These are the games we hope we get in February.
The Super Bowl is always the biggest game of the year, and one of the largest spectacles in all of sports — but that doesn’t always mean the game is fun. Look no further than last year. Sure, Chiefs vs. 49ers was the matchup between the best teams, but was anyone outside of those two fanbases really looking forward to that game?
These playoffs are different. The slate is littered with absolute bangers and storylines lingering for decades in the NFL. Obviously we don’t get to pick what game we get when the dust settles, but here are five games we’d be thrilled with if they came to pass.
Push the football part of this to the back for a second. The sheer amount of drama and emotion in a Bills vs. Lions Super Bowl would lead to intergalactic levels of excitement. Two long-suffering franchises, arguably the best teams in their respective conferences. Each trying to finally bring a Lombardi Trophy to their city. The winner gets ultimate glory, the loser suffers unparalleled disappointment.
Then we get to the football side, and it would be fun as hell. Aaron Glenn would have time to cook up some unique defensive looks to stop the multi-level threat of Josh Allen, while the Bills’ prolific defense has to find a way to stop the league’s best defense. Great coaches, great quarterbacks, great running games — this game would have everything.
The all-purple Super Bowl has natural aesthetic appeal, but really this is about seeing some of the greatest individual stars in the NFL on display. Brian Flores is the most creative defensive coordinator in the NFL, and to watch him take a team with mid-tier defensive talent and try to stop Lamar Jackson would be fun as hell.
Then, on the other side of the ball, we have the Ravens’ excellent secondary tasked with covering Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in the electric Vikings passing offense.
We’re left with a game that showcases everything great about the individual athleticism of the NFL, as well as how mediocre players can become phenoms in the right system. Sprinkle in the drama of the Vikings trying to get their first Super Bowl win and it would be a ton of fun.
The big scheme storyline of 2024 was how teams returned to the run, and how running backs proved they’re not an endangered species in football. This matchup would have two absolute monster backs giving us hard-nosed football with Derrick Henry vs. Saquon Barkley being a spectacle for every old-school football fan.
On top of that, you sprinkle in the new-school dual-threat quarterback sensibilities of Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts and we’re left with a really compelling game with a heaping helping of regional beef.
Both of these teams have had past Super Bowl success, so we don’t quite get the level of drama a lot of us would be looking for — but this would still be a supremely fun game to watch, especially if you like great running backs.
This is really the only scenario where I’d accept seeing the Chiefs back in the Super Bowl again and actually be happy about it. Packers vs. Chiefs would be a rematch of Super Bowl I for the first time in history, and the amount of legacy and tradition these teams bring to the game would be unmatched.
Let’s face it: There would also be something supremely hilarious about Jordan Love leading the Packers to a Super Bowl and doing what Aaron Rodgers couldn’t over the last decade.
Give me literally anyone in the AFC and I’d be okay with it (not you, Chiefs). Seeing the Commanders complete their ascent from one of the worst teams in the NFL to making it to the Super Bowl in one year would be incredible beyond measure.
Washington is an incredibly fun team to watch on offense with Jayden Daniels at the helm, and they love to make big explosive plays. While nobody is sure whether Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive sensibilities can do much beyond one season of shock and awe, it would be fun to see it pay off with a rookie QB.
Much like the Schadenfreude of the Packers making the game, you know Dan Snyder will be crying legitimate tears by seeing his team make the game and he has nothing to show for it. It’s great to see a dope get their comeuppance.
