This could be the last chance to see a Brady V. Rodgers Super Bowl

Tom Brady has done just about everything in his 17-year NFL career. Somehow, at age 39, he is 3 wins away from a 5th Super Bowl ring. If Brady does get his ring, there is no question that he will go down as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Whether or not you like that title, it’s the only necessary one for a guy as accomplished as Tom. If New England were to make the Super Bowl, the potential opponents are frightening but intriguing at the same time. They could get the Matt Ryan led Falcons, a team that would be looking for a franchise-defining upset. They could face a Seattle team desperate for revenge in an epic Super Bowl XLIX rematch. They could face Dallas in the NFL’s version of “America’s Game.” Or they could face Green Bay. Which, in my opinion, is the ideal game because of the quarterback showdown.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have run the table from Week 12 all the way to a divisional round game against Dallas. One of the worst possible situations for an NFL team is trying to prepare against Aaron Rodgers. And when he’s throwing the football the way he has of late, the Packers are a tough team to beat. You could even make the argument that these are the two best teams remaining. Unfortunately, one of them will be eliminated this weekend. But for now, let’s just pretend that Green Bay wins in Dallas and gets all the way to the Super Bowl. New England is favored to defeat the Houston Texans by 3 scores on Saturday night, which is not surprising. So barring a complete disaster, New England will make it to their 6th straight AFC Championship game. Once again, let’s assume that New England makes the Super Bowl. And that would mean that Brady vs. Rodgers on the biggest stage would finally happen.

Every Super Bowl in NFL history has been dissected by the media in every possible way. But this game, with these two quarterbacks, would be one of the most hyped sporting events that this country has ever known. There would be so much on the line for these two players. One could go down as the greatest of all time, while the other can erase any doubt about coming up big when you have to come up big. So yeah, it’s a meaningful game.

But what happens if they don’t both make it to Super Bowl Sunday? You might think that it’s no big deal, both teams always find a way to get back the following year. And that may very well be the case next season. But the offseason leaves some daunting questions for both squads.

Starting with New England, free agency will not be kind to them. They have decisions to make on key players like Martellus Bennett, Dont’a Hightower, Logan Ryan, LeGarrette Blount, Alan Branch and others. Obviously this will not be the same Patriot team next season. In fact, far from it. In the past, Brady has been able to turn those bad free agency periods into a great follow-up season. And as good as he still is, a decline will eventually come into play. I’m not saying next season for sure, but it’s certainly a talking point.

Green Bay doesn’t have a lot to worry about as far as losing players go this offseason. But do they have the right personnel to begin with? They have even resorted to using receivers as running backs due to injury and inconsistency. Plus, they have a talent like Aaron Rodgers yet they lose 4 straight games at one point? That does not look good. To their credit, the Packer locker room has rallied around all of the media to get to this point. But are they really built to get to a Super Bowl? Questions that only they can answer.

And as young teams like Oakland, Atlanta, Seattle, and Dallas continue to emerge, the road to a Super Bowl is not going to get any easier. So with that being said, football fans can only hope that everything works out this time. And that after all of these years, Brady vs. Rodgers will finally go down in Houston.