3-Wide: Which QB's legacy has the most to gain with a Super Bowl win?
3-Wide is a weekly feature in which theScore's NFL editors debate the hot topics around the league. Grab a cold towel and brace for hot takes.
Which Super Bowl matchup is most desirable?
Mitch Sanderson: Easy. The Patriots against the Packers. The NFL's best two quarterbacks have only played each other once in their careers and what could possibly be a better opportunity to promote their rematch than the Super Bowl? A Tom Brady versus Aaron Rodgers Super Bowl is not only the most desirable matchup for the big game, it's the most desirable matchup for any game.
Arun Srinivasan: A matchup between the Falcons and Patriots would put the league's top-ranked scoring offense against its highest-scoring defense in a showdown for the ages. Both Atlanta and New England play at an electrifying pace that would be amenable to most neutral viewer's tastes, while the game itself would serve as a generational clash between the old guard and the new upstart. Matt Ryan and Tom Brady were arguably the two most consistent quarterbacks this season, and duking it out for the Lombardi Trophy would be a fitting end to the year.
Michael McClymont: The Steelers and Packers are not only two of the NFL's most iconic franchises, they own two of the biggest fan bases and some of the most exciting players in the league today. Should they meet in Super Bowl LI, it would be a rematch of Super Bowl XLV and it would bring to the stage Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Randall Cobb, and other stars. Imagine the ratings.
Which under-the-radar player will step up this weekend?
Srinivasan: Logan Ryan is a quiet veteran presence for the Patriots' outstanding defense and he's in the best form of his life. Ryan will likely be deployed against Eli Rogers for the majority of the game and will be targeted often, as Malcolm Butler may shadow Antonio Brown exclusively. The 25-year-old's immense improvement in coverage will be on full display in the AFC Championship Game, as he seeks his second Super Bowl in three years.
McClymont: The NFC Championship Game is expected to be a shootout and so the game could rest on one critical stop. If the Falcons are to stop the Aaron Rodgers Express and return to the Super Bowl, they'll need to make a play in the passing game. That responsibility likely rests with Jalen Collins, a second-year pro who will be entrusted with guarding one of Rodgers' targets.
Sanderson: Geronimo Allison may be called upon much more than he is used to this Sunday with Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams banged up for the Packers. The undrafted rookie has flashed in his last few games, making a handful of plays when called upon. As the Falcons are missing their best cornerback, Allison could find himself in some favorable matchups in a game many expect to have a heightened scoreline.
Which QB's legacy has the most to gain with a Super Bowl win?
McClymont: Rodgers is on the trajectory to becoming one of the greatest to ever play the game. To make good on that promise, he absolutely cannot retire having won just one Super Bowl. His legacy will grow by leaps and bounds if he finishes this miraculous run - one that started with him suggesting the Packers could "run the table" - by winning 10 straight, all of them must-win games.
Sanderson: Brady has more Lombardi Trophies than any other quarterback remaining, but not more than anyone to ever play the position. He can accomplish that feat with a win at Super Bowl LI. Winning his fifth league championship would forever cement Brady as one of, if not the, greatest of all time and leave little chance for anyone to match his legacy.
Srinivasan: Ryan will finally be rated among the league's top quarterbacks with a Super Bowl victory, and has the most to prove among the final four. Brady and Rodgers will likely go down among the greatest quarterbacks of all time, while Roethlisberger booked his ticket to Canton long ago. Ryan is leading the Falcons' top-ranked scoring offense, a unit that will be lionized if the team emerges with a Lombardi Trophy. Part of a quartet that sports three iconic quarterbacks, Ryan is looking to cement his place as one of the best quarterbacks of his generation.