Russell Wilson sits on top for now, but can he complete his second Super Bowl journey? Image: AP
The AFC and NFC Championship Games on Sunday in New England and Seattle could signify a potentially historic, generational shift in the NFL.
Will the Old Guard, in the form of the Patriots’ Tom Brady and the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, hold on for one more shot at glory in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium?
Or will the New Generation, represented by the Colts’ Andrew Luck and the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, complete their rise to historical prominence?
It’s as intriguing a combination of quarterbacks as I can remember in the NFL’s Final Four.
New England’s Tom Brady might be the finest postseason QB in history. Image: AP.
A quick tale of the tape:
- Brady, 37, has staked his claim as the finest postseason quarterback in NFL history. A victory Sunday sends him to his sixth Super Bowl, which would be the most ever for a starting quarterback.
- Rodgers, 31, directed Green Bay’s Super Bowl XLV championship and owns the second-best passer rating in postseason history (105.3).
- Wilson, 26, manages the offense for the defending Super Bowl champions and is the only one in NFL history with a better postseason passer rating than Rodgers (109.6).
- Luck, 25, is the only one of the four who hasn’t won a Super Bowl, but he is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for at least 250 yards in his first five playoff games. (He also is coming off a
Indy’s Andrew Luck is the only QB left standing without a Super Bowl title. Image: AP
torch-passing victory against the Broncos and his Colts predecessor, Peyton Manning.)
Naturally, many other factors will help determine which two teams advance. It’s not all about the quarterbacks.
But let’s face it: In the NFL, history remembers the men under center. Eras are defined, rightly or wrongly, by the quarterbacks.
We think of Otto Graham’s great Cleveland Browns champions of the 1950s. We think of Joe Montana’s brilliant 49ers dynasty of the 1980s. While the Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s is a notable exception to the rule, four Super Bowl rings were enough to land Terry Bradshaw in the
Rodgers is still only 31, but that’s old enough to be part of the Old Guard.
Hall of Fame and on the set of the Fox pregame show.
So, as the games unfold Sunday, remember there’s even more at stake than a trip to Super Bowl XLIX. History is on the line in Seattle and Foxborough.
This is far from the first time the NFL has given us clearly delineated turning points related to quarterback eras. Here are five games that featured an old war horse of a QB on his way out, facing off against a young, up-and-coming stud whose sun was rising:
- Joe Namath (Jets) vs. Johnny Unitas (Baltimore Colts), Sept. 24, 1972 – Three years after the Guarantee before winning Super Bowl III in Miami, Namath reinforced his Hall of Fame legacy against the legendary Unitas with a 496-yard performance in a 44-34 Jets victory. Even though 39-year-old Unitas was typically brilliant with 376 yards, the loss marked the beginning of the end for Unitas with the Colts.
- Peyton Manning (Colts) vs. Dan Marino (Dolphins), Dec. 5, 1999 – In Marino’s final season, 23-year-old Manning rolled into Miami and edged the old master en route to a 13-3 regular season and a first post-season berth with Indianapolis. Manning took over a tie game with 30 seconds remaining and engineered a game-winning field goal drive that left Marino and the Dolphins frustrated.
- Eli Manning (Giants) vs. Brett Favre (Packers), Jan. 20, 2008 – What turned out to be Favre’s final appearance in a Packers uniform, the NFC Championship Game, ended with an interception that gave Eli and the Giants an easy field goal winner in OT at Lambeau Field. Manning went on to star in an upset victory against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
- Tom Brady (Patriots) vs. Doug Flutie (Chargers), Oct. 14, 2001 – In just his third career start, Brady and the Patriots played host to New England folk hero Flutie (who won the Heisman Trophy for Boston College and had played briefly for the Patriots in 1987-89). While 39-year-old Flutie was good that day for the Chargers, Brady burst onto the New England sports scene with 364 passing yards and a game-winning drive in OT.
- Bob Griese (Dolphins) vs. Bart Starr (Packers), Dec. 19, 1971 – The final game of Starr’s brilliant, championship-laden career ended in an ignominious loss to 26-year-old Griese, who was entering the prime of his Hall of Fame career. Griese and the Dolphins would go on to lose Super Bowl VI to the Cowboys, then win consecutive Super Bowls VII and VIII.
So, who do you like this weekend? Think Brady and the Patriots will roll Luck’s Colts and turn back the tide of time, at least for one more season? Will the Packers and Rodgers win one for the over-30 set, knocking off Wilson and the defending Super Bowl champions?
Or is now the time when Luck and Wilson push their way onto history’s stage at the expense of their seasoned opponents? Let us know in the comments.
Me? If you must know, I think we’ll split the generational difference. The Seahawks will edge the Packers, and Wilson will take one step closer to becoming the NFL’s King of the Millennials with back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. And Brady has one more in him, at least.
A Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl. We’ll cross that potentially historic bridge when (if) we get there.