While the NFC has had a different representative in the Super Bowl each of the last 10 years, the AFC has been much more predictable. The Steelers, Patriots or Colts have won the AFC the last eight seasons. With Indianapolis winless and Peyton-less, Sunday’s matchup between Pittsburgh and New England is the showcase of the conference’s top perennial title contenders. Since Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004, each time these two teams have met during the regular season, one has advanced to the Super Bowl.
While these two teams thrive on being unpredictable with their progressive game plans, consistency is why they continually compete for titles.
The Steelers and Patriots are two of the few franchises in the NFL from which you know what to expect on a week-to-week basis. And their quarterbacks are perfect representations of each organization’s personality.
With Roethlisberger and the Steelers, it’s all about hard-nosed football. While their defense is known for unleashing explosive hits, their quarterback is known for absorbing them. They like to run the ball but don’t allow you to. The Steelers, led by a 6-foot-5, 240-pound gritty quarterback, are as blue collar as their city.
With Tom Brady and the Patriots, you have a more methodical approach, one that focuses on confusing opposing teams, taking advantage of mismatches and utilizing everyone’s particular abilities. New England, led by a former sixth-round pick, takes other teams’ unwanted and washed-up players and wins with them.
The NFL often points to parity as one of the reasons for the league’s continued success. But while everyone loves an underdog story, there would never be any fairy-tale endings without a Goliath to slay.
Over the past 10 years, the Steelers and Patriots have been the models of consistency fans get sick of seeing succeed.
One of these two teams will lose Sunday, but expect both to be major factors in deciding the AFC.
– Jeffrey Tomik
