20 Super Bowl matchups we wish actually happened

Actual matchup: Patriots over Seattle Seahawks, 28-24. 

Tom Brady‘s Patriots vs. Aaron Rodgers’ Packers. This was a matchup every football fan wanted to see. In the 2010s, they were the best quarterbacks in the league, and their teams were stacked. A Pats vs. Packers Super Bowl was always a safe preseason Super Bowl prediction. We never got the chance to watch this matchup. The football gods had other plans. Seattle’s comeback victory against the Packers in the NFC Championship Game prevented it from happening. Regardless, the actual matchup was still a great game. 

Actual matchup: Denver Broncos over Atlanta Falcons, 34-19.

This matchup would’ve featured two of the top-scoring offenses in the league in 1998. Both the Vikings and Broncos finished in the top three for total yards gained, per Statmuse . This game would’ve been an offensive explosion. You had Randall Cunningham, Cris Carter, Randy Moss, and Robert Smith on the 15-1 Vikings. And this stacked team would have matched up against John Elway, Terrell Davis, and the reigning champion Broncos. Sounds like a recipe for a great game. Unfortunately, the Vikings were upset by the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game.  

Actual matchup: Los Angeles Rams over Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick won six Super Bowls together in New England. Was it all Brady? Was it all Belichick? These questions would have been put to bed in this Super Bowl. Make no mistake, this would have been a legacy match. Hopefully, we get to see this one happen before they retire. 

Actual matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers over Dallas Cowboys, 21-17.

The Cowboys and the Raiders were two of the best teams in the NFL in the 1970s. Yet, we never got to watch these storied franchises collide in the Super Bowl. The Cowboys, America’s Team, were seen as the golden boys of the NFL. Meanwhile, the Raiders were an intimidating team that played dirty. It would’ve been the good guys vs. the bad guys. Also, the coaching matchup of Tom Landry and John Madden is iconic.  

Actual matchup: New Orleans Saints over Indianapolis Colts, 31-17.

The original matchup for this Super Bowl was great: Brees’ Saints vs. Peyton Manning’s Colts. But this matchup would’ve been even better: Brett Favre vs. Peyton Manning. Need I say more? The Vikings vs. the Colts would’ve featured two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time dueling in the Super Bowl. Every time they played, it was must-watch football. They’re each all over the record books.

Actual matchup: New York Giants over New England Patriots, 17-14. 

Two quarterbacks, also brothers, never played against each other in the Super Bowl. But it almost happened in the 2007 season. Instead, Eli Manning and the Giants shocked the world and beat the 18-0 New England Patriots, ruining their chances at a perfect season. But if Eli’s Giants played Peyton Manning and the Colts instead, it would’ve been a historic game. Since Peyton has a 3-0 record against his little brother, we think the Colts would’ve come out on top. 

Actual matchup: New England Patriots over Atlanta Falcons, 34-28 (overtime). 

This would’ve been the battle for the title of America’s team.

The Cowboys had held that title since the 1970s when they won two Super Bowls. After the fact, they won three Super Bowls in four years in the ’90s. The other team in this matchup is literally called the Patriots and has won six Super Bowls in the 21st Century. 

Featuring two of the biggest bandwagon fanbases, this would be one of the most hyped-up games in NFL history. Also, Brady and Belichick versus the rookie duo of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott would have been intriguing. 

Actual matchup: Baltimore Ravens over San Francisco 49ers, 34-31.

Tom Brady, the GOAT, looked up to 49ers quarterback Joe Montana growing up. His favorite team was the 49ers, and he dreamed of playing for them. In the 2000 NFL Draft, the 49ers passed on Brady, who the Patriots drafted in the sixth round. We all know how that worked out. This Super Bowl would have been the chance for Tom Brady to get his revenge against the 49ers. 

Actual matchup: San Francisco 49ers vs. San Diego Chargers 46-26.

Yep, you read the title right. The Browns vs. the Lions. This matchup would be a feel-good moment. The Browns and the Lions are two of the biggest losers in the NFL and have been for some time now. Neither has won anything. Regardless of who would have won this game, we’d have gotten to see a franchise win its first Super Bowl. Also, Bill Belichick’s Browns vs. Barry Sanders’ Lions matchup sounds interesting. It shows how long Belichick has been in the league. We might want to leave this one for the people playing Madden in franchise mode. 

Actual matchup: Baltimore Ravens over New York Giants, 34-7.

Anything is better than 34-7.

This hypothetical Super Bowl could’ve been one of the greatest games ever. The St. Louis Rams, nicknamed the Greatest Show on Turf, were dubbed the greatest offense of all time. And the Baltimore Ravens’ 2000 defense is one of the greatest defenses of all time, along with the 1985 Chicago Bears (more on them later). Does defense really win championships? Can a great offense beat a great defense? These questions and more would’ve been answered in this Super Bowl. 

Actual matchup: San Francisco 49ers over San Diego Chargers, 49-26.

