 2013 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Ron Antonelli/Getty Images)
7. New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos
The Super Bowl XLVII “Harbaugh Bowl” ended up being a terrific game despite the post half-time blackout. If opposing head coach brothers was fun to watch, then opposing quarterback brothers has the potential to be even better! The intrigue of Peyton vying to match Eli’s two Super Bowl titles vs. Eli pulling away in the competition for good would be fantastic. While a championship game featuring Peyton vs. Eli would be every ad agency’s dream, there is definite concern that this act would wear fans out very quickly. It’s clear that we will already be inundated with Super Bowl 50 promos for the next five months, so throwing the hype of the “Manning Bowl” on top of that may simply be too much.
6. Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
No two franchises have a more storied history than the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, making this matchup a fitting one for the NFL’s golden anniversary. After dominating the league in the early years, both franchises have had a modern day renaissance this past decade thanks to their superb quarterback play. While this matchup was featured only five years ago in Super Bowl XLV, having Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger go head-to-head again is sure to entertain fans. As both a nod to the past and a glimpse of the present, this Green Bay-Pittsburgh matchup would likely rate well among NFL fans.
5. Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots
If a Super Bowl XXXII rematch would be good, a Super Bowl XXXI repeat would be even better. Unlike the above Manning-Rodgers contest, pitting the league’s former “best quarterback” vs. its current one, a Brady-Rodgers Super Bowl could be considered a match-up to determine, once and for all, which QB actually is the best in the game. Both franchises have experienced Super Bowl success four times prior and would be looking to add a definitive fifth Lombardi Trophy to their case. The teams’ premier quarterbacks and their place in NFL history would make this a phenomenal 50th anniversary matchup.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – OCTOBER 06: Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts is taken down by Jordan Hill #97 of the Seattle Seahawks at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 6, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)
4. Seattle Seahawks vs. Indianapolis Colts
NFL fans, welcome to this decade’s version of the Brady-Manning debate. When Andrew Luck was drafted #1 overall in 2012, no one thought it would be the plucky Russell Wilson with two Super Bowl appearances already under his belt in 2015. This battle of pedigree vs. performance echoes the themes that have made the contests between Manning and Brady so compelling for all these years. However, unlike the two Hall-of-Famers who were forced to battle each other in AFC Championship games, Luck and Wilson will get to settle their score on the biggest stage of them all. With a victory in this game, Wilson and the Seahawks would establish a mini-dynasty, going to three consecutive Super Bowls and winning two. With a win by Indianapolis, Colts fans would avoid ending up on the short end of yet another quarterback debate and see “Andrew the Giant” win his first title at a much younger age than Peyton Manning did.
3. Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
We’ve been here before—three times to be exact. While a Cowboys-Steelers rematch of Super Bowls X, XIII, and XXX would be a bit redundant, there is no denying that the fourth incarnation of this game would be a ratings boon. This matchup would feature two enormous fan bases that vehemently dislike each other. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that a Dallas victory would tie them with Pittsburgh for the most Super Bowl titles, at six a piece. A Steelers’ win would give them seven championships in 50 years and clear bragging rights as the most dominant team of the Super Bowl Era’s first half-century. From a historical perspective, this matchup would be the ultimate 50th anniversary game for the Super Bowl.
2. Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots
Most NFL fans would rather be hit by a train than suffer through another Cowboys or Patriots championship win. However, very few potential Super Bowl matchups would garner better ratings than a battle between the two teams that everyone loves to hate. Try as they might, football fans simply would not be able to look away. The Cowboys and Patriots have appeared in a combined sixteen Super Bowls, winning nine. However, despite their winning ways, the two teams have never gone head-to-head in the big game. Super Bowl 50 would mark the perfect occasion for such a controversial matchup. In a game featuring the league’s greatest villains, NFL fans would be left with only one thing to root for: the meteor.
GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 03: Malcolm Butler makes a game-winning interception during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona.
1. Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots
Ending this list with a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl is hardly creative, but after the thrill ride that was Super Bowl XLIX, how could football fans not want to do it all over again? This matchup gives us everything we experienced back in February and more. On one hand you have the Seattle Seahawks looking to establish a modern day dynasty and dethrone New England from the NFL’s pedestal. On the other hand, the Patriots are vying for an unprecedented fifth Super Bowl in 15 years, which would cement this team as the most dominant in any football era.
There’s also the revenge factor to consider, with Seattle looking to atone for last season’s gut-wrenching loss, and the Patriots out to get vengeance on, well, everyone for having to endure a year of Deflategate allegations. You’ve got Brady looking to stand above all quarterbacks with a fifth championship. You’ve got Wilson trying to establish himself as Brady’s successor. You’ve got Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Rob Gronkowski, Marshawn Lynch, Malcolm Butler, and Richard Sherman back to do it all again.>
This is the best vs. the best. When it comes to a potential Super Bowl 50 matchup, it’s clear that no game will be able to top this one. The good news for football fans is that this legendary Seahawks-Patriots rematch just happens to be the one game of the 256 possibilities that we’re actually most likely to get!
