Are the Packers and Patriots on a collision course for Super Bowl LI?
It's a fool's errand to predict the Super Bowl entrants ahead of time in a parity-driven league, but in the middle of January, the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots appear to be on a collision course.
With the Packers surging on an eight-game winning streak led by Aaron Rodgers, and the Patriots' unfathomably deep roster firing on all cylinders, there's a strong chance the two will square off at NRG Stadium on Feb. 5.
Mired in a four-game losing streak, the Packers were pronounced out of the playoff race by most analysts on Nov. 21. Rodgers declared that his team would run the table, a sentiment that felt like sheer bravado at the time. Reports emerged that Rodgers was a self-indulgent teammate, lacking empathy for his peers when they made mistakes, while cutting off members of his family.
Then, the two-time MVP grew fed up and lit the league aflame.
Rodgers' prophecy that the Packers would run the table came true as the team rallied to win its final six regular-season games, before stomping the New York Giants in a 38-13 triumph, that doubled as a declaration of further intent to damage. During the team's eight-game winning streak, the Packers averaged 32.1 points per game. While Rodgers not only continues to play at a stratospheric level, he's purposefully trying to embarrass his opponents, throwing 21 touchdowns against one interception in that span. Rodgers sliced the Cowboys' defense Sunday to the tune of 356 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, and for a moment, it seemed like nothing would get in the way of his team's manifest destiny.
Enter the New England Patriots.
The Patriots cruised to a 14-2 record and when Tom Brady returned from a four-game suspension, the team scorched opponents, imposing their will as the AFC's best team since Week 1. Even when Rob Gronkowski was lost indefinitely due to a back injury, the Patriots ran roughshod over opponents, averaging 27.6 points per game while securing the top seed. Brady submitted one of the most efficient seasons of his career and that's before mentioning the team's top-ranked scoring defense.
New England's defense improved throughout the season, holding opponents to an anemic 15.3 points per game. Dont'a Hightower and Devin McCourty submitted arguably the best campaigns of their careers, while the Patriots benefited from the continuity of Rob Ninkovich, Logan Ryan, and Malcolm Butler after the team traded Jamie Collins. In many respects, the Patriots are the NFL's least flawed team.
How do the Falcons topple the Packers? To that end, how do the winner of Chiefs-Steelers upend the Patriots? In both cases, their opponents will be forced into playing a high-tempo game, a dangerous proposition considering how easily Brady and Rodgers dissect defenses, when switching to no-huddle packages. New England's all-around dominance on offense makes it nearly impossible to predict, while the team's been able to rest running back LeGarrette Blount. Rodgers continues to elevate the likes of Jared Cook and Geronimo Allison to new heights, and the Falcons will dare the Packers into a shootout.
The NFL is eminently unpredictable, but the Packers and Patriots might be locked in to a meeting in Super Bowl LI.
A Super Bowl featuring Brady and Rodgers would be a colossal storyline, with two of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time squaring off once and for all with the Lombardi Trophy on the line.
Many regard Brady as the best quarterback in NFL history, with Rodgers as his heir apparent and both leaders pose a heavyweight matchup that's never been seen before. While both teams face rivals that ought not to be dismissed so flippantly, the Packers and Patriots are on a collision course, and any neutral observer ought to be thrilled as a result.