Instead of Steve Young finally getting his ring and ending the 49ers dynasty on a high note, the 49ers would have to go up against their former quarterback: Hall of Famer Joe Montana. Young took over as the 49ers starting quarterback when Montana got injured and never looked back. This matchup would’ve been a revenge game for Montana, who wanted to go out as a champion. For the 49ers, it would have been a chance to prove Young was their guy, and they didn’t need Montana to win a Super Bowl. Exciting stuff. 

Actual matchup: Chicago Bears over New England Patriots, 46-10. 

The 1985 Chicago Bears are widely considered one of the greatest teams of all time. They dominated every team on their path to winning the Super Bowl, going 15-1 in the regular season and running away with the Super Bowl. The Miami Dolphins, led by quarterback Dan Marino, gave them their only loss of the season. Marino picked apart Buddy Ryan‘s 4-6 defense and led the Dolphins to victory. The ’85 Bears are the best defense ever. Would Marino have nabbed his first ring against the ’85 Bears? It would’ve been fun to watch him try.

Actual matchup: Washington Commanders vs. Buffalo Bills 37-24. 

The Buffalo Bills went to four Super Bowls in a row in the 1990s, thanks to the K-Gun Offense, but lost them all. Bills quarterback Jim Kelly led the no-huddle attack with ease. In other news, the 1991 Eagles Gang Green defense was simply incredible. They swarmed their opponents and didn’t give up any easy points. This matchup would have been a classic example of a great defense versus a high-scoring offense. This matchup could’ve happened if Randall Cunningham didn’t injure his knee at the beginning of the ’91 season. 

With both teams becoming contenders in their conference, we could see this matchup shortly. We don’t think America is ready for a Bills vs. Eagles Super Bowl. 

Actual matchup: New York Giants over Buffalo Bills, 20-19.

C’mon now. We all know these are two of the biggest cities in America. Who wouldn’t want to see them in the Super Bowl? How would you write the slogan for this Super Bowl? East Coast vs. West Coast? Hollywood vs. Broadway? New York Pizza vs. Avocado toast? However you want to draw it up, this is a great matchup on paper. Lawrence Taylor and the Giants vs. a tough Raiders team could have gotten chippy quickly. Also, if the Raiders won, it would have given Bo Jackson a ring. If the Giants won, it would have given The Big Blue Wrecking Crew their second ring. It’s a shame it never happened. 

Actual matchup: New York Giants over New England Patriots, 21-17. 

The 49ers and the Steelers are two storied franchises. And they’ve never played each other in the Super Bowl. While this matchup almost happened several times, the stars didn’t align. For starters, the Steelers were the team to beat in the ’70s, and the 49ers were a dynasty in the ’80s. If you combined their Super Bowl wins, you’d have 11 Lombardi trophies! If the Steelers didn’t lose to Tim Tebow‘s Broncos in the Wild Card, and if the 49ers beat the Giants in the NFC Championship Game, we could’ve seen them in the Super Bowl together.

This is basically the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics of the NFL. 

Actual matchup: Green Bay Packers over Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25.

Do I need to explain this one? It’s the battle for The Big Apple, for crying out loud. The NFL’s marketing team would have a field day with this one. Whoever wins this game gets the right to say they’re the King of New York. 

Actual matchup: Green Bay Packers over Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. 

This hypothetical matchup would feature two of the best head coaches of the era: Tom Landry vs. Hank Stram. Both were innovators in a time when the game was young and evolving. Landry is credited with inventing the 4-3 defense. On the other hand, Stram helped create the early formations of the 3-4 defense. This game would’ve been historic. 

Actual matchup: Green Bay Packers over New England Patriots 35-21.

The Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars entered the NFL as expansion teams in 1993, and their inaugural seasons came in 1995. The following year, both teams were in their respective conference championship games. Unfortunately, both were laid to rest, and we got the above Super Bowl matchup. But if they played each other, it would’ve made history. Nothing like this has happened before in NFL history. Two brand-new expansion teams have never played a Super Bowl, and this could’ve been it. I guess beginner’s luck has to end at some point, huh?

Actual matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers over Los Angeles Rams, 31-19. 

Everything is bigger in Texas — even the rivalries. This interstate duel would have determined the Kings of Texas crown. During the late ’70s, both the Cowboys and Oilers were great teams. The Cowboys, led by Roger Staubach and Tom Landry, won two Super Bowls together in Big D. On the other side of Texas, the Love Ya Blue Oilers enjoyed the most successful period in franchise history as a contender in the AFC. This would have been a hard-fought game, no doubt. 

Actual matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers over Arizona Cardinals, 27-23.

This wouldn’t have just been the battle for Pennsylvania. It also had several great players: Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, Ben Roethlisberger, and Hines Ward of the Steelers vs. Donavan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, and Brian Westbrook of the Eagles. It’s also the perfect David vs. Goliath story — a team with six Super Bowl victories going against a team with one. The only problem is that the game wouldn’t have been as interesting to anyone outside of Pennsylvania.