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A look at the top potential matchups for Super Bowl LIX. Looking ahead at the most intriguing NFL matchups for Super Bowl LIX.
The NFL playoffs have arrived, which means we're just a month away from Super Bowl LIX, which will be played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. There are 14 teams that could play in the Super Bowl, with 49 potential combinations of teams that could play in the Super Bowl.
While every potential matchup has some appeal, some matchups are much more appealing than others. Are there people who would want to see the Buccaneers face the Texans in the Super Bowl? Sure, but no one is putting that among the 10 matchups they'd most want to see.
Below are the five best potential Super Bowl LIX matchups, from a battle of rookie quarterbacks to a clash of the top seeds.
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5. Denver Broncos vs Washington Commanders
Wouldn't it be fun to see two rookie quarterbacks play in the Super Bowl?
In fact, it'd be more than fun. It'd be a historic moment, considering we've never even had one rookie quarterback play in the Super Bowl. A Bo Nix vs. Jayden Daniels battle for the title would guarantee that we see a rookie quarterback lead his team to a title for the first time.
Round of applause for Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/BAQ7hCKlWj
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) January 6, 2025
Could that revolutionize the way rosters are built? Would it just be a footnote in history, and we'd quickly return to the norm, where it takes a veteran quarterback to win the big one?
Huge questions that we probably won't have to answer. The Broncos are the No. 7 seed, and last season was the first time that a No. 7 seed even won a playoff game, so chances are very low that this game happens, which is why it's only ranked fifth on this list.
4. Baltimore Ravens vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sometimes, you just want to watch a really fun football game, and that's what a matchup between the Ravens and Eagles would be.
On one side, you have arguably the most exciting quarterback in the NFL, Lamar Jackson. Jackson is coming off one of the greatest seasons ever for a quarterback, throwing a career-high 41 touchdowns to just four interceptions while rushing for 915 yards and four scores. He led the NFL in yards per carry for the fourth time.
On the other side, the Eagles have the most dangerous non-quarterback in the league in running back Saquon Barkley. The former No. 2 overall pick was revitalized in his first season with Philadelphia, rushing for 2,005 yards and flirting with the all-time rushing record. He finished with over 2,000 scrimmage yards for the second time in his career.
3. Los Angeles Chargers vs. Los Angeles Rams
The battle of Los Angeles would be one of the biggest stories we've ever seen in the NFL. For years, Los Angeles didn't have any NFL teams, and then, suddenly, it had two of them after the Chargers and Rams both moved to the city.
The Rams have already brought Los Angeles a Super Bowl title in the NFL's return to the City of Angels, taking the Super Bowl LVI crown by defeating the Bengals. Another Super Bowl win would be a huge boost to Matthew Stafford's overall resume as a quarterback.
As for the Chargers, a Super Bowl victory would prevent quarterback Justin Herbert from being the next Philip Rivers. Rivers was one of the league's best quarterbacks for over a decade with the Chargers, but he was never able to lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance, much less a win.
So far, Herbert's career story looks similar. Everyone agrees that he's a great quarterback, but sharing a division with Patrick Mahomes and a conference with Josh Allen and Jackson has kept him from winning anything. Beating a cross-town rival in the Super Bowl changes the whole narrative of Herbert's career.
2. Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions
Two long-suffering franchises with a chance to end that suffering against each other in the big game? Sign me up.
The Bills have played in the Super Bowl four times but lost all four of those games back in the 1990s. With Josh Allen at quarterback, it seems inevitable that Buffalo will get to the title game at some point, though having to play in the same conference as Patrick Mahomes makes that a difficult ask.
This year's Bills team is trying to do what last year's Chiefs team did, which is win a title despite not having a lot of high-end talent at wide receiver. That didn't stop KC last season, and it hasn't stopped a Bills team that went 13-4 this season and handed Kansas City its only loss.
As a Lions fan for 40+ years, the Lions finishing 15-2 this season is truly a bizzaro world for me. Definitely not used to the Lions being true Super Bowl contenders. pic.twitter.com/472WrTuWB8
— FB_Helmet_Guy (@FB_Helmet_Guy) January 6, 2025
The Lions have never even played in a Super Bowl, making them one of just four teams with that distinction. The others are two expansion teams and a Browns franchise that didn't exist for a brief span.
A Super Bowl win would mean everything to the city of Detroit, which has stood behind this team despite decades of futility.
It would also mean that Jared Goff, who was basically a throw-in in the trade that sent Matthew Stafford to the Rams and was viewed by many as a stopgap until Detroit found its next quarterback, would be a Super Bowl champion.
1. Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions
Look, you always want to see the best of the best play, right? That's why the most anticipated Super Bowl matchup would pit the two No. 1 seeds against each other.
I already wrote in the last section about what a Lions title would mean, but it would really be the cherry on top if the Lions won the championship by defeating the two-time defending champions. A franchise known for its eternal loss finally getting a title by beating the best of the best? It would be iconic.
Think there is genuine panic swirling around the NFL, because if the Chiefs threepeat, that’s it, this is undeniably the greatest run in history since no other team has ever accomplished that feat. Conversation over.
— Adam Best (@Arrowhead_Adam) January 4, 2025
As for Kansas City, a Super Bowl win would make the team the first to win three consecutive Super Bowls. It would cap off what's been a surreal season for the Chiefs that's seen the team win one-score game after one-score game. The team went 11-0 in one-score games during the regular season, always finding new ways to win football games.
Another Super Bowl title would give Kansas City quarterback Mahomes his fourth title. He's not even 30 years old yet. Accomplishing the three-peat would make Mahomes' case for being a top-five quarterback of all time completely undeniable.
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