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The chaff has been removed and now our eyes are turning to Super Bowl LVI. Thirty-two teams began with the aspiration that they would be the ones to lift the Lombardi Trophy, but only 14 of them remain. Seven teams from each conference, namely the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference, line up within their conferences to win it all. The champions of each conference will get to play in Super Bowl LVI.
In the playoffs, form goes out of the window and we are looking at what could be the most intriguing matchups that have a good chance of taking place.
Super Bowl LVI to feature some of the best teams from the 2021 NFL season
#1 - Green Bay Packers v Tennessee Titans
Let's start with the obvious. The two number one seeds in each conference are favorites to win Super Bowl LVI.
The Green Bay Packers finished with a 13-4 record atop the NFC. One of those losses came against the New Orleans Saints in their first game back from pre-season when they were not yet firing on all cylinders. One loss against the Kansas City Chiefs came when Aaron Rodgers was ruled out due to COVID. The latest loss came against the Detroit Lions after they had already wrapped up the top seed.
The Tennessee Titans, meanwhile, not only locked in the top spot in the AFC with a 12-5 record, they did so while missing their main defensive weapon. With Derrick Henry coming back for the playoffs, the Titans can get scarily better.
#2 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers v New England Patriots
Tom Brady versus Bill Belichick, the fallen giants against the reigning champions, the ultimate return; there are so many names one can give this potential Super Bowl LVI matchup and yet fail to cover all the subplots.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tied the Green Bay Packers with a 13-4 record in the NFC and are raring to go in the playoffs. It would take a brave person to bet against Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski coming alive in the playoffs and finding another level when required.
Meanwhile, the New England Patriots are back in the playoffs after missing out last season. They have Mac Jones as quarterback and he looks to be finally filling in the hole that Tom Brady left when he departed New England. They finished with a 10-7 record and will be looking to get to Super Bowl LVI, just as they are used to Bill Belichick at the helm.
The old and the new stand a chance to cross swords for Super Bowl LVI
#3 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl LVI has the chance to be an encore. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished with identical records to the teams that won their conference. They have recent muscle memory driving them on what it takes to reach the Super Bowl. They are the teams best positioned to navigate the rigors of the playoffs and reach Super Bowl LVI.
The Chiefs and Buccaneers are the two most recent champions and bring immense pedigree. For the Buccaneers, Tom Brady's playoff and Super Bowl record is legendary and bears no repetition. They also have the likes of Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski to power the offense.
The Kansas City Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes doing his bit and making the impossible look ridiculously simple. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill provide exceptional tools for him to use on big plays.
#4 - Green Bay Packers v Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers just sneaked into the playoffs on a 9-7-1 record when the Indianapolis Colts failed to beat the 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars. Yet when something like this happens, it reinforces the belief that somewhere the stars are aligning in what is likely to be club legend Ben Roethlisberger's final season as the Steelers' quarterback.
For the Green Bay Packers, if this matchup were to really happen, they would be hoping to win Super Bowl LVI for a multitude of reasons. It will be a reminder of Aaron Rodgers' only Super Bowl title to date, when they won the XLV edition. It might also help them convince Aaron Rodgers to stay with Green Bay and not flirt openly with the Steelers. Whatever the case, this promises to be an intriguing battle if this comes to pass.
#5 - Dallas Cowboys v Buffalo Bills
Maybe Super Bowl LVI will be the one where two up-and-coming quarterbacks finally stake a claim to the next generation and consign Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger to history. If that is the case Josh Allen and Dak Prescott will certainly claim their mark.
Both the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills topped their divisions with 12-5 and 11-6 records, respectively. The Bills won four straight to end the regular season while the Cowboys were top of the scoring charts with 407 yards and 31.2 points per game. Those who want to usher in a new generation of offensive football should be praying for this possibility to occur in Super Bowl LVI.
